Northrop A-17
| Northrop A-17 | |
|---|---|
 Northrop A-17A |
|
| Type: | bomber |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
June 1934 (YA-13) |
| Number of pieces: |
about 400 |
The Northrop A-17 was a single-engine, light bomber aircraft in low- wing design that was to be used during the Second World War . However, the machine quickly became obsolete and no longer actively participated in combat operations.
development
John Northrop developed the A-17 from his Northrop Gamma model . The prototype, known as the Gamma 2C , was completed in August 1933 and went to the Army Air Corps (USAAC) for testing . The machine was returned to Northrop in February 1934, where a number of modifications were made. On June 28, 1934, the USAAC bought the aircraft, which was equipped with a 735 hp Wright SR-1820F-2 and designated it as the YA-13 (USAAC serial number 34-27).
After some testing, the YA-13 was returned to Northrop in January 1935 to improve the pilot's forward vision and flight performance. Accordingly, it was converted to a more powerful 950 hp Pratt & Whitney R- 1830-7 engine and renamed the XA-16 . The first flight took place in March 1935. However, the machine was seen as overpowered, so only this one was built.
The prototype for the A-17 series production was the Gamma 2F, which was powered by a Pratt & Whitney R- 1535-11 with 750 hp and was given a narrower but longer cockpit and a better aerodynamic fuselage. The tests in the Army began on October 6, 1934. After further modifications, for. B. replaced the semi-retractable landing gear with a fixed one, Northrop delivered the machine on July 27, 1935 as the first A-17 (35-51) to the USAAC. The $ 2 million series production order included the construction of 109 more aircraft. The delivery began on December 23, 1935 and was completed on January 5, 1937.
While the A-17 was still being produced, Northrop proposed a variant with a fully retractable landing gear, as had already been tested on the Gamma 2J test aircraft. USAAC accepted the proposal and placed another order for 100 A-17A (36-162 to 36-261). The first flight of the A-17A took place on July 16, 1936 and the first copy was delivered on August 12. A second order for 29 machines (38-327 to 38-355) was placed in the second half of 1937. All A-17A were equipped with an 825 hp R-1535-13 .
After the Douglas Aircraft Company had acquired the majority of Northrop's shares in 1937, they also took over production of the A-17A, which ended in 1939. However, only 93 of the 129 machines ordered are said to have been delivered, and moreover, they were returned after 18 months. Douglas gave 61 of these to the British armed forces, which in turn passed them on to South Africa as Nomad Mk . France took over the remaining A-17A. In addition, Douglas started production of an export version entitled Model 8A , which was sold to Argentina, Iraq, the Netherlands and Norway. In October 1940, the Royal Canadian Air Force received 32 A-17A's previously used by the USAAC, which were also referred to as Nomad in Canada. They were mainly used for training.
In 1942, after the USA entered the war, 31 Model 8A-5s ordered by the Norwegian government were taken over by the USAAF and used as training aircraft under the designation A-33 .
Technical data (A-17A)
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| crew | 2 |
| length | 9.64 m |
| span | 14.55 m |
| height | 3.35 m |
| Wing area | 33.63 m² |
| Empty mass | 2316 kg |
| Max. Takeoff mass | 3424 kg |
| Engine | 1 Pratt & Whitney R-1535-13 with 615 kW (836 PS) |
| Top speed | 355 km / h at an altitude of 800 m |
| Marching speed | 273 km / h |
| Service ceiling | 5900 m |
| Range | normal 850 km maximum 1175 km |
| Armament | four 7.62 mm rigid machine guns one 7.62 mm movable machine gun four 45 kg bombs |
literature
- Peter Alles-Fernandez (Ed.): Aircraft from A to Z. Volume 3: Koolhoven FK 56 - Zmaj . Bernard & Graefe, Koblenz 1989, ISBN 3-7637-5906-9 , pp. 188/189 .
- Wolfgang Sellenthin: Type show: Attack aircraft and single-engine bombers of the Second World War . In: Aviator Calendar of the GDR 1981 . Military Publishing House of the GDR , Berlin 1980, p. 234/235 .
- René J. Francillon: McDonnell Douglas Aircraft since 1920 . Putnam, London 1979, ISBN 0-370-00050-1 , pp. 210-222 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Rolf Berger (Ed.): 1000 aircraft. Cologne, p. 210.
- ^ Richard Sanders Allen: The Northrop Story - 1929-1939 , Schiffer Aviation, 1993, p. 145