Douglas XB-19

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

XB-19
From the Maxwell Air Force Base website (original image).
Type	Heavy bomber
Manufacturer	Douglas Aircraft
Maiden flight	27 June 1941
Retired	Scrapped in 1949
Status	Experimental
Primary user	U.S. Army Air Corps
Number built	1

The Douglas XB-19 was the largest bomber built for the United States Army Air Corps until 1946. It was originally given the designation XBLR-2 (XBLR- denoting Experimental Bomber, Long Range).

The purpose of the XB-19 project was to test the flight characteristics and design techniques associated with giant bombers. Douglas Aircraft Company strongly wanted to cancel the project, because it was extremely expensive. Despite advances in technology that made the XB-19 obsolete before it was even completed, the Army Air Corps felt that the prototype would be useful for testing. Its construction took so long that competition for the contracts to make the XB-35 and XB-36 occurred two months before its first flight.

The plane finally flew on June 27 1941, more than three years after the construction contract was awarded. In 1943, the original Wright R-3350 engines were replaced with Allison V-3420-11 V engines. After completion of testing, the XB-19 served as a cargo carrier until it was scrapped in 1949.

[edit] Specifications (XB-19A)

General characteristics

• Crew: 18
• Length: 132 ft 2 in (40.2 m)
• Wingspan: 212 ft 0 in (64.6 m)
• Height: 42 ft 9 in (13.0 m)
• Wing area: 4,492 ft² (417 m²)
• Empty weight: 140,230 lb (63,500 kg)
• Loaded weight: 158,930 lb (72,000 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 164,000 lb (74,400 kg)
• Powerplant: 4× Allison V-3420-11 V24 engines, 2,600 hp (1,940 kW) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 265 mph (230 knots, 426 km/h)
• Cruise speed: 165 mph (143 knots, 266 km/h)
• Range: 4,200 mi (3,600 nm, 6,800 km)
• Ferry range: 7,750 mi ()
• Service ceiling: 39,000 ft (12,000 m)
• Rate of climb: 650 ft/min (3.3 m/s)
• Wing loading: 35 lb/ft² (170 kg/m²)
• Power/mass: 0.065 hp/lb (110 W/kg)

Armament

• Guns:
  
  • 5× .50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns
  • 6× .30 in (7.62 mm) machine guns
  • 2× 37 mm (1.42 in) cannon
• Bombs: 18,700 lb (8,480 kg)

[edit] External links

• Encyclopedia of American aircraft
• USAF Museum description of B-19
• USAF Museum description of B-19A

[edit] Related content

 

Comparable aircraft

• Boeing XB-15
• Boeing Y1B-20
• Convair B-36

Designation sequence

• XBLR- series: XBLR-1 - XBLR-2 - XBLR-3
• B- series: XB-16 - B-17 - B-18 - XB-19 - Y1B-20 - XB-21 - XB-22

Related lists

• List of bomber aircraft
• List of military aircraft of the United States

See also