Douglas B-23 Dragon

B-23 Dragon

A B-23 Dragon in USAAC markings during the early 1940s
Role	Medium bomber
Manufacturer	Douglas Aircraft Company
First flight	27 July 1939
Primary user	United States Army Air Corps
Number built	38
Developed from	B-18 Bolo

The Douglas B-23 Dragon is a twin-engined bomber developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company as a successor to (and a refinement of) the B-18 Bolo.

Design and development

Douglas proposed a number of modifications designed to improve the performance of the B-18. Initially considered a redesign, the XB-22 featured 1,600 hp Wright R-2600-1 Twin Cyclone radial engines. The complete B-18 redesign was considered promising enough by the USAAC to alter the original contract to produce the last 38 B-18As ordered under Contract AC9977 as the B-23.^[1] The design incorporated a larger wingspan with a wing design very similar to that of the Douglas DC-3, a fully retractable undercarriage, and improved defensive armament. Notably, the B-23 was the first operational US bomber equipped with a glazed tail gun position.^[1] The tail gun mounted a .50 caliber machine gun, which was fired from the prone position by a gunner using a telescopic sight.^[2]

The first B-23 flew on July 27, 1939 with the production series of 38 B-23s manufactured between July 1939 and September 1940.

Operational history

While significantly faster and better armed than the B-18, the B-23 was not comparable to newer medium bombers like the North American B-25 Mitchell and Martin B-26 Marauder. For this reason, the 38 B-23s built were never used in combat overseas, although for a brief period, they were employed as patrol aircraft stationed on the west coast of the United States.^[1] The B-23s were primarily relegated to training duties although 18 of the type were converted as transports and redesignated as the UC-67.

The B-23 also served as a testbed for new engines and systems. One was used for turbosupercharger development by General Electric at Schenectady, NY.

After World War II, many examples were used as executive transports with appropriate internal modifications and as a result a large number have survived. With its wartime experience with the type, GE bought and used five of them. Howard Hughes (among others) used converted B-23s as personal aircraft.

Operators

United States

United States Army Air Corps

Variants

B-23: Twin-engined bomber version of the B-18 with modified fuselage, 38 built.
C-67: Conversion to utility transport with provision for glider towing, 12 conversions from B-23, redesignated UC-67 in 1943.
UC-67: C-67 redesignated in 1943.

Survivors

Douglas B-23 converted to executive transport role at Athens (Hellenikon) Airport in 1973

Douglas B-23 Dragon at JBLM

Douglas B-23 Dragon at Castle Air Museum

Douglas B-23 Dragon at Pima Air & Space Museum

Ecuador

On display UC-67

39-031 (HC-APV) - Ecuadorian Air Museum, Quito.^[3]

United States

On display B-23

39-0036 - McChord Air Museum in McChord AFB, Washington.^[4]
39-0051 - Pima Air & Space Museum adjacent to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona.^[5]

UC-67

39-0047 - Castle Air Museum at the former Castle Air Force Base in Atwater, California.^[6]

Under restoration or in storage B-23

39-0033 - to airworthiness by Pissed Away N747M LLC in Bellevue, Washington.^[7]
39-0037 - in storage at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio.^[8]
39-0038 - for display at the 1941 Historical Aircraft Group Museum in Geneseo, New York.^[9]

UC-67

39-0057 - in storage at Fantasy of Flight in Polk City, Florida.^[10]
39-0063 - to airworthiness by Carmacks Commercial Corp. in Anchorage, Alaska.^[11]

Wrecks B-23

39-0052 - largely complete wreck at Loon Lake, Idaho.^[12]

Specifications (B-23 Dragon)

Data from McDonnell Douglas Aircraft since 1920^[13]

General characteristics

Crew: Six
Length: 58 ft 4 ³⁄₄ in (17.799 m)
Wingspan: 92 ft 0 in (28.04 m)
Height: 18 ft 5 ¹⁄₂ in (5.626 m)
Wing area: 993 sq ft (92.3 m²)
Empty weight: 19,089 lb (8,659 kg)
Gross weight: 26,500 lb (12,020 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 32,400 lb (14,696 kg)
Powerplant: 2 × Wright R-2600-3 radial engine, 1,600 hp (1,200 kW) each

