Douglas B-23 Dragon

B-23 Dragon
A B-23 Dragon in USAAC markings during the early 1940s
Role	Medium bomber
Manufacturer	Douglas Aircraft Company
First flight	27 July 1939
Primary user	United States Army Air Corps
Number built	38
Developed from	B-18 Bolo

The Douglas B-23 Dragon was a twin-engined bomber developed by Douglas Aircraft Company as a successor to (and a refinement of) the B-18 Bolo.

Design and development

Douglas proposed a number of modifications designed to improve the performance of the B-18. Initially considered a redesign, the XB-22 featured 1,600 hp Wright R-2600-1 Twin Cyclone radial engines. The complete B-18 redesign was considered promising enough by the USAAC to alter the original contract to produce the last 38 B-18As ordered under Contract AC9977 as the B-23. The design incorporated a larger wingspan with a wing design very similar to that of the Douglas DC-3, a fully retractable undercarriage, and improved defensive armament. Notably, the B-23 was the first operational US bomber equipped with a glazed tail gun position. The tail gun mounted a .50 caliber machine gun, which was fired from the prone position by a gunner using a telescopic sight.

The first B-23 flew on July 27, 1939 with the production series of 38 B-23s manufactured between July 1939 and September 1940.

Operational history

While significantly faster and better armed than the B-18, the B-23 was not comparable to newer medium bombers like the North American B-25 Mitchell and Martin B-26 Marauder. For this reason, the 38 B-23s built were never used in combat overseas, although for a brief period, they were employed as patrol aircraft stationed on the west coast of the United States. The B-23s were primarily relegated to training duties although 18 of the type were converted as transports and redesignated as the UC-67. The B-23 also served as a test-bed for new engines and systems.

After World War II, many examples were used as executive transports with appropriate internal modifications and as a result a large number have survived. Howard Hughes (among others) used converted B-23s as personal aircraft.

Operators

United States

• United States Army Air Corps

Survivors

Douglas B-23 converted to executive transport role at Athens (Hellenikon) Airport in 1973

Airworthy

B-23

• 39-0033 - Pissed Away N747M LLC in Bellevue, Washington.

UC-67

• 39-0063 - Carmacks Commercial Corp. in Anchorage, Alaska.

On display

B-23

• 39-0036 - McChord Air Museum in McChord AFB, Washington.
• 39-0051 - Pima Air & Space Museum adjacent to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona.
• 39-0057 - Fantasy of Flight in Polk City, Florida.

UC-67

• 39-0047 - Castle Air Museum at the former Castle Air Force Base in Atwater, California.

Under restoration

B-23

• 39-0037 - under restoration at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio.
• 39-0038 - under restoration at the 1941 Historical Aircraft Group Museum in Geneseo, New York.

Wrecks

B-23

• 39-0052 - largely complete wreck at Loon Lake, Idaho.

Specifications (B-23 Dragon)

Data from Joe Baugher's Encyclopedia of American aircraft

General characteristics

• Crew: 6
• Length: 58 ft 6 in (17.8 m)
• Wingspan: 92 ft (28 m)
• Height: 18 ft 6 in (5.6 m)
• Wing area: 993 ft² (92.3 m²)
• Empty weight: 19,089 lb (8,677 kg)
• Loaded weight: 26,500 lb (12,000 kg)
• Max. takeoff weight: 32,400 lb (14,700 kg)
• Powerplant: 2 × Wright R-2600-3 radial engines, 1,600 hp (1,194 kW) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 282 mph (245 kn, 454 km/h)
• Range: 1,400 mi (1,200 nmi, 2,300 km) with 4,000 lb (1,800 kg) of bombs
• Service ceiling: 31,600 ft (9,630 m)
• Rate of climb: 1,493 ft/min (7.6 m/s)
• Wing loading: 26.7 lb/ft² (130 kg/m²)
• Power/mass: 0.17 hp/lb (200 kW/kg)

Armament

• Guns:
  
  • 3 × 0.30 in (7.62 mm) machine guns
  • 1 × 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine gun in tail turret
• Bombs: 4,000 lb (1,814 kg)

See also

Related development

• Douglas DC-3
• Douglas B-18 Bolo

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

• Douglas XB-22
• Martin B-26 Marauder
• North American B-25 Mitchell

Related lists

• List of aircraft of World War II
• List of bomber aircraft
• List of military aircraft of the United States

References

Notes

Bibliography

• Mondey, David. The Hamlyn Concise Guide to American Aircraft of World War II. London: Hamlyn Publishing Group Ltd., 2002, (republished 1996 by the Chancellor Press), First edition 1982. ISBN 1-85152-706-0.

External links

• B-23 entry at the National Museum of the USAF website