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Brewster SB2A Buccaneer

1941 WORLD WAR 2

History of Brewster SB2A Pirates

Brewster Aviation managed to sell their proposed aircraft design to the United States Navy (USN) in the 1930s for new reconnaissance bomber needs. This work culminated in the Brewster "SBN" line, which first flew in 1936, 30 prototypes were built by the Philadelphia Naval Aircraft Factory, and officially entered service with the U.S. Navy in 1941. Work began on an evolutionary form, which was also built along the lines of the reconnaissance bomber, called the Brewster "Type 340".

The new aircraft is larger in size than the earlier SBN and features a more powerful engine for improved performance, but retains the same general form and function as the previous design. The first flight of the "XSB2A" prototype took place on June 17, 1941, a few months before the Japanese raided Pearl Harbor in December to plunge the Americans into war.

The type entered service with the US Navy as the SB2A "Corsair" and had a rather unremarkable service life, although Brewster produced the 771 model.

The final form consisted of a mid-mounted monoplane wing assembly mounted along the tubular fuselage for two pilots and a tail gunner. The cockpit is located under a long greenhouse-like canopy that contains two sliding sections that can be opened for excellent views from the cockpit.

The pilot sits behind the engine bay, which drives a three-bladed propeller assembly. The landing gear was only partially retractable and was located on the main legs - the tail wheel was fixed in flight.

Tail, with the usual single circular vertical tail and a low-set horizontal plane - in general, the Corsair is a very traditional product, but enduring.

Only one prototype XSB2A-1 was completed, which Brewster referred to as the "Type 340-7". The first production model of 80, designated SB2A-2, differed only in the artillery change, but lacked the folding wing assembly. The SB2A-3 was the first version of the series, with folding wings and snap hooks - a must for carrier-based aircraft - with around 60 production examples to follow. The SB2A-4 was originally destined for the Netherlands (Dutch East Indies), but with the rapid advance of Japan in the Pacific and German conquests in Europe, the aircraft was taken over by the US Navy out of 162. The British (RAF and Fleet Air Service) desperately needed a capable aircraft and adopted this type through a lease-lease agreement, dubbing it the A-34 "Bermuda".

An initial order of 750 aircraft (known as the "Bermuda Mk. 1") was originally ordered, but only 468 were actually built. The British version featured changes to the original Corsair's complex rear-mounted powered turret, replacing it with a simpler flexible machine gun mount. The Canadians evaluated three Bermuda airframes, which were later used for guidance.

Australians have also shown interest in the line, but have not become an official operator. Any other private jets that did not go to the UK were used by the United States Army Air Force (USAAF), model "R340", for ground training missions only.

The aircraft is powered by a Wright R-2600-8 series radial engine front-end, providing 1,700 horsepower, a top speed of 275 mph, a range of 1,675 miles, and a service ceiling of nearly 25,000 feet. Standard armament includes 2 M2 .50 caliber Browning heavy machine guns on the hood and 4 M1919 Browning medium machine guns on the wings. The rear gunner managed a 2 x .30 caliber machine gun arrangement at the rear. A power-operated tower was seen in early form.

Optional conventional intermediate storage for bomb loads up to 1,000 lbs, stored in internal shafts.

Despite its utility and relatively high pre-war production numbers, the Corsair was another light bomber design that became increasingly obsolete with the pace of the war. It was quickly replaced by more modern types, and the British themselves chose the Vultee Vengeance to shore up their inventory of light bombers in order to keep getting more private jets.

Time has not been kind to this Brewster product, as only two complete Buccaneer airframes are known today (2014) - one at the National Naval Air Museum in Pensacola, FL and the other at Pima Aviation Space Museum Tucson, Arizona.