Douglas BTD Destroyer

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_BTD_Destroyer

The Douglas BTD Destroyer is an American dive/torpedo bomber developed for the
United States Navy during World War II. A small number had been delivered before
the end of the war, but none saw combat.

On 20 June 1941, the United States Navy placed an order with the Douglas
Aircraft Company for two prototypes of a new two-seat dive bomber to replace
both the Douglas SBD Dauntless and the new Curtiss SB2C Helldiver, designated
XSB2D-1. The resulting aircraft, designed by a team led by Ed Heinemann, was a
large single-engined mid-winged monoplane. It had a laminar flow gull-wing, and
unusually for a carrier-based aircraft of the time, a tricycle undercarriage. It
was fitted with a bomb bay and underwing racks for up to 4,200 lb (1,900 kg) of
bombs, while defensive armament consisted of two wing-mounted 20 mm (0.79 in)
cannon and two remote-controlled turrets, each with two .50 in (12.7 mm) machine
guns.

The prototype first flew on 8 April 1943, demonstrating excellent performance,
being much faster and carrying nearly double the bombload of the Helldiver, and
orders for 358 SB2D-1s quickly followed. The U.S. Navy changed its requirements,
however, wanting single-seat carrier-based torpedo/dive bombers without
defensive turrets, and Douglas reworked the SB2D by removing the turrets and
second crewman, while adding more fuel and armor, while wing racks could carry
not just one but two torpedoes, producing the BTD-1 Destroyer. The orders for
SB2Ds were converted to BTD-1s, with the first BTD flying on 5 March 1944.


Role
Dive bomber

Manufacturer
Douglas Aircraft Corporation

First flight
8 April 1943

Introduction
1944

Retired
1945

Primary user
United States Navy

Number built
30

The first production BTD-1s were completed in June 1944. By the time Japan
surrendered in August 1945, only 28 aircraft had been delivered, and production
was cancelled, along with other aircraft types that had been designed from the
start as single-seaters, such as the Martin AM Mauler. None saw combat action.
In any event, Heinemann and his team were already working on developing the
single-seat BT2D that became the Douglas A-1 Skyraider.

Specifications (BTD-1)

General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 38 ft 7 in (11.77 m)
Wingspan: 48 ft 0 in (14.64 m)
Height: 16 ft 7 in (5.05 m) over airscrew, one blade vertical
Wing area: 373 sq ft (34.7 m2)
Empty weight: 12,900 lb (5,851 kg)
Gross weight: 18,140 lb (8,228 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 19,000 lb (8,618 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Wright R-3350-14 Cyclone 18 18-cyl. two-row air-cooled radial
piston engine, 2,300 hp (1,700 kW)
Propellers: 4-bladed constant-speed propeller

Performance
Maximum speed: 344 mph (554 km/h, 299 kn)
Cruise speed: 188 mph (303 km/h, 163 kn)
Range: 1,480 mi (2,380 km, 1,290 nmi)
Ferry range: 2,140 mi (3,440 km, 1,860 nmi)
Service ceiling: 23,600 ft (7,200 m)
Rate of climb: 1,650 ft/min (8.4 m/s)
Wing loading: 48.6 lb/sq ft (237 kg/m2)
Power/mass: 7.9 lb/hp (4.83 kg/kW)

Armament

Guns: 2 × 20 mm (0.787 in) AN/M2 cannon with 200 rpg
Bombs: Up to 3,200 lb (1,500 kg) of bombs in the bomb bay or two 1,947 lb (883
kg) Torpedoes




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