UAS is
currently awaiting final government approval for the recovery of an
Army Air Corps A-20A from Canada. The project has received
preliminary approval and UAS will start moving forward on this project
once final approval is received.
Aircraft
History
The origination of the A-20 Havoc began in March, 1937 when a
design team headed by Donald Douglas,
Jack Northrop
and Ed Heinemann
produced a proposal for a light bomber powered by a pair of 450 hp (340
kW) Pratt
and Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior engines assembled to a high-mounted
wing. It was designated the 7A and had an estimated 1000 lb. (450
kg) bomb load at 250 mph (400 km/h). Reports of aircraft
performance from the Spanish Civil War
indicated that this design would be seriously underpowered and,
subsequently, it was cancelled.
 In autumn of the same year, the US Army Air
Corps issued its own specification for an attack aircraft.
The Douglas team, now headed by Heinemann, took the Model 7A design,
upgraded massively to 1100 hp (820 kW) Pratt and Whitney R-1830 S3C3-G
Twin Wasp engines, and submitted the design as the Model 7B. The
Model 7B was maneuverable and fast, but did not attract any US orders.
A French order for the aircraft called for substantial modifications,
and the new designationDB-7 (for Douglas Bomber 7) was
introduced. It had a narrower, deeper fuselage, 1000 hp (750 kW)
Pratt and Whitney R-1830-SC3-G radials, French-built guns, and metric
instruments. Midway through the delivery phase, engines were
switched to 1100 ho (820 kW) Pratt and Whitney R-1830-S3C4-G. The
French designation was DB-7 B-3 (the B-3 signifying "three-seat
bomber").
The DB-7s were shipped in sections to Casablanca for
assembly and service in France and French North Africa. When the
Germans attacked
France and the Low Countries on May 10, 1940, the 64
available DB-7s were deployed against the advancing Panzers. Before
the armistice
they were evacuated to North Africa to avoid capture by German
forces. Here, they fell under control from the Vichy government,
but saw practically no action against the Allies except briefly during Operation Torch.
After French forces in North Africa had sided with the Allies, DB-7s
were used as trainers and were replaced in frontline units by B-26 Marauders.
In early 1945, a few DB-7s were sent back to France where they saw
action against the remaining isolated German pockets on the Western
coast.
When DB-7 series production finally ended on September 20, 1944,
a total of 7,098 had been built by Douglas and a further 380 by
Boeing. Some military historians consider it the third most
important twin-engine aircraft of World War II, behind the Junkers Ju 88
and De
Havilland Mosquito. This is probably due to its extensive use
by the Soviets, yet the DB-7 remains largely unknown.
Although not the fastest or longest-legged in its class, the Douglas
DB-7 series distinguished itself as a though, dependable combat
aircraft with an excellent reputation due to its turn of speed and good
maneuverability. In a report to the Airplane
and Armament Experimental Establishment (AAEE) at Boscombe Down,
test pilots summed it up as "has no vices and is very easy to takeoff
and land... The airplane represents a definite advantage in the
design of flying controls... extremely pleasant to fly and
maneuver." [1]
Ex-pilots often consider it their favorite aircraft of the war due to
the ability to toss it around like a fighter [2]. Its true
impact was that the Douglas bomber/night fighter was extremely
adaptable and found a role in every combat theater of the war and
excelled as a true "pilot's airplane." [3]
 A-20
The original American indifference to the Model 7B was overcome by the
improvements made for the French and British, and the Army Air Corps
ordered two models, the A-20 for high-altitude bombing and A-20A for
lower altitude work. Both were similar to the DB-7B, the A-20 was
to be fitted with turbo supercharged Wright R-2600-7 engines, but these
were bulky and the prototype suffered cooling problems, so the
remainder were completed with the un-supercharged R-2600-11.
A-20A
The US Army ordered 123 A-20As with the R-2600-3 engines, and a further
20 with more powerful R-2600-11. They entered service in spring,
1941. The Army liked the A-20A because of its excellent
performance and because it had no adverse handling
characteristics. Nine of them were transferred to Australia in
1943. The British name "Havoc" was adopted for the A-20A.
General Characteristics
- Crew: 2-3
- Length: 47 fft. 6 in. (14.5 m)
- Wingspan: 61
ft. 4 in. (18.7 m )
- Height: 17 ft. 7 in. (43.2 m2)
- Wing Area: 465 ft2
(43.2 m2)
- Empty Weight: 15,051 lb. (6,827 kg)
- Max
Takeoff Weight: 20,320 lb. (9,215 kg)
- Powerplant: 2x Wright R-2600-A5B
"Double Cyclone" radial
engines, 1,600 hp (1,200 kW) each
Performance
Armament
Guns:
- 4x fixed .30 caliber machine guns
in the nose
- 2x flexible .30 caliber machine
guns, mounted dorsally
- 1x flexible .30 caliber machine
gun, mounted ventrally
Bombs: 2,000 lb. (900 kg)
Surviving
Aircraft
Our current research finds that of over 7,478 aircraft constructed only
5 are currently in existence. There are no A models known to be
in existence as either restored or project aircraft.
A-20G 42-21709
In the collection of the Lone Star
Flight Museum in Galveston, Texas
A-20G 43-22200
On display at the National Museum of the United
States Air Force at Dayton, Ohio
A-20H 44-0020
Currently under restoration to flying condition in the Air Heritage
Museum in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania
A-20G 43-21664
Currently undergoing restoration in the UK
A-20C 41-19393
Parts donor aircraft for restoration of 43-21664 in the UK
References for
Aircraft History
Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A-20_Havoc
1.
Gann 1971, p.7
2.
Winchester 2005, p.72
3.
Taylor 1969, p.489
4.
Winchester 2005, p.72
5.
Winchester 2005, p.73
- Gann,
Harry. The Douglas A-20 (7A to
Boston III). London: Profile Publications, 1971
- Mesko,
Jim. A-20 Havoc in action.
Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications, 1983. ISBN
0-89747-131-8
- Taylor,
John W.R. "Douglas DB-7, A-20 Havoc, and Boston (Bombers) and
Douglas DB-7, Havoc, P-70 (Fighters)." Combat Aircraft of the World from 1909 to
the present. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1969. ISBN
0-425-03633-2
- Winchester,
Jim, ed. "Douglas A-20 Boston/Havoc." Aircraft of World War II (The Aviation
Factfile). Kent, UK: Grange Books plc, 2004. ISBN
1-84013-639-1
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