Douglas A-20G Boston

From The Air Combat Wiki

Contents 1 Fighter Ace Screenshots 2 Fighter Ace Ratings 3 Fighter Ace Performance 4 Historical Statistics 5 Strengths 6 Weaknesses 7 History 8 Sources 9 See Also

Fighter Ace Screenshots

Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ
Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ

Fighter Ace Ratings

Durability: 6

Speed: 5

Maneuverability: 3

Firepower: 7

Climb Rate: 2

Ground Attack: 7

Fighter Ace Performance

Top Speeds						Climb Rates
	Sea Level	4921' 1500m	9843' 3000m	19685' 6000m	Best Speed	Best IAS	to 1000m	to 3000m	to 6000m
mph	305	314	318	313	330@ 12467'	190 mph	2:03	6:18	16:19
mph WEP	311	321	324	n/a	336@ 12467'
kph	490	506	512	504	531@ 3800m	305 kph
kph WEP	500	516	522	n/a	540@ 3800m

Historical Statistics

Service Date: February 1943

Primary Guns: 2x Browning M2 0.5" (12.7mm) machine guns with 350 rpg in nose

Secondary Guns: 4x ShVAK 20mm cannon with 100 rpg in nose

Defensive Guns: 2x Browning M2 0.5" (12.7mm) machine guns with 400 rpg in dorsal turret

Ordnance: 8x 220 lb (100 kg) or 4x 551 lb (250 kg) or 2x 1103 lb (500 kg) or 1x 2205 lb (1000 kg) bombs or 1103 lb (500 kg) fuel tank in internal bomb bay, plus 4x 220 lb (100 kg) or 4x 551 lb (250 kg) bombs or 8x 66 lb (30 kg) RS-132 A2G rockets on underwing pylons, or 1x 2095 lb (950 kg) 45-36AN torpedo (no other stores except rockets possible with torpedo)

Engine(s): 2x Wright Cyclone R-2600-23 radials rated for 1,600 hp each at sea level (1,650 hp with WEP)

Int Fuel Capacity: 4,080 lbs (1,851 kg)

Ext Fuel Capacity: 1,103 lbs (500 kg) internally in the bomb-bay

Maximum Speeds: 317 mph (510 kph) at 10,000 ft (3,048 m)

Ceiling: 25,000 ft (7,620 m)

Loaded Weight: 24,000 lbs (10,886 kg)

Wing Area: 465 sq ft (43.3 sq m)

Wing Loading: 51.6 lbs/sq ft (251.4 kg/sq m)

Strengths

Ground Attack: Capable of carrying up to 4,000 lbs. of bombs and eight rockets, the Boston can inflict a lot of damage to ground targets.

Speed: Able to fly at over 340 mph, the A-20 was capable of getting into and out of the target area in a hurry.

Maneuverability: Without a bomb load, the plane was as maneuverable as most other heavy fighters and was often used as a night fighter.

Weaknesses

Bomb Aiming: The Boston didn’t use a level bomb sight, so bombing accuracy was fairly low.

History

Anticipating an Army Air Corps need for a light attack bomber, Donald Douglas, Jack Northrop, and Ed Heinnemann set about the task of developing an attack bomber with the help of Wright Field technicians. The Model 7A, as the project was known, was calculated to be able to reach a speed of 250 mph with a load of bombs, a crew of two and three .30 caliber machine guns in the nose. However before they could complete the design, lessons learned from the Spanish Civil War made it apparent that the Model 7A would be inadequate for modern air combat. The existing design was scrapped, and work started on the Model 7B. With Northrop's resignation, Ed Heinnemann completed the design alone and the plane made its first flight in late 1938.

Shortly after completion of the first prototype, French purchasing agents arrived in California and placed an order for 100 planes, which they soon increased to 380. The French asked for so many changes that the result was almost a new plane, which the company designated the DB-7. The DB-7 was equipped with four 7.5mm machine guns around and under the glass nose and a single flexible 7.5mm in the dorsal and ventral tunnel positions. It could carry up to 1,764 lbs. of bombs, and was powered by a pair of 1,200 hp Twin-Wasp engines.

During the initial production run, the French government requested an upgrade to a pair of 1,600 hp Cyclone engines and the new model was known as the DB-7A. However, France capitulated before many could be delivered and Britain's RAF took over the contract, dubbing the plane the "Boston".

Soon after the French order was made, the U.S. Army decided the plane met their specifications and placed an order for a variant modified to use turbo superchargers on the Wright engines, which they called the A-20. However, the superchargers were bulky and there was really no need for them on a low-level aircraft, so the A-20A reverted back to non-supercharged engines and 123 were ordered.

Replacing the .30 caliber guns with .50 caliber models, the A-20B also featured a redesigned bomb bay, which could carry an optional 200-gallon auxiliary fuel tank for long-range ferrying. Although 999 were ordered for USAAF use, the majority were shipped to Russia under the Lend Lease program. The A-20C reverted back to .30 caliber armament, but also introduced self-sealing fuel tanks and more crew armor protection. The D, E, and F variants were experimental models that never entered production.

The changes to the plane for the upcoming A-20G model were numerous. The glass nose was replaced by a solid nose containing either six .50 caliber machine guns or a pair of .50s and four 20mm cannon. The flexible machine gun mounting in the dorsal position was replaced by a Martin turret equipped with a pair of .50 caliber machine guns, and the .30 caliber gun in the ventral tunnel position was replaced by a .50 caliber model.

Internally, the A-20G featured greater fuel capacity and increased crew armor. A pair of hardpoints under the outer wing panels allowed the Havoc to carry up to four 500 lb. bombs externally, in addition to the 2,000 lb. internal load, making the Havoc a potent bombing platform. Over 2,850 A-20Gs were produced and Havocs served with both the British RAF and the Russian Red Army.

While most of the planes sent to Russia under Lend-Lease were of obsolete types, the A-20G was a different matter in that most of the first part of the production run was sent to the USSR instead of the USAAF.

Initially armed with four 20mm AN-M2 cannon with 60 round drum magazines and a pair of .50 caliber Brownings in the nose, the Red Air Force replaced the M2 cannons with ShVAK 20mm cannons fed by 100 round belts. The .50 caliber nose guns were retained, as were the .50 caliber guns in the dorsal turret. Additionally, rails were added under the wings to allow the Boston to carry eight RS-132 rockets.

Sources

Mesko, Jim.; A-20 Havoc In Action, Aircraft Number 144; Squadron/Signal Publications, Carrollton, Texas; 1994.

Green, William; Famous Bombers of the Second World War, Second Series; Doubleday & Company, Garden City, New York; 1961.

See Also

Fighter Ace Planes Inventory

The Douglas Aircraft Company, Inc.

Aircraft Manufacturers During World War II