Douglas XA-26E Invader prototype 44-35563 first flight

[Geoffrey Sinclair]

Any information on when, or even if, the Douglas XA-26E Invader prototype 44-35563 first flew? Also whether it was accepted by the USAAF and if so, on what date?

The USAAF documentation has entries for the XB-26, XB-26A, XB-26B and XB-26F, but NOT the XB-26D and XB-26E. The exclusion of the D models is understandable as all the ones reported in the various references as becoming XA-26D were accepted as B models, as follows

44-34100, accepted and delivered as A-26B 31 January, redelivered 1 November 1945, Assignment/Project number DOM791D.

41-39543, accepted and delivered as A-26B 20 January, redelivered 6 November 1945, Assignment/Project number DOM791D.

44-34776, factory completed 14 August 1945, accepted and delivered as A-26B 15 March 1946. A note on its record states 44-34776 was to be scrapped but was exchanged for 44-35567, the latter was accepted as an A-26C 28 April, delivered 11 May, to modification centre 8 August, departed the centre 13 September 1945, Assignment/Project number DOM792.

In contrast 44-35563, the reported XA-26E prototype, has no acceptance or delivery dates after being factory completed on 23 April 1945 as an A-26C. After that I have been unable to find any other information online or in references about what happened to it, only listings of the serial and designation. I do not have a copy of its USAAF individual aircraft card.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Have you seen this?

The first XA-26D Invader was modified from an A-26B, serial number 44-34100, starting in January 1945. Serial number 44-34100 was accepted by the USAAF on 31 January 1945 but was not available until 31 October 1945. The individual aircraft record card has a notation indicating the aircraft was to remain at the contractor's plant for 180 days. The first record entry listing the aircraft as an A-26D was on 11 November 1945. Another XA-26D was created using A-26B serial number 41-39543, and the D modifications were completed by July 1945.

Some sources list another A-26B, serial number 44-34776, as being converted to the XA-26D standard. However, the data card for this aircraft makes no reference to a conversion program.

One B-26C, serial number 44-35563, was modified by the Douglas plant to XA-26E specifications. The E model was the glass nose version with two machine guns in the nose, six in the wings, and two in each dorsal and ventral barbettes.

Douglas XA-26D and XA-26E Invaders

The Douglas XA-26D and E were improved versions of the Douglas A-26B and C, respectively. While the aircraft had a top speed of 403 mph (649 km/h), the end of WWII brought the program to a close.

oldmachinepress.com

 

[Geoffrey Sinclair]

Yes, it is probably the best site as it uses original documents. Unfortunately the Air Force Museum fact sheets it refers to have been moved and possibly removed.

The XA-26D on the page have aircraft cards, dates and photographs.
The XA-26E on the page has no aircraft card, no dates and no photographs. The page provides no evidence of existence.

The time between the airframe becoming available and the XA-26D conversion done is given as about 6 months. Using this time interval the XA-26E, factory completed in April, would have become available in October 1945, post war, also in May the A-26E order was at least temporarily dropped.

The list of USAAF contacts has XP-26E 44-35563 as a cancelled contract while the reported XA-26D serials are under A-26B.

Original Contracts AC-21393 for Long Beach (495B, 5 C), AC-34433 for Tulsa (205 B, 295 C)

J program (approved June 1943) contracts AC-21393 SA.13 for Long Beach, AC-34433 SA.3 for Tulsa, serials Long Beach 44-34098 to 35197, total 1,100, Tulsa 44-35198 to 36797, total 1,600. RC-301 reports (Completion is month production is expected to end)
Aug-44 Long Beach 1100 B completion Oct 45, Tulsa 1600 C completion Aug 45
Dec-44 Long Beach 665 B completion Jul 45, 435 D completion Oct 45, Tulsa 1600 C completion Aug 45
May-45 Long Beach 665 B completion Aug 45, 435 D completion Dec 45, Tulsa 1253 C completion Dec 45
Jun-45 Long Beach 955 B completion Nov 45, 145 D completion Dec 45, Tulsa 153 B completion Dec 45, 1100 C completion Sep 45

