North American AJ

North American AJ / A-2 Savage
An AJ-1 "Savage" around 1950
Type:	bomber
Design country:	United States
Manufacturer:	North American Aviation
First flight:	July 3, 1948
Commissioning:	September 13, 1949
Number of pieces:	143

The North American AJ Savage was a US Navy strategic bomber in service from 1949 to the early 1960s. It was equipped with two piston engines and a jet engine.

The North American AJ was planned as a three-seat carrier-based bomber . The aircraft had two Pratt & Whitney -R-2800-48- radial engines with 2,535 hp each, which were conventionally attached under the wings. In addition, a single Allison J33 A-10 jet engine was added in the rear fuselage. The wings were designed in a shoulder-wing design so that the landing gear could be kept relatively short, but the propellers still had sufficient distance to the flight deck. The prototype made its maiden flight on July 3, 1948, and the model entered service in 1949. 55 AJ-1 and AJ-2 bombers and 30 AJ-2P reconnaissance aircraft were built.

When the bomber role was taken over by other models, the remaining machines were converted into tankers. To do this, the jet engine was removed and an air refueling system with a hose funnel was installed instead. This made the AJ the first tanker in the US Navy.

With the rename products all aircraft in the armed forces of the United States in 1962, the term of the few remaining machines in modified A-2 Savage .

One version, the A2J Super Savage, with two Allison T40 propeller turbines each producing 5,172 hp, did not get beyond the prototype stage. The first machine flew for the first time on January 4, 1952, the second not at all.

Versions

AJ-2P reconnaissance aircraft VJ-61 1953

An AJ-2 refueling a Vought F7U

XA2J prototype with turboprops

XAJ-1

Prototype with two Pratt & Whitney R 2800 44 piston engines each delivering 2300 hp and one Allison J33 A 19 jet engine, three built ( BuNo 121460-121462).

AJ-1 (A-2A)

Series version with two R-2800-44W each delivering 2400 hp and one J33-A-10, 55 built (BuNo 122590–122601, 124157–124184, 124850–124864).

AJ-2 (A-2B)

Series version with 2500 HP R-2800-48 and J33-A-10 as well as a larger vertical tail unit and extended fuselage, 55 built (BuNo 130405-130421, 134035-134072).

AJ-2P

Reconnaissance aircraft with cameras in the redesigned bow, 30 built (BuNo 128043–128054, 129185–129195, 130422–130425, 134073–134075).

XA2J-1

Prototype with Allison T40 propeller turbines, 2 built (BuNo 124439, 124440).

production

Acceptance of the North American AJ by the US Navy:

version	1949	1950	1951	1952	1953	1954	TOTAL
AJ-1	11	29	14th	1			55
AJ-2					46	9	55
AJ-2F				3			3
AJ-2P				11	3	13	27
TOTAL	11	29	14th	15th	49	22nd	140

Technical specifications

• Type: three-seat carrier and land-based bomber (AJ-2)
• Wingspan: 22.91 m including additional tank at the wing tips
• Length: 19.23 m
• Takeoff weight: 23,978 kg
• Top speed: 758 km / h
• Range: 3,540 km
• Propulsion: two 18-cylinder double radial engines Pratt & Whitney R-2800-48 with 2,535 HP each and a Turbojet Allison J33-A-10 with 2,087 kp static thrust
• Armament: 4,536 kg dropping ammunition including atomic bombs in the internal bomb bay

Web links

Commons : North American AJ Savage  - Collection of Images, Videos, and Audio Files

• AJ Savage. In: Historical Snapshot. Boeing, accessed March 27, 2020 . 
• Private page about the North American AJ (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Statistical Digest of the USAF 1946, p. 94 ff; 1947, p. 115; 1948II, p. 16; 1949, p. 164 ff .; 1951, p. 153 ff .; 1952, p. 153 ff .; 1953, p. 185; 1954, p. 70