Douglas XB-19

The Douglas XB-19 was a four-engined, piston-driven heavy bomber produced by the Douglas Aircraft Company for the United States Army Air Forces in the early 1940s, originally designated XBLR-2. It was the largest bomber built for the Air Forces until the Convair B-36 surpassed it in 1946, and the project was meant to test flight characteristics and design techniques for giant bombers. The aircraft first flew on 27 June 1941, more than three years after the construction contract was awarded, and advancing technology had made it obsolete before it was completed, although the Army still used it for testing. It was based at Wright Field from January to November 1942.