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North American XB-28 (Dragon)

1942 WORLD WAR 2 X-PLANE

History of the North American XB-28 (Dragon)

In North America, American Aerospace is fondly remembered for its contributions to World War II with its B-25 Mitchell medium bomber and P-51 Mustang fighter, and responded early to the needs of the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) - with a high-altitude Combat capable medium-range bomber. The result of this effortbased largely on previous North American work on pre-war B-25sproduced the XB-28 Dragon, which first flew on April 26, 1942, as the prototype selected for mass production, only Two prototypes are being selected for completion.

The design of the XB-28 incorporates most of the B-25's design form - glass nose, stepped cockpit, tricycle landing gear, high wing and twin engine configuration. One of the main differences is the use of a single vertical stabilizer instead of the B-25's signature twin rudder layout.

Power is provided by 2 Pratt & Whitney R-2800-27 turbocharged 18-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engines, each rated at 2,000 hp. Top speed is reached at 372 mph and cruising speed is around 255 mph. The design has a service ceiling of 34,800 feet and a range of up to 2,040 miles. Climb speed is a useful 1,111 feet per minute.

There are five operators of the new aircraft.

Expected armament includes up to 6 x .50 caliber Browning heavy machine guns mounted on three remote-controlled turrets - one dorsal, one ventral and aft last turret, each turret position There are two mountable guns. Internal bomb loads up to 4,000 lbs on conventional drop bearings.

In terms of performance, the XB-28 did not disappoint. Its streamlined shape certainly contributes to the aircraft's powerful handling characteristics, and its service ceiling of over 30,000 feet takes full advantage of cabin pressurization for the crew.

The overall quality was indeed much better than the previous North American medium bomber family, but as with other developments during the war, the increased tempo of war changed the overall needs and now the XB-28 is being used by what is now the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) for fast reconnaissance missions - Assuming the current generation of medium bombers is well suited as a bomb platform for low to medium attack altitudes - Medium bombers bombing at high altitudes would themselves present current operational problems.

Therefore, the prototype "XB-28A" completed by the North American company briefly considered the XB-28 for reconnaissance missions. However, the airframe was lost during a test on August 4, 1943, resulting in the USAF not pursuing the product beyond the two completed aircraft.