| FD-25 Defender | |
|---|---|
| Role | Counter-Insurgency aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Fletcher |
| Designer | John Thorp |
| First flight | 1953 |
| Primary users | Royal Cambodian Air Force South Vietnamese Air Force |
| Number built | 13 |
The Fletcher FD-25 Defender was a light ground-attack aircraft developed in the United States in the early 1950s.
The Defender was a conventional low-wing cantilever monoplane with fixed tailwheel undercarriage. Provision was made for two machine guns in the wings, plus disposable stores carried on underwing pylons. Construction throughout was all-metal, and the pilot sat under a wide perspex canopy.
Three prototypes were built, two single-seaters and a two-seater, but no orders were placed by the US military. In Japan, however, Toyo acquired the rights to the design, and built around a dozen aircraft, selling seven (three single-seater attack versions and three two seat trainer) to Cambodia,[1] and four to Vietnam. One example remains extant and in an airworthy condition today, and appeared at the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh airshow in 2010.
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
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