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Engines and time.
For the US in 1936-38 you are very lucky to have a 1000hp engine for take-off.
In 1941/42 you can swipe 1850hp engines from the B-26
Two totally different aircraft.
Basically you have a choice.
Speed
Bombload
Range
Pick one.
Caproni Ca.335 Maestrale
Bomb load is 440lbs?
1/2 carried outside so listed speed falls.
Wing area is about that of a Hurricane so how big is the needed landing field.
The Battle gets no love. In 1936 what are you going to do to make anything any better?
The Henley was only carrying 1/2 your desired bomb load and carried just 1/2 the amount of fuel.
Add 500lbs to Henley (and a slightly fatter fuselage) and even another 350lbs of fuel and you may need another 35-36 sq ft of wing area to get the same take-off and landing performance using the Merlin III and two pitch prop. Where is you speed now ?
The lessons learned - at least by the Americans - of the Spanish Civil War was, underpowered light bombers fly slow, and die fast.
The Douglas A-20 was the right answer.
OK, the DB-7 weighed about 11,700lbs empty, the A-20G weighed almost 17,000lbs empty.Americans can start with R-1830 and then make a switch to the R-2600. Talk half of DB-7 -> A-20 recipe.
OK, the DB-7 weighed about 11,700lbs empty, the A-20G weighed almost 17,000lbs empty.
The A-20B went about 14,830 pounds empty, had no armor, no protection for the fuel tanks.
It was fast
It was also rated at 800 mile range with 1000lbs of bombs
You could swap fuel for bombs and carry a heavier load a shorter distance or less bombs a longer distance.
Please note the 3000lb empty weight increase for a pair of engines that "only" weighed about 1000lbs more for the pair.
So how does this "half" DB-7 -> A-20 recipe work?
400 mile range with 500lbs of bombs with the R-1830 engine?
Or 400 miles with 1000lb/800 miles with 500lbs?
The original DB-7 held 325 US gallons of fuel. 165 US gallons equals 137 Imp gallons.
Lets see how this works out..
Take a P-36 (wing about 1/2 the size of the DB-7 wing) Keep the R-1830 in the nose, take out the behind the pilot fuel tank and stretch the fuselage a bit to get in the 2nd crew man.
pad out the fuselage a bit to hold a pair of 250lb bombs and maybe you can put a small tank out in each wing to restore the fuel you took out from the fuselage.
Depending on the fuselage bomb bay you might get the plane to 300mph.
OK, you got two out of threeVickers Wellesley. Great range, 2000lb bomb load though it needs better defensive armament.
Plus, the Douglas A-24, Vultee A-31 and the Curtiss A-25. While this thread is not about carrier borne bombers, nearly all of the US manufacturers of naval scout bombers ended up producing a land-based variant for the Army, Marines or for export.Aa far as single-engine bombers during the mentioned time period, the U.S. had the Northrop A-17, Curtiss A-12 and Douglas A-33.
I left out the Dive Bombers because Tomo was looking for a single-engine substitute for a twin-engine level bomber.Plus, the Douglas A-24, Vultee A-31 and the Curtiss A-45. While this thread is not about carrier borne bombers, nearly all of the US manufacturers of naval scout bombers ended up producing a land-based variant for the Army, Marines or for export.
Dave - I was trying to replace the slow 1-engined bombers with a fast(-ish) 1-engined bombers. Eg. Germany adopts sorta trimmed-down He-118 (or a scaled-up Bf 109B but a 2-seater, with DB 600 at least in the nose and with beard radiator) instead of Ju 87; British make something much smaller and a bit lighter than the Battle. Americans - no A-24 as we know it, but they go with a bomber that resembles a big 2-seat P-36/-40 etc. Soviets follow the suit, instead of going with Su-2. Yes, the Soviet fast 1-engined bomber made around the AM-35A (and later around the AM-38) would've been also interesting, adopted instead of the Il-2.I left out the Dive Bombers because Tomo was looking for a single-engine substitute for a twin-engine level bomber.
A-20 was okay for 1942. There is another 6 years before 1942 - and indeed a whole SCW - to make the things ... less wrong, if not right
Nobody is suggesting that bombers need to be under-powered, too.
However, the entered into service in 1942 A-20 was off the back of lessons well learned in the 1930's. The A-20 was a very hot ship - it hit the spot, and the aim point.
Single engine + Bomber = slow dog