Performance

Maximum speed: 282 mph (454 km/h; 245 kn) at 12,000 ft (3,660 m)
Cruise speed: 210 mph (182 kn; 338 km/h)
Range: 1,400 mi (1,217 nmi; 2,253 km)
Service ceiling: 31,600 ft (9,632 m)
Time to altitude: 6.7 minutes to 10,000 ft (3,050 m)

Armament

Guns: 3 × .30 in (7.62 mm) machine guns, 1 × .50 in (12.7 mm) machine gun in tail
Bombs: 2,000 lb (910 kg) in bomb bay

References

Notes

1 2 3 Mondey 1982, p. 111.
↑ "Stinger Gun in Plane's Tail Guards Vulnerable Spot." Popular Science, January 1941.
↑ "UC-67 Dragon/39-031" aviationmuseum.eu Retrieved: 15 July 2013.
↑ "B-23 Dragon/39-0036." McChord Air Museum. Retrieved: 31 May 2011.
↑ "B-23 Dragon/39-0051." Pima Air & Space Museum. Retrieved: 31 May 2011.
↑ "UC-67 Dragon/39-0047." Castle Air Museum. Retrieved: 31 May 2011.
↑ "FAA Registry: N747M." FAA.gov Retrieved: 31 May 2011.
↑ "B-23 Dragon/39-0037." USAF Museum. Retrieved: 18 November 2015.
↑ "B-23 Dragon/39-0038." 1941 Historical Aircraft Group. Retrieved: 25 December 2010.
↑ "FAA Registry: N4000B" FAA.gov Retrieved: 8 July 2014.
↑ "FAA Registry: N777LW." FAA.gov Retrieved: 11 February 2012.
↑ "B-23 Dragon/39-0052." aerialvisuals.ca Retrieved: 12 March 2015.
↑ Francillon 1979, pp. 314, 317

Bibliography

Francillon, René J. McDonnell Douglas Aircraft since 1920. London, Putnam, 1979. ISBN 0-370-00050-1.
Mondey, David. The Hamlyn Concise Guide to American Aircraft of World War II. London: Hamlyn Publishing Group Ltd., 2002, (republished 1996 by the Chancellor Press), First edition 1982. ISBN 1-85152-706-0.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Douglas B-23.

B-23 entry at the National Museum of the USAF website

Douglas military aircraft

Fighters	XP-48 P-70 F-6 F-10 XFD F3D F4D F5D XF6D

Ground attack	XA-2 A-20 A-24 A-26 A-33 A-1 A-3 A-4/A-4AR/A-4SU DT T2D XT3D TBD SBD BD XBTD XTB2D AD XA2D A3D A4D

Bombers	YB-7 YB-11 B-18 XB-19 XB-22 B-23 B-26 XB-31 XB-42 XB-43 B-66 DB-1 DB-2 DB-7 DB-8 DB-19 DB-73 Boston I/II/III/IV/V Digby I Havoc I/II DXD1

Observation	O-2 OD O2D O-31 O-35 O-38 O-43 YO-44 O-46 O-53 YOA-5

Patrol	PD P2D P3D

Reconnaissance	F-3

Transports	C-1 C-21 C-32 C-33 YC-34 C-38 C-39 C-41 C-41A C-42 C-47 C-48 C-49 C-50 C-51 C-52 C-53 C-54 C-58 UC-67 C-68 C-74 C-84 C-110 XC-112/YC-112 XC-114 YC-116 C-117 C-118 C-124 YC-129 C-133 C-9 C-24 RD R2D R3D R4D (R4D-2 & R4D-4) R5D JD R6D CC-129 Dakota I/III/IV Dakota II LXD1 PD.808 Skymaster I

Gliders	XCG-17

Training aircraft	BT-1 BT-2 XT-30

Experimental	DWC D-558-1 D-558-2 X-3

USAAS/USAAC/USAAF/USAF bomber designations, Army/Air Force and Tri-Service systems

