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B-25A/B "Mitchell"
Attack aircraft
Douglas
The North American B-25 Mitchell was an American designed twin-engined medium bomber, which was approved in September 1939,
Named in honor of US airpower proponent Brig. Gen. William "Billy" Mitchell, the B-25 served in every theater of World War II and was made in larger quantities than any other American twin-engine combat airplane.
As with all U.S. bombers in World War two, the development of the B-25 is marked by increasing armament, more armor, installation of self-sealing tanks, and, consequently, more weight. Until engines were correspondingly up-rated, performance inevitably suffered. Inadequate firepower in the nose and problems with gun turret installations, issues seen in many bombers, also challenged the Mitchell's designers.
The B-25A included pilot armor and self-sealing tanks. The B-25B introduced the notoriously unsuccesful Bendix ventral turret.
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B-25 |
B-25A |
B-25B |
| Crew |
5 |
| Dimensions |
|---|
| Wing span, m(ft) |
20.60 (67.6) |
| Wing area, m2(sq ft) |
56.67 (610) |
| Lenght, m(ft) |
16.49 (54.1) |
16.49 (54.1) |
16.13 (52.2) |
| Height, m(ft) |
4.80 (15.7) |
| Weight: |
|---|
| Empty weight, kg(lb) |
7,835 (17,273) |
8,112 (17,883) |
9,070 (19,996) |
| Loaded weight, kg(lb) |
12290 (27,094) |
12,290 (27,094) |
12,907 (28,455) |
| Powerplant |
|---|
Wright «Cyclone»
14-cyl. radials |
2 Х |
GR-2600-A5B |
R-2600-9 |
R-2600-9 |
| power, hp |
2 Х 1600 |
2 Х 1700 |
2 Х 1700 |
| Performance |
|---|
| Speed, km/h (mph) |
Max |
534 (331) |
509 (316) |
485km/h (301) |
| at altitude, m(ft) |
4,572 (15,000) |
4,572 (15,000) |
4,572 (15,000) |
| Service ceiling, m (ft) |
- |
8230 (27.000) |
7160 (23.490) |
| Max range, km (mis) |
3218 (2,000) |
2172 (1,350) |
2100 (1,300) |
| Armament |
|---|
| Machine guns 7.6-mm (.30) |
3 |
3 |
- |
| Machine guns 12.7-mm (.50) |
1 |
1 |
5 |
| Bombs, kg |
1,316 (2,900 Ib) |
1316 (2,900 Ib) |
1316 (2,900 Ib) |
More...
References
- "Encyclopedia of military engineering" /Aerospace Publising/
- "American warplanes of World War II" /under cor. David Donald/
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