North American AJ-1 Savage - First Tailhook Nuclear-Armed Bomber

Nostalgistic · October 8, 2024, 7:13pm

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North American AJ-1 Savage

Hello everybody. I’d like to suggest the North American AJ-1 Savage for US aviation in War Thunder. The AJ-1 was a carrier-based attack aircraft built for the US Navy by North American Aviation, and it was designed shortly after the end of World War II to carry a nuclear weapon. The aircraft was the heaviest, so it could carry other bomb loads of several thousand-pound bombs. It had no defensive weapons and had to rely on the flight performance to disengage from enemy interception. This aircraft was in operational service with the Navy in 1950 and retired by 1960.

This aircraft was originally featured on the Future of the American Aviation Tree in War Thunder back on June 30, 2014; however, there were no plans for it, so I made this suggestion to ensure it would get a place in War Thunder one day.

Key Characteristics

Naval attack aircraft
Mixed-propulsion of two R-2800-44Ws piston engines and one J33-A-10 auxiliary turbojet engine
12,000-pound bomb load
No armament

History

Design and Development

At the end of World War II, the US Navy needed a new and high-performance aircraft capable of carrying a nuclear bomb to be launched from an aircraft carrier and delivering the payload against highly strategic targets. Therefore, on August 13, 1945, the US Navy began a new design competition for a carrier-based attacker capable of carrying a 10,000-pound payload, around the same size as the Fat Man Mark 4 nuclear bomb.

North American Aviation responded with the company model NA-146, powered by two R-2800 piston engines, each driving a large four-bladed propeller. A J33 turbojet was buried in the rear fuselage. The jet engine was to be fed with air through a flush inlet on top of the fuselage, and it would be primarily used during takeoff and dash speed during the engagement. The aircraft was a high-wing monoplane with tricycle landing gear. No offensive and defensive armament was planned, as the aircraft had to rely on its high performance to escape the enemy interception.

North American won the contest with its design proposal, and on June 24, 1946, the Navy awarded a contract for three XAJ-1 prototypes. The first prototype was rolled out in June 1948, and its first flight was on July 3, 1948.

Two of the three prototypes crashed during flight testing, but this did not impact North American’s development of the aircraft, as the Navy urged to receive the nuclear-armed aircraft to establish its nuclear deterrent as an interservice rival for nuclear power against the US Air Force and its several nuclear-armed bombers during the Cold War. This would lead to political controversy regarding the position of the USAF’s sole responsibility for delivering nuclear weapons.

Earlier, the Navy ordered 12 production AJ-1 aircraft on October 6, 1947, and the aircraft was given the name Savage. The Navy later ordered 28 more in May 1948, as it was allowed to develop its nuclear force strike.

The production AJ-1s incorporated changes that differed from the prototypes; the AJ-1 had structural improvements, framed canopies, 300-gallon tip tanks, a crew increase from two to three, and folding wings and vertical tails for carrier stowage.

Operational Service

The first AJ-1 flew in May 1949 and served initial flight tests at Naval Air Station Patuxent River. As the production order expanded to 55 AJ-1s, the deliveries to Navy squadrons began in September 1949, with VC-5 being the first squadron to equip them.

The AJ-1s of the VC-5 became operational in March 1950 and made their first carrier deployment aboard the Coral Sea. The subsequent deliveries reached VC-6, VC-7, and VC-8 in 1951-1952. The Midway, modernized Essex, and Forrestal classes could carry the larger and heavier AJ-1 aircraft.

In 1952-1953, detachments of nuclear-armed AJ-1s were stationed on alert at South Korean bases as a deterrent against the invasion by Chinese and North Korean forces over the 38th parallel. From mid-1951 onwards, these AJ-1s were armed with the 7,600-lb Mark 6 atomic bomb, which could yield 8 to 160 kilotons.

During their late service, almost all AJ-1s were rebuilt to the AJ-2 standards, which incorporated further improvements.

In 1958, the AJ Savage aircraft began its phase-out of the nuclear mission with the arrival of the jet-powered A3D-1 Warrior bomber. Many AJs were converted to aerial tankers and transferred to new squadrons being formed for the refueling role. The replacement of these AJ tankers also began in 1959 with the fast A3D tankers due to the emerging presence of more jet-powered aircraft. The last AJ tanker was withdrawn from active service at the end of 1962.