Original sequences
(1924-1930)

Light Bomber	LB-1 LB-2 LB-3 LB-4 LB-5 LB-6 LB-7 LB-8 LB-9 LB-10 LB-11 LB-12 LB-13 LB-14

Medium Bomber	B-1 B-2

Heavy Bomber	HB-1 HB-2 HB-3

Main sequence
(1930-1962)

B-1
B-2
B-3
B-4
B-5
B-6
B-7
B-8
B-9
B-10
B-11
B-12
B-13
B-14
B-15
B-16
B-17
B-18
B-19
B-20
B-21
B-22
B-23
B-24
B-25
B-26
B-27
B-28
B-29
B-30
B-31
B-32
B-33
B-34
B-35
B-36
B-37
B-38
B-39
B-40
B-41
B-42
B-43
B-44
B-45
B-46
B-47
B-48
B-49
B-50
B-51
B-52
B-53
B-54
B-55
B-56
B-57
B-58
B-59
B-60
B-61
B-62
B-63
B-64
B-65
B-66
B-67
B-68
RB-69
B-70

Long-range Bomber
(1935-1936)

Oddities

Redesignated A-series	B-20 B-26

'FB-' designations	FB-111 FB-22

Tri-Service sequence
(1962-current)

See also: SR-71 (designation in bomber sequence)
Next-Generation Bomber ("B-3")
2037 Bomber

United States military transport aircraft designations, Army/Air Force and Tri-Service systems

Army/Air Force sequence (1925-1962)	C-1 C-2 C-3 C-4 C-5 C-6 C-7 C-8 C-9 C-10 C-11 C-12 C-13¹ C-14 C-15 C-16 C-17 C-18 C-19 C-20 C-21 C-22 C-23 C-24 C-25 C-26 C-27 C-28 C-29 C-30 C-31 C-32 C-33 C-34 C-35 C-36 C-37 C-38 C-39 C-40 C-41/A C-42 C-43 C-44 C-45 C-46 C-47/T C-48 C-49 C-50 C-51 C-52 C-53 C-54 C-55 C-56 C-57 C-58 C-59 C-60 C-61 C-62 C-63 C-64 C-65 C-66 C-67 C-68 C-69 C-70/A/B/C/D C-71 C-72 C-73 C-74 C-75 C-76 C-77/B-D C-78 C-79 C-80 C-81 C-82 C-83 C-84 C-85 C-86 C-87 C-88 C-89 C-90 C-91 C-92 C-93 C-94 C-95 C-96 C-97/KC-97 C-98 C-99 C-100 C-101 C-102 C-103 C-104 C-105 C-106 C-107 C-108 C-109 C-110 C-111 C-112 C-113 C-114 C-115 C-116 C-117 C-118 C-119 C-120 C-121/F C-122 C-123/A C-124 C-125 C-126 C-127 (I) C-127 (II) C-128 C-129 C-130/J C-131 C-132 C-133 C-134 C-135/KC-135 C-136 C-137 C-138¹ C-139¹ C-140 C-141 C-142

Tri-service sequence (1962-present)	C-1 C-2 C-3 C-4 C-5 C-6 C-7/B C-8 C-9 C-10 C-11 C-12 C-13¹ C-14 C-15 C-16¹ C-17 C-18 C-19 C-20A-D/F-H C-21 C-22 C-23 C-24 C-25 C-26 C-27/J C-28 C-29 C-30¹ C-31 C-32 C-33 C-34¹ C-35 C-36 C-37A/B C-38 C-39¹ C-40 C-41 C-42¹ C-43¹ C-44¹ C-45 C-46

Revived original sequence (2005-present)	C-143 C-144 C-145 C-146

Non-sequential designations	C-767 C-880

¹ Not assigned See also: AC-47 • AC-119 • AC-130 • DC-130 • EC-130 • HC-130 • KC-130 • LC-130 • MC-130 • WC-130 • CT-39 • CT-43

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