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DOUGLAS BTD DESTROYER
Douglas BTD-1 Destroyer BuNo. 04968 photographed at NACA, Aug. 20, 1945.(Source: NACA/NASA)
Douglas BTD Destroyer was an American torpedo bomber developed for the United States Navy during World War II. It was the first Navy aircraft to have tricycle landing gear.
Development
BTD was designed as a replacement for the SBD Dauntless dive bomber. The initial two-seat design was subsequently reworked into a single-seat torpedo/dive bomber. The prototype first flew on 8 April 1943, and the Navy ordered 358 BTD-1s.
Operational history
The first production BTD-1s were completed in June 1944. By the time Japan surrendered in August 1945, only 28 aircraft had been delivered and none saw combat action.
Variants
BTD-1:
First production version, 28 built.
XBTD-2:
Two prototypes with mixed propulsion, the additional Westinghouse WE-19XA turbojet with 1,500 lbf (6.7 kN) of thrust did not sufficiently improve performance. First flight May 1945.
Sources:
Wikipedia: Douglas BTD Destroyer
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