Specifications

North American AJ-1 Savage

General Characteristics

Crew: 3

Dimensions:

Length: 63 ft 0.72 in (19.2 m)

Height: 20 ft 6.24 in (6.25 m)

Span: 75 ft (23 m) w/ tip tanks

Wing Area: 836 sq ft (77.7 sq m)

Propeller:

Type: 2 x 4-bladed Hamilton Standard constant-speed propellers

Diameter: 14 ft 6 in (4.42 m)

Powerplants:

2 x Pratt & Whitney R-2800-44W Double Wasp air-cooled radial piston engines

Output: 4,800 hp (4,866.58 ps)

1 x Allison J33-A-10 turbojet engine

Output: 4,600 lbf (20.5 kN)

Fuel/Oil:

Internal Fuel: 1,217 US gal. (4,607 L)

Oil: 63 US gal. (238.5 L)

Weights:

Empty: 30,776 lb (13,960 kg)

Gross: 49,952 lb (22,658 kg)

Max. Takeoff: 54,000 lb (24,494 kg)

Max. Bomb Capacity: 12,000 lb

R-2800-44W Engine Ratings

Takeoff

2,300 bhp @ 2,800 rpm @ S.L

Military

2,300 bhp @ 2,800 rpm @ 30,000 ft

Normal

1,800 bhp @ 2,600 rpm @ 37,600 ft

J-33-A-10 Turbojet Ratings

Takeoff

4,600 lbf @ 11,750 rpm @ S.S.L

Military

4,600 lbf @ 11,750 rpm @ S.S.L

Normal

3,900 lbf @ 11,250 rpm @ S.S.L

Performance w/ Loaded Condition @ Full Power

Wing Loading: 59.7 lb/sq ft (291.6 kg/sq m)

Airspeeds:

Sea Level: 357 mph (574 km/h)

Critical Altitude: 449 mph @ 34,000 ft (723 km/h @ 10,363 m)

Stall: 118 mph (190 km/h)

Climb Performance:

Rate of Climb: 2,900 fpm (14.7 m/s)

Time to Altitude:

12 minutes to 10,000 ft (3,048 m) @ normal power

26 minutes to 20,000 ft (6,096 m) @ normal power

Takeoff Distance - Calm: 1,300 ft (396 m)

Service Ceiling: 40,800 ft (12,456 m)

Combat Radius: 828 miles (1,332 km)

Combat Range: 1,732 miles (2,787 km)

Armament

Avionics:

AN/APS-31 search radar

AN/ASB-1 bomb director

Bombs:

4 x 2,000-lb bombs

6 x 1,600-lb bombs

8 x 1,000-lb bombs

12 x 500-lb bombs

12 x 250-lb bombs

16 x 100-lb bombs

Drop Tanks:

2 x 600-gal jettisonable tip tanks

Others:

4 x Mk.39 2,000-lb mine

3 x Mk.25 2,000-lb mine

8 x 1,000-lb mine

1 x Mark 5 nuclear bomb

Conclusion | Why it should be in the game

The North American AJ-1 Savage was the first and heaviest US naval attack aircraft designed to carry a nuclear weapon and to operate from an aircraft carrier. This bomber was a fast attack aircraft, capable of flying over 440 mph. Other than an atomic bomb, it’s capable of carrying conventional bombs up to a 12,000-lb bomb load. The AJ-1 Savage was the second attack aircraft developed after the AD Skyraider, and thus, it could be placed between the AD-2 and the F3D-1 in the USA aircraft tree. Alternatively, it could be placed between B-17 and B-29, likely because the bomber role is more fitting for the AJ-1 Savage in the game. It would behave pretty much as an American Arado gameplay-wise.

Related Suggestions

Sources

AN 01-60AAA-1 Pilot’s Handbook for AJ-1 Aircraft (1 September 1949)
North American AJ-1 Savage Standard Aircraft Characteristics (30 June 1957)
AJ-1 Savage Characteristics Summary (15 July 1957)
United States Navy Aircraft Since 1911 (1990)
Naval Fighters Number Twenty Two: North American AJ-1 Savage (1992)
American Attack Aircraft Since 1926 (2008)
North American XAJ-1 Savage
North American AJ-1 Savage
North American AJ Savage - Wikipedia

Thank you for taking the time to read my suggestion! 😃

JamesPond1200-psn · October 8, 2024, 9:19pm

I love mixed-power planes, and a bomber like this would be very fun! Shame it has no guns, though. +1

jon_man1199 · October 8, 2024, 9:32pm

A +1 from me! This, the AJ-2, and the Super Savage would all be superb additions to the US TT!