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Douglas Dt




The Douglas DT Bomber was the company's first military contract, forging a link between the Douglas Aircraft Company and the Navy . Navy Contract No. 53305 of April 1 , 1921 , required only 18 pages to set out the specifications that resulted in the purchase of three DT (D for Douglas, T for Torpedo ) folding-wing Aircraft .

The DT used a welded-steel fuselage with aluminum covering the forward and center sections and fabric covering the rear section. Douglas built 46 DT-1 and DT-2 torpedo bombers for the U.S. Navy, Norwegian Navy, and Peruvian Navy. 20 DT-2 aircraft were built under license by Lowe-Willard-Fowler Engineering Company , 6 by the Naval Aircraft Factory , and 11 by Dayton Wright Company . Another 7 were built for Norway under license by Marinens Flyvebåtfabrik . The DT could be fitted either with pontoons or wheeled Landing Gear and could carry a 1,800- Pound torpedo.

First flight was in November 1921 and production continued until 1929 . The DT operated off the U.S. Navy's first aircraft carrier, USS Langley , from land bases, and from seaplane tenders. Several were flown by the U.S. Marine Corps .

Variations of the DT-2 aircraft were designated DT-4, DT-5, DT-6, DTB, and SDW-1. The type became the basis for the Douglas World Cruiser .


SPECIFICATIONS (DT-2)



General Characteristics

  • Crew: 2

  • Length: 37 ft 8 in (11.5 m)

  • Wingspan: 50 ft 0 in (15.8 m)

  • Height: 15 ft 1 in (4.6 m)

  • Wing area: 707 ft² (65.7 m²)

  • Empty: 4,528 lb (2,054 kg)

  • Loaded: 7,293 lb (3,308 kg)

  • Powerplant: Liberty of 450 hp (336 kW)



Performance

  • Maximum speed: 99.5 mph (160 km/h)

  • Range: 274 miles (441 km)

  • Service ceiling: 7,400 ft (2,255 m)

  • Rate of climb: 14.5 min to 5,000 ft (1,524 m)

  • Wing loading: 10.3 lb/ft² (50.4 kg/m²)

  • Power loading: 16.2 lb/hp (9.92 kg/kW)



Armament

  • Guns: 1× .30-calibre (7.62 mm) Browning Machine Gun

  • Bombs: 1 × 1,835 lb (834 kg) aerial torpedo



EXTERNAL SOURCE

  • René Francillon, "McDonnell Douglas Aircraft Since 1920: Volume I", ISBN 0-87021-428-4