Allied Attack Aircraft of WWII

[The Big Gimper]

While I am recovering from my Turkey induced narcolepsy attack (it was Thanksgiving in Canada yesterday),  I am trying to figure out what I should do with my duplicates kits so using the USAAF Attack designation, I came up with the following new / back-fill designations. Added two more.

• A-13A Blackfoot ex P-36A Hawk.
• A-27A Alamo. Was a RW T-6 conversion
• A-32A Badger ex-P-47D Bubble Canopy with 4x 500 LBs. Two 50 Cal per wing
• A-32B Badger ex-P-47D Razor back with 4x 500 LBs.  One 20 MM and one 50 Cal per wing
• A-34A Thrush ex-TBF. TBD External bomb loads.
• A-34B Thrush ex-TBM. No turret. TBD External bomb loads.
• A-37A Coyote ex-PV-1 Ventura. TBD External bomb loads.
• A-39A Bobcat ex-F7F.  TBD External bomb loads.

Users included RCAF, RZNAF, RAAF, RAF SEAC.

The USAAC / USAAF preferred to have their attack aircraft have two engines so the single engines models, all radial BTW, were sold to to the allies.

[jcf]

YA-13 = Northrop Gamma 2C, one conversion

XA-32/XA-32A = R-2800 powered Brewster project, 2 built

A-34 = Brewster 340E, export version of SB2A "Bermuda", Lend-Lease paperwork designation

A-37 = designation reserved for attack version of Hughes D-2 design

A-39 = reserved for unbuilt twin R-2800 Kaiser-Fleetwings project

http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/research/aircraft/attack/index.asp

... and their page with links to the various category lists:
http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/research/aircraft/index.asp

Their are some amazing photos in those lists.

[The Big Gimper]

@ Jon:

As your researched shows, my filter / re-use was based on those designations where there it was a paper assignment, mockup or only 1-2 built.

And the yes, the USAF Museum website is a great resource. 

I wish there were more gaps in the assigned numbering.   

Carl

[kitnut617]

Why not just have them as in an 'alternative' history, like my Avro Atlantic project. I'm doing it as a CC-137 Husky, the RCAF got it instead of the Boeing 707

[jcf]

I have some notions if I may.

As the YA-13 work and designation were primarily a Wright Field project, I could see the USAAC
tech folk re-assigning the designation to a P-36 derivative they developed in house. Curtiss was
a mess in the real world with multiple projects, so I could see Wright Field going around them.

As many know Brewster was an absolute disaster and were taken over by the US government,
so it's not too much of a stretch to having the A-32 project re-assigned to Republic to make it work.
However the Brewster aircraft is such a dog that Republic propose replacing it with a P-47C derivative
under the designation A-32B, this is produced in small numbers with the main production variant
being the P-47D based A-32C-5,10,15 'razorback' model and the A-32C-20~ 'bubble-top'.

In Real-world terms the hardest one to get around would be the A-34 as some 450 aircraft were
covered by that designation.

The Hughes could be pretty easy as, ala the later period Bell 'XF-109', the designation is never 'official'. 

The Kaiser project is cancelled and the number re-assigned to Grumman in place of the cancelled XP-65,
which was of course, the never built USAAC version of the Grumman G-51, which became the F7F.

 

[Litvyak]

like my Avro Atlantic project. I'm doing it as a CC-137 Husky, the RCAF got it instead of the Boeing 707

<3

[The Big Gimper]

I have some notions if I may.

In Real-world terms the hardest one to get around would be the A-34 as some 450 aircraft were
covered by that designation.

The Kaiser project is cancelled and the number re-assigned to Grumman in place of the cancelled XP-65,
which was of course, the never built USAAC version of the Grumman G-51, which became the F7F.

 

I missed the 450 Prod number for the A-32. 

Moving the numbers around:

• A-13A Blackfoot ex P-36A Hawk.
• A-27A Alamo. Was a RW AT-6 conversion
• A-32C Badger ex-P-47D Bubble Canopy with 4x 500 LBs. Two 50 Cal per wing
• A-32C Badger ex-P-47D Razor back with 4x 500 LBs.  One 20 MM and one 50 Cal per wing
• A-37A Thrush ex-TBF. TBD External bomb loads.
• A-37B Thrush ex-TBM. No turret. TBD External bomb loads.
• A-39A Coyote ex-PV-1 Ventura. TBD External bomb loads.
• A-40A Bobcat ex-F7F.  TBD External bomb loads.

[The Big Gimper]

Another staring at your stash moment (SAYSM).^TM

Tamiya Mosquito MK FB VI with one or two 40mm S guns mounted in the aft part of the bomb bay. This is in addition to existing 303s and 20mm's.

Call it the A-39A Coyote.

