In the mid-40s, Douglas began work on the creation of an aircraft to replace the Dauntless, which had shown itself well in battles - later historians attributed it to the number of the best carrier-based dive bombers of the Second World War.
carrier-based dive bomber Dauntless
The suspended weapons were supposed to be placed on three pylons: one of them was located under the fuselage, and the other two were located at the root of the wing. The latter also performed a protective role during a forced landing with the main landing gear retracted. Defensive weapons were not installed on the Dauntless II. The pilot was in a spacious cockpit under a teardrop-shaped canopy.
The high flight characteristics of the aircraft were supposed to be ensured by the installation of a new 2500 hp Cyclone 18 R3350-24 engine, but the aircraft was built earlier than the engine, which was stuck at the testing stage due to numerous defects. It was necessary to install the already exhausted R3350-8 engines with a capacity of 2300 hp on the ready-made prototypes of the Dauntless II.
The designers paid great attention to the cockpit layout. As a result of this work, the cockpit became, according to the pilots, the most perfect for its time. The first flight of the XBT2D-1 prototype was scheduled for June 1, 1945.
Factory tests lasted five weeks, during which time the aircraft made about 40 flights. All design specifications have been carefully checked and the firm is pleased with the new machine. L. Brown took her to the Patuxent River Proving Grounds in Maryland and handed her over to military pilots for further testing. According to naval test pilots, the XBT2D-1 became the best carrier-based bomber ever tested in the center. The vehicle fully met the requirements of the fleet. Favorable impression was made by the simplicity of piloting and servicing the aircraft.
Of course, it was not without remarks: the pilots demanded to equip the cockpit with oxygen devices, and the technical staff - to increase the lighting of the cockpit and tail compartment with equipment. The firm quickly satisfied the wishes of the flight and technical staff. On May 5, 1945, representatives of the Navy command signed a protocol of intent with Douglas to purchase 548 BT2D vehicles.
With the end of World War II, the production of combat aircraft was stopped just a day after the end of hostilities.
The canceled contracts were worth about $ 8 billion. More than 30,000 aircraft, which were in varying degrees of readiness, were scrapped.
The number of BT2D bombers ordered by Douglas was also significantly reduced - first to 377, and then to 277 aircraft. And such a small, compared to wartime, order became a "lifeline" for the Douglas company - after all, at that time the rest of the aircraft building companies suffered huge losses. Until the end of 1945, all 25 experimental aircraft were built.
The first four were equipped with "temporary" R3350-8 engines, and the rest were equipped with the first production R3350-24W engines, which were envisaged by the project. In addition to the three main pylons for suspended weapons, 12 more small suspension assemblies, designed for 50 kg each, were fixed under the wing consoles. The cannon armament consisted of two 20 mm cannons.
In an effort to oust its main competitor, the Mauler of Martin, the designers from Douglas presented the BT2D as a versatile aircraft capable of solving almost all tasks facing deck attack and auxiliary aircraft. To demonstrate this quality, the company modernized six prototypes: from one they made an XBT2D-1P reconnaissance aircraft, from the other an XBT2D-1Q electronic warfare aircraft, and the third an XBT2D-1W radar detection and patrol aircraft. Two vehicles with upgraded equipment and a radar in a suspended container were tested as XBT2D-1N night bombers. And finally, the last aircraft became the prototype for the next modification, the XBT2D-2, and was considered a carrier-based attack aircraft.
In February 1946, the BT2D Dontless II was renamed Skyraider. In April, the BT (torpedo bomber) class of aircraft in the US Navy was abolished. It was replaced by class A - attack aircraft, and Skyraider received a new designation - AD.
In the late spring of 1946, several AD prototypes were being tested on the deck of an aircraft carrier. The strength of these machines was very low and their design could hardly withstand the hard landings typical of all deck aircraft. Most of the identified shortcomings related to the low strength of the landing gear and the docking areas of the wing and stabilizer with the fuselage. We had to strengthen the weak points, and the serial AD-1 began to weigh 234 kg more than the experienced XBT2D-1. The first serial attack aircraft took off on November 5, 1946.
The transfer of aircraft to combat squadrons VA-3B and VA-4B (aircraft carriers Sicily and Franklin D. Roosevelt) began in April 1947. Serial production continued until mid-1948. In addition to bombs and torpedoes, the AD-1's armament includes 127mm HVAR unguided rockets, known as Holly Moses. The maximum speed of the vehicle was 574 km / h, the flight range was 2500 km. A total of 241 AD-1 production aircraft were built.
Douglas has developed a night modification of the AD-3N attack aircraft specifically for night strikes against ground targets.
Between September 1949 and May 1950, 15 of these aircraft were built and delivered to the fleet. The crew of the night attack aircraft consisted of three people. A container with a radar station was suspended under the left wing console.
The next serial modification was the AD-4 Skyraider with a 2700hp R3350-26WA engine, designed specifically for the Korean War. The design took into account the experience of using previous modifications. To protect the pilot from small arms fire, the frontal part of the lantern was covered with bulletproof glass.
