VULTEE VENGEANCE RAAF

The Vultee A-31 / A-35 Vengeance was an American low-wing dive bomber with a retractable landing gear from the Second World War. The drive in the A-31 version was provided by a single engine Wright R-2600-A5B-5 1600 hp. The prototype flight took place in 1941. Approximately 1,900 examples of this aircraft were produced in the course of serial production. The armament was 6 7.7 mm machine guns and a load of up to 680 kg of bombs. Work on the Vultee A-31 / A-35 Vengeance was initiated in 1940 in connection with a French government order for a new dive bomber for its own air force. After the fall of France in the summer of 1940, the RAF became interested in the project, impressed by the achievements of the German Ju-87 Stukas during the French campaign. The first machines (under the designation A-31) began to be used in the RAF from the summer of 1941. When the US entered the war, the US Air Force also became interested in the machine from Vultee, and relatively soon after that, they placed an order for the plane. However, they modernized it by strengthening the on-board weapons and using a more powerful engine. This new version was designated A-35. In general, the Vultee Vengeance was a successful machine, but it showed some problems: first of all - regardless of the version - the engine cooling was not good, and the visibility from the cabin (especially in the A-31 version) was very limited. Aircraft of this type also went to Australia, Brazil and Free French troops. During World War II, Vultee Vengeance machines fought in the RAF primarily against the Japanese in Burma (1942-1944), while the USAAF used them primarily as training machines.