Douglas B-23 Dragon

The Douglas B-23 Dragon is an American twin-engined bomber developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company as a successor to 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 DC-3, a fully retractable undercarriage, and improved defensive armament. The B-23 was the first operational American bomber equipped with a glazed tail gun position.^[1] The tail gun was a .50 calibre (12.7 mm) 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.^[3]

Operational history

While significantly faster and better armed than the B-18,^[4] 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 them were later converted as transports and redesignated UC-67.^[4]

The B-23 also served as a testbed for new engines and systems. For example, one was used for turbosupercharger development by General Electric at Schenectady, New York. Another was used for testing cabin pressurization.^[5]

After World War II, many examples were used as executive transports, with appropriate internal modifications, and as a result a large number have survived, both in public and private collections.^[4] 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.

Surviving aircraft

Ecuador

39-031 – UC-67 on static display at the Aeronautical and Space Museum of the Ecuadorian Air Force in Quito.^[6]

United States

39-0033 – B-23 under restoration with ATW Aviation in Marana, Arizona.^[7]
39-0036 – B-23 on static display at the McChord Air Museum at McChord Field near Lakewood, Washington.^[8]
39-0037 – B-23 in storage at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio.^[9]
39-0038 – B-23 in storage at the National Warplane Museum in Geneseo, New York.^[10]
39-0047 – UC-67 on static display at the Castle Air Museum in Atwater, California.^[11]
39-0051 – B-23 on static display at the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona.^[12]
39-0057 – B-23 in storage at Fantasy of Flight in Polk City, Florida.^[13]
39-0063 – B-23 airworthy with private owner in Anchorage, Alaska.^[14]

Specifications (B-23 Dragon)

Data from McDonnell Douglas Aircraft since 1920^[15]

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 (340 km/h, 180 kn)
Range: 1,400 mi (2,300 km, 1,200 nmi)
Service ceiling: 31,600 ft (9,600 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

^ a b c Mondey 1982, p. 111.
^ "Stinger Gun in Plane's Tail Guards Vulnerable Spot". Popular Science. Vol. 75, no. 1. January 1941. p. 6. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
^ Francillion, R.J. (1988). McDonnell Douglas Aircraft since 1920: Volume I. Naval Institute Press. p. 304. ISBN 0 87021-428-4.
^ a b c "McChord Air Museum Homepage - Douglas B-23 Dragon (s/n 39-36) 89th Reconnaissance Squadron, McChord AAF". www.mcchordairmuseum.org. Retrieved 2023-03-31.
^ "Have You Seen?". Flying. Vol. 37, no. 1. July 1945. p. 73. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
^ "Airframe Dossier - Douglas UC-67 Dragon, s/n 39-0031 USAAF, c/n 2717, c/r HC-APV". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
^ "FAA Registry [N747M]". Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
^ "Douglas B-23 Dragon". McChord Air Museum. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
^ "Douglas B-23 Dragon". National Museum of the United States Air Force. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
^ "The B-23 Dragon Project". 1941 Historical Aircraft Group Museum. Archived from the original on 10 May 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
^ "Douglas B-23 Dragon". Castle Air Museum. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
^ "Douglas B-23 Dragon". Pima Air & Space Museum. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
^ "FAA Registry [N4000B]". Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
^ "FAA Registry [N777LW]". Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
^ Francillon 1979, pp. 314, 317

Bibliography

Francillon, René J. McDonnell Douglas Aircraft since 1920. London, Putnam, 1979. ISBN 0-370-00050-1.
Jesse, William (May–June 1999). "Short-lived Dragon: The Douglas B-23". Air Enthusiast (81): 70–72. ISSN 0143-5450.
Mondey, David. The Hamlyn Concise Guide to American Aircraft of World War II. London: Hamlyn Publishing Group, 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 Dragon.

Douglas B-23 Dragon – National Museum of the United States Air Force