To facilitate piloting on long flights, an autopilot was installed on the attack aircraft and the arrangement of instruments on the dashboard was changed. To reduce accidents during landings, the brake hook was reinforced. The number of wing cannons was increased to four. After all the modifications, the take-off weight of the aircraft increased, and the range decreased to 2000 km. However, these shortcomings were more than compensated for by the increased efficiency of the application. Before the end of the war, more than 300 "Korean" AD-4s were built, and a total of 398 units were produced.
During the Korean War, the Skyraider was one of the main aircraft of the US Navy, and it was also used by squadrons of the Marine Corps.
The first sorties were made on July 3, 1950. In Korea, the Skyraders carried out the only torpedo attack in their history, and also won one aerial victory (Po-2, June 16, 1953). According to reports, over the three years of the war, 128 A-1 attack aircraft of all modifications were lost. Compared with piston Mustangs and Corsairs used to solve the same problems, Skyraider favorably distinguished itself with better survivability and a higher bomb load.
carrier-based fighter of the US Navy F4U "Corsair"
fighter US Air Force P-51D "Mustang"
At the end of the 40s, by order of the Navy, a variant of the Skyraider attack aircraft was developed with the designation AD-4B for the transportation and use of nuclear weapons - a tactical nuclear bomb of the Mk.7 or Mk.8 type. Serial production of the Mk.7 with a capacity of 1 Kt began in 1952 - for the first time in history, the dimensions and weight of the bomb made it possible to deliver it by tactical aircraft.
One bomb and two outboard fuel tanks of 1136 liters each were considered a typical load for an "atomic" attack aircraft.
The most massive modification of the aircraft was the AD-6 attack aircraft.
When it was created, the main emphasis was placed on increasing the survivability of the aircraft in conditions of strong opposition from the enemy's air defense. To this end, the cabin and fuel tanks of the AD-4B attack aircraft were protected with overhead armor plates, the design of some units was changed in the hydraulic and fuel systems, and some of them were duplicated to increase survivability. The AD-6 was equipped with an upgraded R3350-26WD engine with a capacity of 2700 hp. Serial production of the sixth modification went along with the fifth. A total of 713 aircraft were built. Production ended in 1957. In 1962, the vehicles received a new designation - A-1H.
By the mid-1960s, the Skyrader could be considered an obsolete aircraft.
Despite this, he continued his fighting career during the Vietnam War.
A-1 participated in the first raid on North Vietnam on August 5, 1964. The US Navy used the single-seat version of the A-1H until 1968, mainly over North Vietnam, where they claim piston attack aircraft won two victories over MiG-17 jet fighters (June 20, 1965 and October 9, 1966). The US Air Force used both the A-1H and the two-seater A-1E.
In 1968, Skyraders began to be replaced by modern jet engines and transferred to the South Vietnamese allies.
These aircraft have shown high efficiency in providing direct support to ground forces, but they are most famous for their participation in search and rescue operations. Low speed and long airborne time allowed the A-1 to escort rescue helicopters, including over North Vietnam. Having reached the area where the downed pilot was located, the Skyraders began patrolling and, if necessary, suppressed the identified enemy anti-aircraft positions. In this role, they were used almost until the end of the war. Only two months before the end of the bombing of North Vietnam, at the end of 1972, the escort of search and rescue helicopters was transferred to the A-7 attack aircraft. After that, all the vehicles that remained in service were transferred to the South Vietnamese Air Force, in which it was the main attack aircraft until the middle of the war. The losses of American Skyraders in Southeast Asia amounted to 266 aircraft. After the fall of the Saigon regime, several dozen combat-ready aircraft of this type went to North Vietnam as trophies.
Trophy A-1N in the "Museum of War Traces" in Ho Chi Minh City
During the war, two Skyrader pilots were awarded the highest US military award - the Medal of Honor. In World War II, Skyraiders did not have time to take part, but in Korea and Vietnam these aircraft were used on a large scale. By the beginning of the Vietnam War, the aircraft already looked like an anachronism, but, nevertheless, it was used no less successfully than jet engines. It is not known where or when Skyraider made its last combat mission. But it is reliably known that several of these aircraft took part in the armed conflict in Chad in 1979.
Currently, several restored Skyraider aircraft delight aviation enthusiasts in Europe and the USA with their flights.
Concluding the biography of this wonderful aircraft, I would like to compare its fate with an aircraft of a similar purpose, created in the USSR at about the same time.
The Il-10 attack aircraft was built as a replacement for the Il-2, taking into account the experience of the combat use of assault aircraft and managed to take part in the last battles of the Second World War.
Its improved, modernized version, with enhanced armament Il-10M, was put into production in the post-war period, and was successfully used during the Korean War. He formed the basis of assault aviation in the USSR Air Force, until it was liquidated by Khrushchev in the late 50s, when hundreds of combat-ready aircraft were scrapped.
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