Douglas Aircraft played a major role in American aviation from the 1920s into the 1960s, encompassing the Golden Age of Flight, the Interwar Years, World War 2 and a portion of the Cold War. One of its fortes during World War 2 was large multi-engined aircraft to act as transports or bombers for the United States military and its allies. In the post-war years, the company transitioned into civilian passenger airline travel and, ultimately, battlefield rockets and space launch systems. One of its wartime endeavors became the experimental XB-19, a four-engined heavy bomber intended to project new qualities of long range, high altitude bomb serving platforms. The XB-19 originally existed under the designation of XBLR-2 which detailed its intent - "Experimental Bomber, Long Range, Model 2". The competing (and equally experimental) Boeing XB-15 was known for a time under the XBLR-1 designation.
Outwardly, the XB-19 was a product of late-1930s design, covered over in an unfinished silver metal skin, a heavily-glazed nose section and stepped cockpit flight deck. The fuselage was of a smooth, tear drop-shaped design which tapered exceedingly at the rear. The fuselage featured a noticeable deep belly for the internal bomb bay. The cockpit was lined with horizontal windows and the chin was glazed over to provide vision under the forward section of the aircraft. Wings were mid-mounted appendages and fitted ahead of midships. Each wing was afforded a pair of engines along their leading edges in streamlined nacelles. Wings were straight in their general design and rounded at their tips. The tail unit consisted of a single, curved vertical tail fin with low-mounted, curved horizontal planes. Teh undercarriage was of particular note for it was of a tricycle arrangement as opposed to the "tail dragger" design incorporated in many bombers of period. Large wheels were fitted to the main landing gear legs to carry the weight of the massive aircraft on land. The nose leg featured a smaller wheel and was set just under the chin, aft of the windowed housing. Power for the XB-19 was originally served through 4 x Wright R-3350 series radial piston engines.
Dimensionally, the XB-19 featured a length of 132 feet, 2 inches, a wingspan of 212 feet and a height of 42 feet, 9 inches. When empty, it displaced at 130,230 lb and listed a maximum take-off weight of 164,000 lb. Its internal carrying capacity was reported to be 18,700l b of stores. In practice, the bomber was to be defensed by a collection of machine guns - 5 x 0.50 caliber Browning M2 heavy machine guns and 6 x 0.30 caliber Browning M1919 medium machine guns. Unlike other American bombers of the period, the XB-19 also carried a pair of 37mm autocannons.
Douglas received the construction contract in 1938 and a first flight was achieved on June 27th, 1941. The United States would commit to World War 2 that upcoming December following the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Sometime in 1943, the aircraft was then re-engined with Allison V-3420-11 V24 series engines of 2,600 horsepower each. This provided the airframe with a maximum speed of 265 miles per hour, a cruise speed of 165 miles per hour, a range of 4,200 miles and a service ceiling of 39,000 feet. Climb rate was 650 feet per minute.
The XB-19 retained its experimental designation throughout its active test life with the United States Army Air Corps and only a single example was ever completed. While Douglas would rather have ended the program altogether, the USAAC resolved to utilize the airframe further though keeping it in its test configurations for a series of evaluations to follow. The XB-19 was never intended as a prototype for any future large-scale USAAC/USAAF/USAF bomber - the Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" and Consolidated B-24 "Liberator" were firmly entrenched as its heavy bombers. To this was then added the technologically advanced Boeing B-29 "Superfortress" by war's end.
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(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)
✓Ground Attack (Bombing, Strafing)
Ability to conduct aerial bombing of ground targets by way of (but not limited to) guns, bombs, missiles, rockets, and the like.
✓X-Plane (Developmental, Prototype, Technology Demonstrator)
Aircraft developed for the role of prototyping, technology demonstration, or research / data collection.
MULTI-ENGINE
Incorporates two or more engines, enhancing survivability and / or performance.
RUGGED AIRFRAME
Inherent ability of airframe to take considerable damage.
INTERNAL BAY
Fuselage volume includes space for internally-held weapons or special-mission equipment.
HIGH-ALTITUDE PERFORMANCE
Can reach and operate at higher altitudes than average aircraft of its time.
EXTENDED RANGE PERFORMANCE
Capability to travel considerable distances through onboard fuel stores.
MARITIME OPERATION
Ability to operate over ocean in addition to surviving the special rigors of the maritime environment.
CREWSPACE PRESSURIZATION
Supports pressurization required at higher operating altitudes for crew survival.
CREW-MANAGED
Beyond a pilot, the aircraft takes advantage of additional crew specialized in specific functions aboard the aircraft.
GUN POSITIONS
Defensive gun positions for engagement / suppression.
TAIL GUN
Defensive rear-facing gun position to neutralize enemy targets emerging from the rear.
ENCLOSED CREWSPACE(S)
Features partially- or wholly-enclosed crew workspaces.
RETRACTABLE UNDERCARRIAGE
Features retracting / retractable undercarriage to preserve aerodynamic efficiency.
Length
131.9 ft (40.20 m)
Width/Span
211.9 ft (64.60 m)
Height
42.7 ft (13.00 m)
Empty Wgt
139,994 lb (63,500 kg)
MTOW
164,024 lb (74,400 kg)
Wgt Diff
+24,030 lb (+10,900 kg)
(Showcased structural values pertain to the Douglas XB-19A production variant)
monoplane / mid-mounted / straight
Monoplane
Design utilizes a single primary wing mainplane; this represent the most popular mainplane arrangement.
Mid-Mounted
Mainplanes are mounted along the midway point of the sides of the fuselage.
Straight
The planform involves use of basic, straight mainplane members.
(Structural descriptors pertain to the Douglas XB-19A production variant)
Installed:
4 x Allison V-3420-11 V24 radial piston engines developing 2,600 horsepower each driving three-bladed propeller units.
(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the Douglas XB-19A production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)
STANDARD:
2 x 37mm Automatic Cannons.
5 x 0.50 caliber M2 Browning air-cooled, belt-fed Heavy Machine Guns (HMGs).
6 x 0.30 caliber M1919 Browning air-cooled, belt-fed Medium Machine Guns (MMGs).
OPTIONAL:
Up to 18,700 lb of internally-held drop bombs.
Supported Types
(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)
Hardpoint Mountings: 0
Mounting Points
X
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
HARDPOINT(S) KEY:
X
15
13
11
9
7
5
3
1
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
COLOR KEY:
Fuselage Centerline
Fuselage Port/Wingroot
Fuselage Starboard/Wingroot
Wing/Underwing
Wingtip Mount(s)
Internal Bay(s)
Not Used
Note: Diagram above does not take into account inline hardpoints (mounting positions seated one-behind-the-other).
XB-19 - Base Series Designation; single prototype completed and ultimately scrapped.
XBLR-2 ("Experimental Bomber, Long Range") - Original Designation.
XB-19 - Initial Model Designation
Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective aerial campaigns / operations / aviation periods.
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United States (cancelled)
