Brewster SB2A Buccaneer
| SB2A Buccaneer | |
|---|---|
| An SB2A-4 near Vero Beach, Florida, 1942-43 | |
| Role | Scout bomber |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Brewster Aeronautical Corporation |
| First flight | 17 June 1941 |
| Status | Retired |
| Primary users | United States Navy United States Army Air Corps Royal Air Force Royal Navy |
| Number built | 771 |
The Brewster SB2A Buccaneer was a single-engined mid-wing monoplane scout/bomber aircraft built for the United States Navy during the early 1940s. It was also supplied to the United States Army Air Corps.
Contents
Design and development[edit]
The SB2A (Brewster Model 340) was a development of Brewster's earlier SBA scout-bomber, sharing the single-engined, mid-winged monoplane layout of the earlier aircraft, but was larger and had a more powerful engine. It carried up to 1,000 lb (454 kg) of bombs in an internal bomb bay and for defensive purposes was fitted with a power-operated turret armed with two .30 in machine guns supplementing a further four forward-firing guns.
The US Navy ordered a prototype XSB2A on 4 April 1939, which first flew on 17 June 1941.[1] Large-scale orders had already been placed by this time, however, with the United Kingdom ordering 750 aircraft as the Brewster Bermuda and the Netherlands ordering a further 162 to equip the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force.[2] The first US Navy production order, for 140 aircraft, was placed on 24 December 1940.[1]
The RAAF had plans to order approximately 240 Bermudas in mid-1941 to re-equip 11 squadrons, but problems with the plane led the RAAF to cancel the order in November 1941, opting instead for the Vultee Vengeance.[2]
Operational history[edit]
The Royal Air Force purchased a version based on the SB2A-1s which they designated the Bermuda. They were used for training and target towing. Five of the Cyclone-powered aircraft under the model number '340' were supplied to the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy for assessment - four as dive bombers and one as a target towing tug.[3]
Variants[edit]
- XSB2A-1 Buccaneer
- (Model 340-7) Prototype, one built.
- SB2A-2
- (Model 340-20)Initial production, revised armament - non-folding wings. 80 built.
- SB2A-3
- (Model 340-26) Fitted with folding wings and arrestor hook for carrier operations. 60 built.
- SB2A-4
- (Model 340-17) Requisitioned aircraft built for Netherlands. 162 built.
- A-34 Bermuda
- Designation for Lend Lease production for United Kingdom (see below)[4][5]
- Bermuda Mk.1
- Model 340-14 production for United Kingdom. Turret replaced by flexible gun mounting. Originally 750 ordered, but only 468 were delivered.[4][5]
- R340
- United States Army Air Force designation for Bermuda 1 aircraft not delivered to the United Kingdom and used as ground training airframes.
Operators[edit]
- Royal Canadian Air Force. Three Bermuda 1s used for trials then used as ground instructional airframes.
Survivors[edit]
- A-34
- RAF s/n FF860 - National Museum of Naval Aviation at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida. It is displayed as a US Navy SB2A Buccaneer.[6][7]
- s/n unknown - in storage at the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona.[8]
Specifications (SB2A-2)[edit]
Data from United States Navy Aircraft since 1911[9]
General characteristics
- Crew: two: pilot and gunner
- Length: 39 ft 2 in (11.94 m)
- Wingspan: 47 ft 0 in (14.33 m)
- Height: 15 ft 5 in (4.70 m)
- Wing area: 379 ft² (35.2 m²)
- Empty weight: 9,924 lb (4,501 kg)
- Loaded weight: 12,239 lb (5,552 kg)
- Max. takeoff weight: 14,289 lb (6,495 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × Wright R-2600-8 radial engine, 1,700 hp (1,268 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 274 mph (238 kn, 441 km/h)
- Range: 1,675 mi (1,455 nmi, 2,696 km)
- Service ceiling: 24,900 ft (7,590 m)
Armament
- Guns:
- 2 × .50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns in fuselage
- 2 × .30 in (7.62 mm) M1919 Browning machine guns in wings
- 2 × .30 in (7.62 mm) machine guns in flexible rear mount
- Bombs: 1,000 lb (450 kg)
See also[edit]
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to Brewster SB2A. |
- Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
- Related lists
References[edit]
Notes[edit]
- ^ a b Birkett, Gordon. "Brewster Bermuda: Almost in Australian Service" (PDF). www.adf-serials.com. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
- ^ Drucker, Graham. "Brewster Bermuda (Brewster SB2A Buccaneer)". www.fleetairarmachive.net. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
- ^ a b March 1998, p.38.
- ^ a b Factsheet: Brewster A-34. National Museum of the USAF. Retrieved 24 July 2008
- ^ "A-34 Bermuda." National Museum of the United States Air Force. Retrieved: 9 April 2012.
- ^ Air Classics, July 1973. "British Boneyard in the Tennessee Hills", author Pony Maples
- ^ "A-34 Bermuda." Pima Air & Space Museum. Retrieved: 4 August 2015.
References[edit]
- Donald, David (editor). American Warplanes of World War II. London: Aerospace,1995. ISBN 1-874023-72-7.
- Gemeinhardt, F., J. Lucasbaugh and R. Martin. "The Bellicose Brewster: Part One". Aeroplane Monthly, November 1989, Vol. 17, No. 11. pp. 674–678.
- March, Daniel J.(editor). British Warplanes of World War II. London: Aerospace,1998. ISBN 1-874023-92-1.
- Swanborough, Gordon and Bowers, Peter M. United States Navy Aircraft since 1911. London:Putnam, Second edition 1976. ISBN 0-370-10054-9.
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