K program (approved June 1944), to December 1944 the A-26 are listed as further supplements to the original contracts, from then on Long Beach is contract AC-5141, Tulsa 2000 AC-5140
Aug-44 Long Beach 400 B, Tulsa 2000 C, both completion Dec 45
Dec-44 Long Beach 400 D completion Jan 46, Tulsa 2000 E completion Mar 46, same month as D models appear in the J program order.
Jan-45 Long Beach 400+350 D, AC-5141 + SA.6, completion Apr+Nov 46, Tulsa 2000+1250 E, AC-5140 + SA.7, completion Apr+Aug 46
May-45 Long Beach 400+350 D, AC-5141 + SA.6, completion Apr+Aug 46)

So in May 1945 the Tulsa C contract is cut by 347, leaving 700 to be accepted, and the E contract is dropped, I am unsure if it was a temporary or permanent change, a month later 143 Tulsa C models are changed to B. Which makes it look like the USAAF felt it had enough bombardier nose A-26. The reduction in the number of D models in the J program order also indicates the D project was experiencing delays, plus the expected completion date changes, though the general run down of aircraft production in the US was also a factor.

All the above means even less chance the XA-26E ever flew.

 

[drgondog]

Have you seen this?

The first XA-26D Invader was modified from an A-26B, serial number 44-34100, starting in January 1945. Serial number 44-34100 was accepted by the USAAF on 31 January 1945 but was not available until 31 October 1945. The individual aircraft record card has a notation indicating the aircraft was to remain at the contractor's plant for 180 days. The first record entry listing the aircraft as an A-26D was on 11 November 1945. Another XA-26D was created using A-26B serial number 41-39543, and the D modifications were completed by July 1945.

Some sources list another A-26B, serial number 44-34776, as being converted to the XA-26D standard. However, the data card for this aircraft makes no reference to a conversion program.

One B-26C, serial number 44-35563, was modified by the Douglas plant to XA-26E specifications. The E model was the glass nose version with two machine guns in the nose, six in the wings, and two in each dorsal and ventral barbettes.

Douglas XA-26D and XA-26E Invaders

The Douglas XA-26D and E were improved versions of the Douglas A-26B and C, respectively. While the aircraft had a top speed of 403 mph (649 km/h), the end of WWII brought the program to a close.

oldmachinepress.com

A-26D-40-DT was the block from 44-35558 thru 35655, so the IARC (probably) show acceptance of 563 early within that block. Only the contract records should be relied upon to see what project contract and actual work was performed, but customarily the designated ship was returned after acceptance and sent to Experimental Dept for the modification. The A-26C was essentially bombardier plexiglass nose wit 2x50 cal guns instead six gun hard nose of the B, dual controls - otherwise pretty much a A-26B. Eight of those were modified by contract (incl 563) but cancelled. There is no data that I could find to state that any of them flew in modified form.

Speculatively, AAF might have been interested in extending level bombing capability to perhaps include advanced radar/radar nav.

The A-26 became the B-26 in 1948.

 

[drgondog]

A-26C-40-DT was the block from 44-35558 thru 35655, so the IARC (probably) show acceptance -f 563 early within that block. Only the contract records should be relied upon to see what project contract and actual work was performed, but customarily the designated ship was returned after acceptance and sent toExperimental Det for the modification. The A-26C was essentially bombardier plexiglass nose wit 2x50 cal guns instead six gun hard nose of the B, dual controls - otherwise pretty much a A-26B. Eight of those were modified by contract (incl 563) but cancelled. There is no data that I could find to state that any of them flew in modified form.

Speculatively, AAF might have been interested in extending level bombing capability to perhaps include advanced radar/radar nav. The D's did also have the uprated engines and muc better hih altitude speed.

The A-26 became the B-26 in 1948.