BTD-1 DESTROYER

The Douglas BTD-1 Destroyer was an on-board US-made bomber-torpedo plane from the Second World War. The drive was provided by a single engine in the basic version Wright R-3350-14 with 2250 hp. The first flight of this machine took place in December 1943. Serial production started shortly after, which led to the creation of about 30 aircraft of this type. The on-board armament consisted of two 20mm M2 cannons. The plane could also carry a bomb load of up to 1,500 kilograms and two torpedoes weighing up to 883 kilograms each. The Douglas BTD-1 Destroyer was commissioned by the US Navy, which in early 1942 decided to introduce new single-seater bomber-torpedo aircraft into service. The Douglas production plant, in order to shorten the time of research and development works, decided to adapt the Douglas SB-2D prototype plane to new tasks. Compared to its predecessor, the BTD-1 had a modified pilot's cabin, no shooting turrets, and a new and large dorsal fin. During the tests and operation of the first examples, numerous structural defects were revealed, the most important of which was the very poor longitudinal stability of the machine, which made landing on an aircraft carrier a very difficult task, even for a well-trained pilot. In addition, the BTD-1 had too much run-up, which made it very difficult to operate with aircraft carriers. As these flaws could not be removed, serial production stopped on 30 copies.