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 - Assigned to 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