Vought OS2U Kingfisher

Shipborne Reconnaissance / Scout Floatplane

United States | 1940

"Though an American product, the Vought OS2U Kingfisher series served in quantity with the ranks of the British Fleet Air Arm."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 02/21/2018 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

The OS2U Kingfisher was a product of the Vought aircraft firm, appearing initially as the VS.310 design to which the United States Navy accepted as a prototype in the XOS2U-1. The prototype would be airborne for trials by 1938 and fitted with the Pratt & Whitney R-985-4 Wasp Junior radial piston engine of 450 horsepower. After passing trials with the US Navy, the system was given the green light for full production and operational status as the OS2U "Kingfisher" series, serving as catapult launched floatplanes capable of adapting to landing on airstrips as well with some modification to the landing system.

The Kingfisher series was powered by a single engine mounted at the fuselage front. The crew of two sat in separate cockpit areas with the pilot in front, just behind the engine and the rear gunner/observer in a mid-mounted cockpit position. The aircraft was made highly identifiable by the large centerline float pontoon running nearly the length of the fuselage and extended forward of the propeller. Two additional yet smaller stabilizing floats were mounted under each wing of the low-monoplane design. Additionally, the system could be adapted to land on shore bases thanks to the interchangeable landing gear / float system.

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Armament consisted of light self-defensive measures and was made up of a single forward firing fixed 7.62mm machine gun and a rear-mounted 7.62mm machine gun. The system was capable of carrying up to 650 pounds of external stores and was known to undertake a few dive bombing sorties in its time aloft. In all, the Kingfisher system served the Fleet Air Arm (as the Kingfisher Mk I series), US Navy and the Inshore Patrol Squadrons quite faithfully during its wartime tenure. A fourth variant of the Kingfisher in the form of the OS2U-4 was proposed but never evolved.

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Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Vought OS2U-3 Kingfisher Shipborne Reconnaissance / Scout Floatplane.

1 x Pratt & Whitney R-985-AN-2 or R-985-AN-8 air-cooled engine developing 450 horsepower.
Propulsion

164 mph
264 kph | 143 kts
Max Speed

12,992 ft
3,960 m | 2 miles
Service Ceiling

1,150 miles
1,851 km | 999 nm
Operational Range

416 ft/min
127 m/min
Rate-of-Climb

City-to-City Ranges
Operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).

NYC

LON

PAR

BER

MOS

TOK

SYD

LAX

NYC

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Vought OS2U-3 Kingfisher Shipborne Reconnaissance / Scout Floatplane.

2
(MANNED)
Crew

33.6 ft
10.24 m
O/A Length

35.9 ft
(10.95 m)
O/A Width

15.1 ft
(4.60 m)
O/A Height

4,123 lb
(1,870 kg)
Empty Weight

6,001 lb
(2,722 kg)
MTOW

Design Balance
The three qualities reflected below are altitude, speed, and range. The more full the box, the more balanced the design.

RANGE

ALT

SPEED

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Vought OS2U Kingfisher Shipborne Reconnaissance / Scout Floatplane .

STANDARD:
1 x 7.62mm machine gun in forward fixed firing position
1 x 7.62mm machine gun in rear cockpit position

OPTIONAL:
Maximum bomb load of up to 650lbs (including depth charges).

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Vought OS2U Kingfisher family line.

XOS2U-1 - Prototype Model Designation; fitted with Pratt & Whitney R-985-4 Wasp Junior radial piston engine at 450hp.

OS2U-1 - Initial Production Model Designation; fitted with R-985-48 engine; 54 examples produced.

OS2U-2 - Fitted with R-985-50 engine; 158 examples produced.

OS2U-3 - Production Variant appearing in quantity; fitted with R-985-An02 engine; increased fuel capacity and operational range; improved armor protection for crew cabin; 1,006 examples produced; self-sealing fuel tanks; provision for 2 x depth charges.

OS2U-4 - Proposed Improved Model with revised tailplane, wings, flaps and more powerful engine; never produced.

OS2N-1 - Based on the OS2U but production undertaken with the Naval Aircraft Factory.

Kingfisher Mk I - British Fleet Air Arm Designation for the OS2U-3 model series selected by 1941; seen in trainer and catapult launched scout forms.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Vought OS2U Kingfisher. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 1,300 Units
Contractor(s): Vought - USA

[ Australia; Chile; Cuba; Dominican Republic; Mexico; Netherlands; Soviet Union; United Kingdom; United States; Uruguay ]

Relative Max Speed

Hi: 200mph

Lo: 100mph

Aircraft Max Listed Speed (164mph).

Graph Average of 150 MPH.

Era Crossover

Showcasing Aircraft Era Crossover (if any)

Max Alt Visualization

Production Comparison

1300

36183

44000

Entry compared against Ilyushin IL-2 (military) and Cessna 172 (civilian) total production.

MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

Aviation Timeline

EarlyYrs

WWI

Interwar

WWII

ColdWar

Postwar

Modern

Future

♦

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Image from the Public Domain.

Mission Roles
Some designs are single-minded in their approach while others offer a more versatile solution to airborne requirements.

MARITIME / NAVY

RECONNAISSANCE

Recognition
Some designs stand the test of time while others are doomed to never advance beyond the drawing board; let history be their judge.

Military lapel ribbon for the attack on Pearl Harbor

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2

Going Further...
The Vought OS2U Kingfisher Shipborne Reconnaissance / Scout Floatplane appears in the following collections:

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