41-19505

XA-26A Invader
Builders: Douglas Aircraft Company
Operators: United States Air Force
Ordered 1941
Number Built: 1
First Built: 1942
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS
Type: Light Attack Bomber
Dry Weight: -
Wet Weight: -
Length: 51' 3" (15.24 m)
Height: 18' 6" (5.64 m)
Wingspan: 70' (21.34 m)
Wing Area: 540 Sq. Feet (50.17 m²)
Speed: -
Max Speed: -
Ceiling: 22,100 feet (6,700 m)
Powerplant: 2x Pratt & Whitney R-2800-27
Horsepower: 2,000
Fuel Capacity: -
Range: -
Crew: 2
Passengers: 1
ARMAMENT
Nose Guns: None
Dorsal Turret: None
Ventral Turret: None
Payload: 6,000 lbs

See also: List of Invaders by Serial Number

This plane was the second working A-26 Prototype to be fully operational. In July of 1941 Douglas built a full-sized mock-up of the plane with dummy weapons to pitch to the Air Force. That initial display culminated in a contract for two operational prototypes - this plane, and 41-19504 (The XA-26). Later, the Air Force added a third prototype, the XA-26B (41-19588).

This plane was constructed with a solid nose but without the guns in either the nose or the turrets.

There is less information on this particular plane than there is on the XA-26.

This plane served as the prototype for what would become the B model Invader - those equipped with hard noses and heavy machine gun armament. One observable difference between the prototype models and the production models was the "propeller spinner" - the cone-shaped piece in the middle of the propeller blades. The prototype units were equipped with this feature, but none of the production models had them.

Operational History

This plane was a prototype that was purpose-built for testing. 27 SEP 1943 - Received by USAF, flown to Mines Field, Inglewood, CA.
7 OCT 1943 - Assigned EX MATRRD, Wright AFB, OH.
22 MAR 1944 - Assigned to 4000th Base Unit, Wendover Air Force Base, UT.
24 APR 1944 - Either 2216th Base Unit or 216th Base Unit, Wendover AFB, UT.
1 MAY 1944 - 4127th Base Unit, Wendover AFB, UT.
6 DEC 1944 - Departed Mather Field, CA.
6 DEC 1944 - Arrived at Long Beach, CA. Remained Over Night (RON)
8 DEC 1944 - Arrived at Eglin Air Force Base, FL.
10 DEC 1944 - Assigned to 610th Base Unit, Eglin AFB, FL.
29 JAN 1945 - Listed for salvage, scrapped.

Accidents

This plane does not appear in any accident databases.

Crew

I have no information on the flight or ground crew of this plane.

Disposition

Upon completion of the testing, this plane was written off by the Air Force.

Images

Luckily, being a prototype model, there are some images of this plane.

The XA-26A Prototype.

The XA-26A Protoype on the runway.

The XA-26A Protoype.

A closeup view of the 4 tub-mounted 20mm cannons. In examining the photo below it also appears that this plane initially had a different landing gear where the front landing gear is a straight bar with the tire on one side of it. Other photos above show the same type of gear that was fitted on the production models, which had a bar that came down and then bent so that the tire ended up directly under the gear trunk.

Sources

• Douglas A-26 Production List
• United States Air Force Accident Reports