Vultee A-31

Vultee A-31
Australian Vengeance, 1943
Type:	Dive bombers
Design country:	United States
Manufacturer:	Vultee Aircraft
First flight:	March 30, 1941
Number of pieces:	1931

The Vultee A-31 Vengeance is an American dive bomber from the Second World War . From 1942 to 1944 a total of 1931 machines of the main type A-31 and the variant A-35 were built. The aircraft was also delivered to Australia , Brazil and the UK . The Forces françaises libres also received around 50 former Australian machines in 1943.

construction

The Vultee A-31 Vengeance was a dive bomber built in 1941 as the Vultee Model 72 (V-72). In addition, machines were manufactured at Northrop Corporation . The V-72 was privately financed and was intended for export.

It was a single - engine low - wing aircraft with a closed cockpit for two crew members and had an air-cooled double radial engine Wright Cyclone GR-2600 -A5B-5 with 1622 hp. As armament, the Vengeance Mk. I to III had four forward-firing 7.62 mm machine guns in the wings and two movable 7.62 mm machine guns in the rear cockpit, the Mk.IV (A-35B) had 12, 7mm machine gun (four in the wings and one movable). Two bombs weighing 227 kg could be carried in the internal bomb bay and two bombs weighing 113 kg at wing stations. The Mk.IV (A-35B) were able to carry a larger bomb load at the wing stations thanks to the more powerful engine, where two bombs weighing 227 kg were now possible.

production

At the beginning of 1940, France commissioned Vultee to develop a new dive bomber, of which the first of 300 copies were to be delivered in October 1940. The surrender of the country in June 1940 thwarted these plans; at the same time, however, Great Britain was also interested in such an aircraft. Since no other suitable model could be found, the British Purchasing Commission ordered 200 copies of the V-72 Vengeance from Vultee on July 3, 1940. On December 2, 1940, another 100 machines were added. The first prototype (RAF serial number AF745, serial number 4101) had its maiden flight on March 30, 1941 from the factory airfield Downey near Los Angeles. The machines transferred by the US Army Air Corps were given the designation A-31.

The United States Army Air Corps also became interested in dive bombers and ordered or reordered machines. The expanded version of the Vengeance was designated A-35 and fitted with a Wright Cyclone R-2600-19 engine.

When production was stopped in 1944, a total of 1931 machines had been produced.

Acceptance of the A-31 / A-35 by the USAAF:

Manufacturer	Type	1942	1943	1944	TOTAL
Consolidated, Nashville	Vengeance Mk. I	200			200
	Vengeance Mk. II	294	6th		300
Northrop, Hawthorne		200			200
Consolidated, Nashville	A-31		100		100
Northrop, Hawthorne	Vengeance Mk. IA	91	109		200
Consolidated, Downey	XA-31A	1			1
Consolidated, Nashville	A-35A		99		99
	A-35B		561	270	831
TOTAL		786	875	270	1931

Versions

• Vengeance Mk. I / IA - A-31A, Vultee model 72
• Vengeance Mk. II - A-31B, Vultee model 85
• Vengeance Mk. III - A-31C, A-35A (A-31C with 12.7mm machine guns), Vultee model 88
• Vengeance Mk. IV - A-35B (more powerful engine with 1723 hp, bomb load up to 907 kg, 12.7 mm machine guns), Vultee model 88

Mission history

British missions

The Vengeance was used by the Royal Air Force (RAF), the Fleet Air Arm (FAA), and the Indian Air Force (IAF / RIAF). It was used most in Burma by the RAF. In 1944 the machines were replaced by more powerful fighter or medium-weight bombers. They then served as trainers and target aircraft. For this role she was completely disarmed. The FAA did not receive the Vengeance until 1944/45 and no longer put it on the front lines.

Australian missions

After the outbreak of war, Australia ordered 400 Vengeances as an immediate measure. The first machines were delivered in May 1942. No large numbers reached the country until April 1943. The machines were therefore rarely used.

In March 1944 the machines were retired and replaced by B-24 Liberator . An order for 58 vengeances has been canceled. Only a small number remained in service with the RAAF until 1946.

The following RAAF units used the Vengeance:

• No. 12 Squadron RAAF
• No. 21 Squadron RAAF
• No. 23 Squadron RAAF
• No. 24 Squadron RAAF
• No. 25 Squadron RAAF
• No. 3 RAAF communication unit
• No. 4 RAAF communication unit
• No. 5 RAAF communication unit
• No. 6 RAAF communication unit
• No. 7 RAAF communication unit
• No. 9 RAAF communication unit

Technical specifications

Three-sided view of the A-35

Parameter	Data of the A-31 Vengeance Mk.I
crew	2 (pilot, navigator / gunner)
length	12.12 m
span	14.63 m
height	4.67 m
Wing area	30.84 m²
Wing extension	6.9
Empty mass	4672 kg
Takeoff mass	7439 kg
Top speed	449 km / h
Service ceiling	6800 m
Range	3701 km
Engine	a Wright Double Row Cyclone GR-2600-A5B-5-radial engine 1622 PS (1193 kW)
Armament	four 7.62 mm machine guns at the front, two movable 7.62 mm machine guns at the rear, 680 kg bombs

literature

• John Wegg: General Dynamics Aircraft and their Predecessors , Putnam Aeronautical, 1990, ISBN 0-85177-833-X , pp. 162-165
• Christopher Shores: Air War for Burma: The Allied Air Forces Fight Back in South-East Asia 1942–1945 Grub Street (July 1, 2005), ISBN 1-904010-95-4
• ER Johnson: American Attack Aircraft since 1926 , McFarland and Co., 2008, ISBN 978-0-7864-7162-1 ; Pp. 56-59

Web links

Commons : Vultee A-31 Vengeance  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Vultee A-31. In: US Air Force Fact Sheet. National Museum of the United States Air Force , December 31, 2018, archived from the original on September 18, 2012 ; accessed on April 26, 2019 (English). 
• USAF Museum A-35B

Individual evidence

1. ^ John Wegg, 1990, p. 163
2. ↑ John Wegg, 1990, p. 162 f.
3. ↑ Statistical Digest of the USAF 1946 , p. 100 ff .; www.uswarplanes.net
4. ↑ Information at raafmuseum.com.au ( Memento from January 4, 2006 in the Internet Archive )