[Jeffry Fontaine]

Another staring at your stash moment (SAYSM).^TM

Tamiya Mosquito MK FB VI with one or two 40mm S guns mounted in the aft part of the bomb bay. This is in addition to existing 303s and 20mm's.

Call it the A-39A Coyote.

I have often wondered what the Mosquito would look like with a half dozen .50 Brownings stuffed in the nose.  Ammunition feed would probably have to be from the forward half of the bomb bay due to the size of the weapons.  Of course the stores carried under the wings could be enhanced with the zero-length launchers for the 5.0"/127mm HVAR to make a very interesting ground attack aircraft.

[The Big Gimper]

Another staring at your stash moment (SAYSM).^TM

Tamiya Mosquito MK FB VI with one or two 40mm S guns mounted in the aft part of the bomb bay. This is in addition to existing 303s and 20mm's.

Call it the A-39A Coyote.

I have often wondered what the Mosquito would look like with a half dozen .50 Brownings stuffed in the nose.  Ammunition feed would probably have to be from the forward half of the bomb bay due to the size of the weapons.  Of course the stores carried under the wings could be enhanced with the zero-length launchers for the 5.0"/127mm HVAR to make a very interesting ground attack aircraft.

Funny you should mention 5" HVARs, I also have some Tiny Tim's in the stash which make this aircraft the ultimate soft / medium / hard target killer.

[Jeffry Fontaine]

Another staring at your stash moment (SAYSM).^TM

Tamiya Mosquito MK FB VI with one or two 40mm S guns mounted in the aft part of the bomb bay. This is in addition to existing 303s and 20mm's.

Call it the A-39A Coyote.

I have often wondered what the Mosquito would look like with a half dozen .50 Brownings stuffed in the nose.  Ammunition feed would probably have to be from the forward half of the bomb bay due to the size of the weapons.  Of course the stores carried under the wings could be enhanced with the zero-length launchers for the 5.0"/127mm HVAR to make a very interesting ground attack aircraft.

Funny you should mention 5" HVARs, I also have some Tiny Tim's in the stash which make this aircraft the ultimate soft / medium / hard target killer.

Instead of Tiny Tim, how about using the Uncle Tom 11.75" (29.5 cm) Rocket Projectile instead?  Developed in the UK for similar purposes to the Tiny Tim and pretty much identical in dimensions.  It did have a much pointier warhead and if I remember correctly it was provided with folding fins.  The folding fin feature is quite attractive for internal carriage or where large fins/wings would interfere with flight controls or wing surfaces.  I would love to tackle a folding fin Tiny Tim or Uncle Tom in 1/48th scale.

[GTX_Admin]

This is getting a bit ahead of the game (it first flew in 1935 after all), but I wonder if the XA-14 were developed, it could have been useful in WWII:



In fact, it is interesting just how close the Ki-45 and Ki-46 look to it - I wonder if you could use either of those as a basis to create an operational A-14:

[jcf]

In fact, it is interesting just how close the Ki-45 and Ki-46 look to it -

Only until you look at plan-views of all three and see the clunky Curtiss wing design.  
I so like the aircraft and was so disappointed the first time I saw a top-view.

First order of business for a developed version would be a new wing design.

[GTX_Admin]

Well, they did develop it into the Y1A-18 Shrike, but I don't think the wing was changed




Maybe a whiff backstory could develop it further...

[jcf]

The XA-14 (Model 76) and the Y1A-18 (Model 76A) are basically the same aircraft, the new designation
was primarily due to a change in powerplant, from the Wright R-1670-5 to Wright R-1820-47.
The only major structural change was a switch from a fuselage bomb-bay to small bomb-cells in each wing.

The photo you posted of the 'XA-14' is actually of the Model 76 in its original form as a civil registered,
X-15314, company demonstrator, the cowling design was changed and constant speed propellers were added before it was purchased by the Army and then designated XA-14.

Curtiss proposed the Model 76B with Pratt and Whitney R-1830 engines to the Army and advertised it for export, neither approach resulted in a customer.

- info from Bowers, Curtiss Aircraft 1907 - 1947

[GTX_Admin]

Thanks.  Either way, the idea of combining bits from a Ki-45 and Ki-46 and others to creat some sort of A-14/18B operational platform is growing...

[jcf]

Thanks.  Either way, the idea of combining bits from a Ki-45 and Ki-46 and others to creat some sort of A-14/18B operational platform is growing...

Ki 45 fuselage, Ki 46 wings.

[GTX_Admin]

+ american engines ...

[Empty Handed]

^ I had a very similar idea using an Airfix Ki-46 that didn't come with any engines (grrrrrr). I went with R-1820s off of the William Bros B-10. Now if I could just locate a suitably Curtiss-y tail.....