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U.S. NAVAL AVIATION RESOURCE CENTER > BOMBER/ATTACK > PREVIOUS PAGE
Northrop BT
Northrop BT-1s over Miami in October 1939.
[Source: Unknown]
Built by the Nothrop Corporation (a subsidiary of the Douglas Aircraft Company) for the U.S. Navy, the BT was a single engine monoplane dive bomber with provisions for two crew. Originally designed in 1935, he U.S. Navy placed an initial order for 54 BT-1s in 1936. These aircraft served aboard the USS Yorktown and USS Enterprise, entering service during 1938.
The BT was not a successful design for a carrier based aircraft. Poor handling, especially at low speeds, was not a desirable characteristic for an aircraft intended to landing on an aircraft carrier. The type also had a tendancy to roll unexpectedly, resulting in several crashes that resulted in destroyed aircraft.
Initially, the design was powered by a Pratt and Whitney XR-1535-66 Twin Wasp Jr. radial engine that produced 700 hp. This was later replaced on the XBT-1 with the R-1535 engine producing 750 hp. The powerplant was replaced again in 1936 with the 825 hp R-1535-94, which would be standard for the BT-1.
The aircraft had slotted flaps and a landing gear that partially retracted. One BT-1 was fitted with fixed tricycle landing gear and was the first aircraft to land on an aircraft carrier with that landing gear configuration.
Another BT-1 was heavily modified to include landing gear that fully retracted, wing slots, and a redesigned canopy. This aircraft was also fitted with a Wright XR-1820-32 radial engine that produced 800 hp and flew for the first time on April 25, 1938. Redesignated as the XBT-2, this aircraft became the prototype for the Douglas SBD-1.
- Specifications
Sources:
Wikipedia
U.S. NAVAL AVIATION RESOURCE CENTER > BOMBER/ATTACK > PREVIOUS PAGE
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