KirovRampager on DeviantArthttps://www.deviantart.com/kirovrampager/art/Adam-the-Beechcraft-XA-38-Grizzly-355276379KirovRampager

Deviation Actions

KirovRampager's avatar

Adam the Beechcraft XA-38 Grizzly

Published:
2.4K Views

Description

Decided to redraw this char with my better skills

The United States Army Air Forces awarded the Beech Aircraft Corporation a contract in December 1942 for two prototypes for their Model 28 "Destroyer". The requirement was for a powerful ground attack aircraft to replace the Douglas A-20 Havoc, with the ability to hit "hardened" targets like tanks and bunkers. This capability was achieved through a 75 mm cannon with 20 rounds, mounted in a fixed position on the nose as well as two .50 cal (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns firing forward. Defensive armament consisted of remotely-controlled ventral and dorsal turrets, each armed with twin .50 cal (12.7 mm) machine guns. There were to be two crew members, a pilot and an observer/gunner in the rear cabin, using periscope sights to aim the guns.

On 7 May 1944, Beech test pilot Vern Carstens flew the XA-38 on its maiden flight from the company's Wichita airfield. The aircraft proved satisfactory in all respects and better than expected in some, including top speed.

During testing, the XA-38 prototypes were flown by U.S. Army pilots and serviced by military personnel, proving to be reliable and establishing a high level of serviceability.

The armament proved especially effective and had it not been for wartime priorities shifting in 1944, the aircraft would most likely have been ordered in quantity, although the B-29 had priority for the Wright R-3350 engines. Instead, one prototype was scrapped and the other Adam, intended for the USAF Museum, had an unknown fate.


General characteristics

Crew: 2
Length: 51 ft 9 in (15.77 m)
Wingspan: 67 ft 4 in (20.52 m)
Height: 15 ft 6 in (4.72 m)
Wing area: 626 ft² (58.15 m²)
Empty weight: 22,480 lb (10,197 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 35,265 lb (15,996 kg)
Powerplant: 2 × Wright R-3350-43 air-cooled radial engine, 2,300 hp (1,716 kW) each

Performance

Maximum speed: 370 mph (322 knots, 595 km/h) at 17,000 ft (5,180 m)
Range: 1,625 miles (1,413 nmi, 2,615 km)
Service ceiling: 29,000 ft (8,840 m)
Rate of climb: 2,600 ft/min (13.2 m/s)

Armament

Guns:
1 × T15E1 75 mm cannon (20 rounds)
6 × 50 caliber (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns (2 forward-facing, 2 in ventral turret, 2 in dorsal turret)
Image size
3360x960px 138.23 KB
© 2013 - 2024 KirovRampager
Comments43
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
Patrikov909's avatar