B-23 Dragon
Country | United States |
Manufacturer | Douglas Aircraft Company |
Primary Role | Medium Bomber |
Maiden Flight | 27 July 1939 |
Contributor: C. Peter Chen
ww2dbaseAfter reviewing Douglas Aircraft Company's B-18A design, the United States Army Air Corps accepted it with requests for several changes, which finalized as the B-23 designation. The first flight of the B-23 Dragon aircraft took place on 27 Jul 1939, and the first production aircraft was the first American bomber aircraft to be equipped with a tail gunner position. Between Jul 1939 and Sep 1940, 38 aircraft were built. Production ceased as the US Army determined that B-25 Mitchell and B-26 Marauder aircraft were better suited as medium bombers. During the war, these 38 aircraft remained in service, but they did not participate in combat. Instead, they patrolled the west coast of the United States, and later served as transports (as UC-67). After the war, aviator and industrialist Howard Hughes obtained a B-23 Dragon aircraft and converted it into his personal transport; several other executives around world the did likewise.
ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia
Last Major Revision: Feb 2011
B-23 Dragon Timeline
27 Jul 1939 | B-23 Dragon aircraft took its maiden flight. |
SPECIFICATIONS
B-23 Dragon
Machinery | Two Wright R-2600-3 radial engines rated at 1,600hp each |
Armament | 3x7.62mm machine guns, 1x12.7mm Browning M2 machine gun in tail, 1,800kg of bombs |
Crew | 6 |
Span | 28.00 m |
Length | 17.80 m |
Height | 5.60 m |
Wing Area | 92.30 m² |
Weight, Empty | 8,677 kg |
Weight, Loaded | 12,000 kg |
Weight, Maximum | 14,700 kg |
Speed, Maximum | 454 km/h |
Rate of Climb | 7.60 m/s |
Service Ceiling | 9,630 m |
Range, Normal | 2,300 km |
Photographs
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18 Oct 2016 01:15:47 PM
This aircraft was considered for the Tokyo raid. The larger wing span I think is was the main reason it was dropped.