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Brewster XA-32

1943 WORLD WAR 2 X-PLANE

History of Brewster XA-32

The US Army Air Corps appreciates the tactical range of the Luftwaffe Junkers Ju 87 "Stuka" dive bomber and has set about stockpiling its own similar aircraft. The job was awarded to Brewster Airways in 1941. However, Brewster was slow to respond and did not complete the model until mid-1942. As a result, the working prototype (XA-32) did not enter service until 1943 and featured a completely new vertical tail design.

By this time, the United States was fully engaged in World War I on several major fronts, and piston engine technology was very advanced.

The XA-32 was given a more traditional design configuration, although the implementation of an internal bomb bay created a rather stately fuselage appearance. At its core, the XA-32 is clearly a viable role, with a rounded mid-sized monoplane wing, forward cockpit, forward radial piston engines, and traditional tail and landing gear.

Power was developed by a Pratt & Whitney R-2800 series air-cooled radial piston engine driving a four-bladed propeller assembly. The primary weapon is the 8 x .50 heavy Browning machine gun.

As a bomber, the XA-32 was armed with 1,000 pounds of bombs under each wing and 1,000 pounds of ammunition in the internal bomb bay.

During the official evaluation of the XA-32 in 1943, the aircraft was underpowered and heavy. Attempts to improve performance by installing a 3,000 hp Pratt & Whitney R-4360 "Wasp Major" air-cooled radial engine did not solve the serious problems inherent in the design.

The initial prototype could cruise at speeds below 200 mph without a predetermined weapon. Additionally, the range under combat load is limited to 500 miles - which is hard to accept as a military-minded mount called upon to engage long-range targets.

A second prototype - the XA-32A - emerged, and it ended up with a 4 x 20mm gun, but even this form failed to improve on the original in any way.

The forgotten XA-32 was officially canceled in 1944, and the disastrous effort of the XA-32 ultimately completely doomed Brewster Airways - it became its last attempt at aircraft design and development, after years of absolute bad management. Its main claim to fame will always be the equally burly "Brewster Buffalo" of the late 1930s/early 1940s, which replaced the classic Grumman F4F Wildcat as the US Navy's first carrier-based monoplane fighter. USAAC in turn continued to procure the North American A-36A "Apache" series (500) - a dedicated ground attack version of the famous P-51 Mustang - for its strike/dive bombing needs.

The aircraft performed well in limited interim service before being replaced by upgraded, ground-attack-oriented P-51s and Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighter-bombers.