The North American NA-40 was a twin-engined prototype attack bomber that North American Aviation built in the late 1930s to answer a 1938 United States Army Air Corps circular asking for a new bomber that could carry a 1,200 lb payload 1,200 miles at more than 200 mph. The single aircraft first flew at the end of January 1939 with Pratt & Whitney radial engines, proved underpowered and unstable, and was rebuilt as the NA-40B with 1,600 hp Wright Twin Cyclone radials. It failed to win Army orders against rival designs, had been meant partly as an attack bomber for export to Britain and France, and was destroyed in a crash during testing, after which the Army ordered the Douglas DB-7 as the A-20 Havoc. Its lessons led directly to the NA-62, which went into production as the B-25 Mitchell.
Facts
Engine Class Top Speed (km/h) EngineWright R-2600-A71-3 Twin Cyclone 1 Comparison
Body StyleAircraft (no road body style) 1 Connections
Exemplifies
Source North American NA-40 (Wikipedia)
Of Make
Source North American NA-40 (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. North American NA-40 (Wikipedia)
Design and development, first flight
The single NA-40 built flew first at the end of January 1939.
Lead, body style
was an American prototype bomber aircraft
Variants, powerplant
A twin-engined, five-seat bomber to meet 1938 USAAF requirement for an attack bomber, it was powered by two 1,100 hp (820 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-1830-56C3G radials.
Design and development, loss
the NA-40B was destroyed in a crash on 11 April 1939 while undergoing testing.
Specifications (NA-40B), empty weight
Empty weight: 13,961 lb (6,333 kg)
Specifications (NA-40B), maximum speed
Maximum speed: 309 mph (497 km/h, 269 kn) at 14,000 ft (4,300 m)
Design and development, units built
The single NA-40 built flew first at the end of January 1939.
Specifications (NA-40B), powerplant
Powerplant: 2 × Wright R-2600-A71-3 Twin Cyclone 14-cylinder radial engines
Lead, manufacturer
was an American prototype bomber aircraft developed by North American Aviation in the late 1930s
Lead, nationality
was an American prototype bomber aircraft developed by North American Aviation
Of Make: North American Aviation, Lead
was an American prototype bomber aircraft developed by North American Aviation in the late 1930s
In Group: Bombers, Lead, role
was an American prototype bomber aircraft
Exemplifies: Aviation, Lead, aircraft
was an American prototype bomber aircraft
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