"The Brewster XA-32 series was intended as a ground attack aircraft though only two prototypes were ever completed."
Power & Performance Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Brewster XA-32 Ground Attack / Dive Bomber Aircraft Prototype.
Structure The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Brewster XA-32 Ground Attack / Dive Bomber Aircraft Prototype.
1 (MANNED) Crew
40.5 ft 12.34 m O/A Length
44.9 ft (13.68 m) O/A Width
13,481 lb (6,115 kg) Empty Weight
Armament Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Brewster XA-32 Ground Attack / Dive Bomber Aircraft Prototype .
XA-32:
8 x 12.7mm Browning heavy machine guns
XA-32A:
4 x 20mm cannons
OPTIONAL:
Up to 3,000lbs of internal (1,000lbs) and external (2,000lbs - underwing) stores.
Variants Notable series variants as part of the Brewster XA-32 family line.
XA-32 - Base Series Designation; fitted with 8 x 12.7mm machine guns.
XA-32A - Second prototype fitted with 4 x 20mm cannons.
The United States Army Air Corps appreciated the tactical scope of the German Luftwaffe Junkers Ju 87 "Stuka" dive bombers and set about to stock a similar aircraft of its own. This charge was given to the Brewster Aeronautical Corporation in 1941. However, Brewster was slow in its response and a mockup was not made ready until the middle of 1942. A functioning prototype (XA-32) was therefore not in play until 1943 and this featured an all-new vertical tail fin design. By this time, America was fully committed to world war along several major fronts and piston-engined technology had advanced by a large margin.
The XA-32 was given a rather conventional design configuration though the implementation of an internal bomb bay generated a rather portly fuselage appearance. At its core, the XA-32 certainly appeared a serviceable mark, with well-rounded mid-set monoplane wings, a forward-set cockpit, front-mounted radial piston engine and conventional tail unit and undercarriage. Power was developed from a single Pratt & Whitney R-2800 series air-cooled radial piston engine driving a four-bladed propeller assembly. Primary armament was to be 8 x 0.50 Browning heavy machine guns. As a bomber, the XA-32 was given provision for 1,000lb bombs under each wing and a 1,000lb munition in the internal bomb bay.
During formal evaluation of the XA-32 in 1943, the aircraft came in underpowered and heavy. An attempt to improved performance was made by fitting of the Pratt & Whitney R-4360 "Wasp Major" air-cooled radial engine of 3,000 horsepower but this did little to circumvent inherently gross problems in the design. The initial prototype managed a cruising speed of less than 200 miles per hour and this was without its intended armament in place. Furthermore, ranges under a combat load were equally limited to just 500 miles - hardly acceptable as a military-minded mount that would be called to attack targets over long distances. A second prototype - the XA-32A - emerged and this was eventually fitted with 4 x 20mm cannons but even this form failed to improved upon the original in any way.
The forgettable XA-32 was officially cancelled in 1944 and the disastrous effort that was the XA-32 ultimately doomed the Brewster Aeronautical Corporation in full - becoming its last foray into aircraft design and development, the company dismantled on April 5th, 1946 after years of utterly terrible management. Its primary claim to fame would forever be the equally-portly "Brewster Buffalo" of the late 1930s/early 1940s which had beaten out the classic Grumman F4F Wildcat as the first US Navy monoplane carrier-borne fighter. The USAAC instead moved forward and procured the North American A-36A "Apache" series in number (500 examples) - a dedicated ground attack version of the famous P-51 Mustang - for its strike/dive bombing needs. This aircraft gave a good account of itself in limited, interim service before they, themselves, were replaced by improved ground-attack-minded P-51 and Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighter-bombers.
Operators Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Brewster XA-32. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.
Total Production: 2 Units Contractor(s): Brewster Aeronautical Corporation - USA
[ United States ]
1 / 4
Front left side view of the Brewster XA-32A at rest; note cannon armament in wings
2 / 4
Underside left side front view of the Brewster XA-32 in flight
3 / 4
Rear left side view of the Brewster XA-32 at rest; note four-bladed propeller
4 / 4
Left side view of the Brewster XA-32 mockup; note large vertical tail fin
The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.
