Specifications
Year: 1941
Status: Retired, Out-of-Service
Manufacturer(s): Brewster Aeronautical Corporation - USA
Production: 771
Capabilities: Ground Attack; Navy/Maritime; Reconnaissance (RECCE);
Status: Retired, Out-of-Service
Manufacturer(s): Brewster Aeronautical Corporation - USA
Production: 771
Capabilities: Ground Attack; Navy/Maritime; Reconnaissance (RECCE);
Crew: 2
Length: 39.17 ft (11.94 m)
Width: 47.01 ft (14.33 m)
Height: 15.42 ft (4.7 m)
Weight (Empty): 9,921 lb (4,500 kg)
Weight (MTOW): 14,330 lb (6,500 kg)
Length: 39.17 ft (11.94 m)
Width: 47.01 ft (14.33 m)
Height: 15.42 ft (4.7 m)
Weight (Empty): 9,921 lb (4,500 kg)
Weight (MTOW): 14,330 lb (6,500 kg)
Power: 1 x Wright R-2600-8 radial piston engine developing 1,700 horsepower.
Speed: 273 mph (440 kph; 238 kts)
Ceiling: 24,934 feet (7,600 m; 4.72 miles)
Range: 1,678 miles (2,700 km; 1,458 nm)
Ceiling: 24,934 feet (7,600 m; 4.72 miles)
Range: 1,678 miles (2,700 km; 1,458 nm)
Operators: Canada; United Kingdom; United States
The final form included mid-mounted monoplane wing assemblies along a tubular fuselage for its crew of two - pilot and rear gunner. The cockpits were under a long, greenhouse style canopy which held a pair of sliding sections that could be left open for excellent viewing out-of-the-cockpit. The pilot sat just behind the engine compartment at front, the engine driving a three-bladed propeller assembly. The undercarriage was only partially retractable and this at the main legs - the tail wheel was fixed during flight. The empennage including the usual single, rounded vertical tail fin and low-set horizontal planes - on the whole the Buccaneer was a very conventional product but consistent for the period.
Only one XSB2A-1 prototype was completed, this known to Brewster as the "Model 340-7". The initial production models, of which 80 were manufactured, were designated as SB2A-2 and differed only in a change of the guns but lacked folding wing assemblies. SB2A-3 became the first version of the series to feature folding wings and an arrestor hook - a must for carrierborne aircraft - and some 60 production examples followed. The SB2A-4 were originally aircraft destined for the Netherlands (Dutch East Indies) but, with the rapid Japanese advance in the Pacific and the German conquests in Europe, this stock was taken on across 162 examples by the USN. Desperate for any manner of capable aircraft, the British (both the Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm services) took on the type via Lend-Lease and knew it as the A-34 "Bermuda". 750 of the aircraft were originally on order (as "Bermuda Mk.1") but only 468 of this total were actually realized. British versions included changes such as the original Buccaneer's complex rear-mounted powered turret being replaced by a simpler flexible machine gun mounting. Three Bermuda airframes were evaluated by the Canadians and later used for instruction. The Australians also showed some interest in the line but did not become official operators. Any additional Buccaneers not having made their way to Britain were taken on by the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) under the model number of "R340" and used solely for the ground training role.
Aircraft were powered by a single Wright R-2600-8 series radial engine at front, delivering 1,700 horsepower for maximum speeds reaching 275 miles per hour, ranges out to 1,675 miles, and a service ceiling nearing 25,000 feet. Standard armament included 2 x 0.50 caliber M2 Browning heavy machine guns in the engine cowling as well as 4 x M1919 Browning medium machine guns in the wings. The rear gunner managed a 2 x 0.30 caliber machine gun arrangement in the back. A power-operated turret was seen in early forms. The optional bomb load was up to 1,000lb of conventional drop stores held in an internal bay.
Despite its usefulness and relatively high pre-war production numbers, the Buccaneer was another light bomber design that was more less made obsolete by the fast-paced nature of the war. It was replaced by more modern types as soon as possible and the British themselves opted for the Vultee Vengeance to help shore up its light bomber stocks then to continue receiving more Buccaneers.
Time was not good to this Brewster product for only two whole Buccaneer airframes are known to exist today (2014) - one resides on display at the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola, Florida and the other at the Pima Air and Space Museum of Tucson, Arizona.
Despite its usefulness and relatively high pre-war production numbers, the Buccaneer was another light bomber design that was more less made obsolete by the fast-paced nature of the war. It was replaced by more modern types as soon as possible and the British themselves opted for the Vultee Vengeance to help shore up its light bomber stocks then to continue receiving more Buccaneers.
Time was not good to this Brewster product for only two whole Buccaneer airframes are known to exist today (2014) - one resides on display at the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola, Florida and the other at the Pima Air and Space Museum of Tucson, Arizona.
Armament
STANDARD:
2 x 0.50 caliber Browning M2 heavy machine guns in fuselage.
4 x 0.30 caliber Browning M1919 medium machine guns in wings (2 per wing).
2 x 0.30 caliber Browning M1919 medium machine guns in power-operated rear turret OR flexible mounting.
OPTIONAL:
Up to 1,000lb of conventional drop stores held in an internal bomb bay.
Variants / Models
• SB2A "Buccaneer" - Base Series Designation
• XSB2A-1 - Single Prototype Example
• SB2A-2 - Initial production model; fixed wing; modified armament; 80 examples.
• SB2A-3 - Folding wings; arrestor hook assembly; 60 examples.
• SB2A-4 - Dutch East Indies order; taken on by USN in 162 examples.
• A-34 "Bermuda" - British Designation
• Bermuda Mk.1 - British RAF/FAA model; power-operated turret replaced with flexible gun mounting; 468 examples.
• R340 - USAAF designation for Bermuda Mk.1 not delivered to Britain.
