The Brewster XA-32 was an American attack aircraft, a mid-wing type with an internal bomb bay. The prototype had the R-2800 engine, but it could take the intended R-4360 powerplant. After a dismal set of test results, the XA-32 did not enter production.

Design and development

Brewster Aeronautical Corporation The Brewster Aeronautical Corporation was an American defense contractor that operated from the 1930s until the end of World War II. History Originally a carriage builder, Brewster & Co.'s involvement in aviation began in the aftermath of W ...

's F2A Buffalo won the first Navy monoplane fighter competition over Grumman's entry. The company continued to design and produce lackluster aircraft, and the XA-32, despite a sound layout, became a compendium of management-induced faults. Missing production deadline dates and constant changes to the design jeopardized a promising design (at least on paper). Initially designed in 1941, the XA-32 was grossly overweight, at almost , similar to the

Douglas A-20 Havoc The Douglas A-20 Havoc (company designation DB-7) is an American medium bomber, attack aircraft, Intruder (air combat), night intruder, night fighter, and reconnaissance aircraft of World War II. Designed to meet an Army Air Corps requirement f ...

. The drag induced by its bulbous shape was amplified by careless detail design, which left it festooned with bumps and lumps. One disastrous characteristic was that the exhaust scoops that ringed the cowling nearly blinded the test pilots during night flying; the backfiring at low power settings resulted in flames engulfing the nose of the aircraft. Even with the

Pratt & Whitney R-2800 The Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp is an American twin-row, 18-cylinder, air-cooled radial aircraft engine with a displacement of , and is part of the long-lived Wasp family of engines. The R-2800 saw widespread use in many importan ...

, the XA-32 was underpowered and an attempt to re-engine the aircraft with the

Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major The Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major is an American 28-cylinder four-row radial piston aircraft engine designed and built during World War II. First run in 1944, at , it is the largest-displacement aviation piston engine to be mass-produced in ...

was unsuccessful.

Testing

The first flight of the XA-32 prototype was not until May 22, 1943, two years after the design was proposed; and almost every aspect of performance fell short of the specifications. Devoid of weapons load, the XA-32 could only reach and although handling was adequate, as soon as armament and external stores were added, the performance dropped drastically and more seriously, the disturbed airflow "set up severe

buffeting Aeroelasticity is the branch of physics and engineering studying the interactions between the inertial, elastic, and aerodynamic forces occurring while an elastic body is exposed to a fluid flow. The study of aeroelasticity may be broadly classi ...

at its top speed."McCullough 1995, p. 18. The firm was in such management shambles that it drew the wrath of Congress and actually went out of the aircraft manufacturing business following the debacle of the XA-32. Only two examples were built, the XA-32 (S/N ''42-13568'') and XA-32A ( S/N ''42-13569''), both of which were scrapped at the conclusion of flight testing.

Specifications (XA-32)

References

Notes

Bibliography

* McCullough, Anson. "Grind 'Em Out Ground Attack: The Search for the Elusive Fighter Bomber." ''Wings,'' Vol. 25, No. 4, August 1995.

External links

Dave's War Birds - Brewster XA-32

USAF National Museum - Brewster XA-32

USAF National Museum - Brewster XA-32A
{{USAF attack aircraft A-032 Brewster A-32 Single-engined tractor aircraft Cancelled military aircraft projects of the United States Mid-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1943