Parade Ground Aircraft
A7	A10	B17	B24	B25	B26	B29	C45	C47	C118	C119	C121
C123	F15	F16	F82	P38	P47	P51	P63	SR71	T6	T28	T34
Other USAF Aircraft
Bombers
B1	B2	B45	B47	B50	B52	B58	F111	-	-	-	-
Cargo, VIP, & Tanker
C5	C17	C21	C24	C46	C97	C130	C133	C140	C141	KC10	KC135
Experimental & Prototype
D558	F107	X1	X2	X3	X4	X5	X15	XB70	YC14	-	-
Fighters
A1	F4	F5	F22	F84	F84F	F86	F86D	F100	F101	F102	F104
F105	F106	F117	P40	P80	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Helicopters
CH3E	CH21	CH54A	H5A	HH43	MH60	R4B	R6A	UH1P	UH13	UH19	V22
Reconnaissance
E3	O1G	OV2	OV10	RF4	RF101	U2	-	-	-	-	-
Trainers
T6A	T33	T37	T38	T41	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

North American B-26 Invader

The A-26, the last aircraft designated as an "attack bomber," was designed to replace the Douglas A-20 Havoc/Boston. It incorporated many improvements over the earlier Douglas designs. The first three XA-26 prototypes first flew in July 1942, and each was configured differently: Number One as a daylight bomber with a glass nose, Number Two as a gun-laden night-fighter, and Number Three as a ground-attack platform, with a 75-millimeter cannon in the nose. This final variant, eventually called the A-26B, was chosen for production.

Upon its delivery to the 9th Air Force in Europe in November 1944 (and the Pacific Theater shortly thereafter), the A-26 became the fastest US bomber of WWII. The A-26C, with slightly-modified armament, was introduced in 1945. The A-26s combat career was cut short by the end of the war, and because no other use could be found for them, many A-26s were converted to JD-1 target tugs for the US Navy.

A strange aircraft-designation swap occurred in 1948, when the Martin B-26 Marauder was deactivated and the Douglas A-26 was re-designated the B-26. (It kept this designation until 1962.) B-26s went on to serve extensively in both the Korean and Vietnam wars. In Vietnam, they were commonly used in the Counter-Insurgency (COIN) role, with very heavy armament and extra power. This version, the B-26K, was based in Thailand and was, to confuse things further, called the A-26 for political reasons. B-26s were also used for training, VIP transport, cargo, night reconnaissance, missile guidance and tracking, and as drone-control platforms.

Post-war uses of the airplane included luxurious executive transport (Smith Tempo I; Tempo II and Biscayne 26; LAS Super-26; Berry Silver-Sixty; Monarch-26; On-Mark Marketeer/Marksman), aerial surveying and, most notably, firefighting, a role in which it is still occasionally used today.

Specifications
Engines: Two 2000hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800-79 radial piston engines
Weight: Empty 22,370 lbs., Maximum Takeoff 35,000 lbs.
Wing Span: 70ft. 0in.
Length: 50ft. 9in.
Height: 18ft. 6in.
Performance:
Maximum Speed at 15,000 ft: 355 mph
Ceiling: 22,100 ft
Range: 1,400 miles
Armament: Six 12.7mm (0.5 in.) machine guns in nose
Two 12.7mm (0.5 in.) machine guns each in ventral and dorsal turrets
6000 lbs. of bombs
Eight 127mm (5-inch) rockets

Number Built: 2,446

Number Still Airworthy: 40

 

 

Parade Ground Aircraft
A7	A10	B17	B24	B25	B26	B29	C45	C47	C118	C119	C121
C123	F15	F16	F82	P38	P47	P51	P63	SR71	T6	T28	T34
Other USAF Aircraft
Bombers
B1	B2	B45	B47	B50	B52	B58	F111	-	-	-	-
Cargo, VIP, & Tanker
C5	C17	C21	C24	C46	C97	C130	C133	C140	C141	KC10	KC135
Experimental & Prototype
D558	F107	X1	X2	X3	X4	X5	X15	XB70	YC14	-	-
Fighters
A1	F4	F5	F22	F84	F84F	F86	F86D	F100	F101	F102	F104
F105	F106	F117	P40	P80	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Helicopters
CH3E	CH21	CH54A	H5A	HH43	MH60	R4B	R6A	UH1P	UH13	UH19	V22
Reconnaissance
E3	O1G	OV2	OV10	RF4	RF101	U2	-	-	-	-	-
Trainers
T6A	T33	T37	T38	T41	-	-	-	-	-	-	-