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Douglas A-20K Havoc
Hello everybody. Welcome to my final submission in the A-20 Havoc series. I’d like to suggest the A-20K Havoc for the US aviation tree. The A-20K was the last production variant of the A-20 line. Based on the A-20H airframe, it featured a glass nose to serve as a lead-ship aircraft, similar in role and layout to the earlier A-20J, but it was powered by the slightly powerful R-2600-29 engines instead of the -23s used in the J model.
History
The A-20K marked the end of the production line for the Havoc light bomber platform. It was soon to be supplanted by Douglas’s more advanced attack bomber, the A-26 Invader, which would see service in the final stages of World War II and continue flying in Korea and Vietnam.
Essentially a glass-nosed version of the A-20H, the A-20K retained the uprated R-2600-29 engines and served the same lead-ship role as the earlier A-20J. These aircraft led bombing formations, with their bombardiers releasing ordnance first to signal the solid-nosed A-20s to drop their payloads in unison.
The A-20K contract was awarded alongside that of the A-20H, and a total of 413 units were produced. Of these, 36 were later converted into F-3A photo-reconnaissance aircraft. Under Lend-Lease, 140 were transferred to the Soviet Union, 30 to Brazil, and 90 to the Royal Air Force. The US Army Air Forces received 188 for use in the European Theater and 232 for operations in the Pacific.
The final A-20K, and the last A-20 ever built, was completed on September 20, 1944. It was signed by the Douglas factory workers, christened Caboose, and finished in full camouflage before being shipped off to the RAF. Like the A-20J before it, the A-20K was eventually phased out as American units transitioned to the glass-nosed A-26C Invader in the lead-ship role.
A-20Ks saw combat and served as a lead ship in Europe and the Pacific. These aircraft were produced in four production blocks: A-20K-1-DO, -5-DO, -10-DO, and -15-DO, though each block and its differences were generally minor.
Specifications
Douglas A-20K Havoc
Total Produced: 413
General Characteristics
Crew: 4 (Pilot, bombardier, and gunners)
Dimensions:
Length: 48 ft 0 in (14.63 m)
Height: 18 ft 1 in (5.51 m)
Wingspan: 61 ft 4 in (18.69 m)
Wing Area: 465 sq ft (43.2 sq m)
Propeller:
Type: 2 x 3-bladed constant-speed Hamilton Standard Hydromatic
Diameter: 11 ft 3 in (3.43 m)
Powerplant:
Type: 2 x Wright R-2600-29 Double Cyclone air-cooled radials
Supercharger: 2-speed mechanical
Power Output:
1,700 hp (1,268 kW) each @ SL (3,400 hp/2,535 kW total)
Fuel Capacity: 540 US gal (2,044 L) [self-sealing]
Weight:
Empty: 17,266 lb (7,832 kg)
Gross: 23,953 lb (10,865 kg)
Max. Takeoff: 27,000 lb (12,247 kg)
Engine Ratings
Takeoff
Military
Continuous
Flight Performance
Power-to-Weight Ratio: 0.14 hp/lb (0.23 kW/kg)
Speed:
Cruise: 269 mph (433 km/h)
Max @ Altitude: 333 mph (536 km/h) @ 15,600 ft (4,755 m)
Wing Loading: 51.5 lb/sq ft (251.4 kg/sq m)
Time to Altitude: 6 min 36 sec to 10,000 ft (3,048 m)
Service Ceiling: 25,100 ft (7,650 m)
Combat Range: 830 mi (1,336 km) with 2,000 lb
Armament
Guns:
2 x 0.50-in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns (350 rpg; 700 total)
Turrets:
2 x 0.50-in (12.7 mm) MGs in the dorsal power turret (400 rpg; 800 total)
1 x flexible 0.50-in (12.7 mm) MG in the ventral tunnel (400 rds)
Bombs (Max 4,000-lb Load):
Internal:
4 x 500-lb
4 x 250-lb
4 x 100-lb
External:
4 x 500-lb
4 x 250-lb
4 x 100-lb
Rockets:
Related Suggestions
Havoc Family
Nighthawk Family
Sources
EE-393 Wartime Tactical Planning Characteristics & Performance Charts (1 July 1945)
A-20 Havoc in Action, Aircraft Number 144 (1994)
Douglas A-20 Boston-Havoc, Warpaint No.32 (1999)
Douglas Havoc and Boston: The DB-7/A-20 Series (2004)
American Attack Aircraft Since 1926 (2009)
Douglas A-20 Havoc - Wikipedia Douglas A-20 Havoc Douglas A-20K Havoc
Thank you for taking the time to read my suggestion! 😃
1 Like
+1, would make a good light bomber to go after the A-20G.
