Douglas XTB2D

Douglas XTB2D Skypirate
Type:	Torpedo bombers
Design country:	United States
Manufacturer:	Douglas Aircraft Company
First flight:	March 13, 1945
Commissioning:	Was not procured
Number of pieces:	2

The Douglas TB2D Skypirate (also known under the name Devastator II ) was a torpedo bomber of the US Navy , which was provided for the use of aircraft carriers Midway and Essex-class ; It could not be used on older aircraft carriers because the flight decks were too small. Two prototypes were built, but with the end of World War II , torpedo bombers were considered an outdated concept, so the type was deemed unnecessary and deleted.

construction and development

Douglas designers Ed Heinemann and Bob Donovan began work in 1939 on a proposal to replace the TBD Devastator carrier -based torpedo bombers. In 1942, Heinemann and Donovan's team began working on a new project called “Devastator II”. On October 31, 1943, four days after the construction of the new Midway-class aircraft carrier began, Douglas was awarded a contract for two prototypes, designated the TB2D and officially named "Skypirate".

The TB2D was powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-4360 engine with counter-rotating propellers. Four torpedoes or an equivalent bomb load could be carried at underwing stations. The defensive armament consisted of two 20 mm cannons in the wings and a 12.7 mm (0.50 in) machine guns installed in the rear lower hull of a reinforced turret and a tail stand.

The XTB2D was very large for a single engine aircraft and the (X) TB2D would be the largest aircraft for an aircraft carrier at the time. The XTB2D could carry four times the gun load of the Grumman TBF Avenger . With only limited support from the US Navy and overlooking a recommendation for cancellation on May 20, 1944 due to the fact that the aircraft only on carriers of the Midway (CVB) - and Essex- (CV-9) - Would have been great to use, the TB2D project already had a difficult time in the mockup phase.

history

The XTB2D-1 with the clearly recognizable counter-rotating coaxial propellers

The two “Skypirate” prototypes with the BuNo 36933 and 36934 were ready for flight tests in 1945. The first prototype XTB2D-1 had its maiden flight on March 13, 1945. The second prototype had a fuselage that was 58 cm longer and later flew for the first time in the summer of 1945. Both prototypes were tested unarmed. Although flight attempts were on schedule, the collapse of the Japanese armed forces in the Pacific, along with delays in production of the Midway- class aircraft carriers , resulted in the elimination of this type of military aircraft and the cancellation of the order for 23 pre-production aircraft. The flight tests were ended and the two prototypes were scrapped in 1948.

Technical specifications

Parameter	Data
crew	3
length	14.02 m
span	21.34 m
height	6.88 m
Wing area	56.2 m²
Empty mass	8,348 kg
Takeoff mass	normal 12,948 kg maximum 15,767 kg
Engine	1 × four-row radial engine Pratt & Whitney R-4360 -8 Wasp Major with 3,000 PS (2,238 kW)
Top speed	546 km / h
Marching speed	270 km / h
Range	2,013 km
Service ceiling	7,450 m
Rate of climb	7.2 m / s

literature

• Harold Andrews: XTB2D -1. In: United States Naval Aviation News. January 1982, pp. 20–21 [1]
• René J. Francillon: McDonnell Douglas Aircraft since 1920. Putnam, London 1979, ISBN 0-370-00050-1 .
• Bob Kowalski: Douglas XTB2D-1 Skypirate. (Naval Fighters, Volume Thirty-Six) ​​Ginter Books, Simi Valley, CA, 1996, ISBN 0-942612-36-1 .

Web links

Commons : Douglas TB2D Skypirate  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Kowalski 1996, pp. 32-33.
2. ↑ "Memorandum: Cancellation of XTB2F Project - Recommendation for." Chief, BuAer, May 20, 1944 . Retrieved June 7, 2010.
3. ↑ Kowalski 1996, pp. 42-43.
4. ↑ Francillon 1979, p. 379.