A-31 Vengeance

infobox Aircraft
name = A-31 Vengeance
type = dive bomber
manufacturer = Vultee



caption = An Australian Vengeance in 1943 (AWM 0G0537)
designer =
first flight = 1939
introduced =
retired =
status =
primary user =
more users =
produced =
number built = 1,528
unit cost =
developed from =
variants with their own articles =

The Vultee A-31 Vengeance was an American dive bomber of World War II, built by Vultee Aircraft. The Vengeance was not used in combat by US units, however it served with the British Royal Air Force, the Royal Australian Air Force, and Royal Indian Air Force in Southeast Asia and the Southwest Pacific.

Design and development

The Vultee A-31 Vengeance was a dive-bomber built originally in the late 1930s as the Vultee Model 72 (V-72) by the Vultee Corporation and additional aircraft were built by Northrop Corporation. The V-72 was built with private funds and was intended for sale to foreign markets. The V-72 was a low-wing, single engine powered, monoplane with a closed cockpit and a crew of two. An air-cooled radial Wright Double Row Cyclone GR-2600-A5B-5 engine rated at 1,600 hp powered the V-72. It was armed with both fixed forward firing .303 caliber machine guns and flexible mounted .303 caliber machine guns in the rear cockpit. The aircraft also carried up to 1,500 lbs. of bombs in an interior bomb bay and on external wing racks.

The Vengeance was uniquely designed to dive vertically rather than at an angle. To this end the Mark I aircraft had a 0-degree angle of incidence on the wing to prevent the aircraft from "tracking" forward during its dive. This resulted in the aircraft cruising in a nose-up attitude. The USAAF evaluation found this undesirable, so it was "corrected" in the Mark II and A-31A versions, giving a better attitude in cruise but losing its accuracy as a dive bomber. ["Vengeance! The Vultee Vengeance Dive Bomber" by Peter C. Smith, Airlife Publishing, 1986]

The unusual wing planform resulted from an error in calculating its centre of gravity. Moving the wing back by "sweeping" the centre section was a simpler fix than re-designing the wing root. This gives impression of a cranked wing, like the Junkers Ju 87, when seen from an angle when in fact the wing has a more conventional dihedral.

France originally ordered the V-72, but with the fall of France in 1940, the order was taken over by the United Kingdom, which ordered additional aircraft. Under Lend-Lease, the US Army Air Corps ordered additional aircraft for Britain under the designation A-31. Additional V-72 aircraft were sold to Brazil, China, Turkey, and the USSR during the late 1930s.

When the Army Air Corps became interested in dive bombing, a number of V-72 and A-31 aircraft were either ordered or re-possessed. An improved version of the Vengeance, designated the A-35, was ordered which was equipped with a Wright Cyclone R-2600-19 engine.

When production of the Vengeance was completed in 1944, a total of 1,528 aircraft had been produced. The majority were produced at the Vultee plant in Nashville, Tennessee.

Indecision about what aircraft should replace it in production at the Vultee plant led to several "make-work" contracts for Vengeance aircraft to prevent dispersion of the skilled workforce. This resulted in overproduction of what was considered an obsolete aircraft.

Evaluation

Operational experience with other dive bomber aircraft of the period, such as the Blackburn Skua, Junkers Ju 87, Aichi D3A, Douglas Dauntless, Breda Ba.65 and Curtiss SB2C Helldiver, indicated that the Vengeance would be vulnerable to enemy fighters. To be effective all these aircraft required an environment of local air superiority and fighter escort. Fighter escort, lack of fighter opposition in the theatres in which it served, combined with its vertical dive capability meant that the vengeance suffered light combat losses.

Early experience with the aircraft showed there were problems with engine cooling. In service the British managed to solve these problems, but Free French aircraft taken over from the original French orders that didn't have these problems remedied were declared uneconomical and unreliable to operate and were grounded.

The aircraft was described as being stable in flight and in a dive, with heavy elevator and rudder control, but with light aileron control. While forward visibility was considered poor due to the large radial engine. There were a number of fatal accidents with the Vengeance due to improper dive procedures and a center of gravity problem when the aircraft was flown with the rear cockpit open, but without a rear gunner.

In combat the type was considered rugged, reliable, stable, and generally well-behaved. Commonwealth forces operated the type from May 1942 to July 1944. Burma tended to be a low priority for allied air planners, and forces in that theater got what was left over. Aircraft such as the Vickers Wellington and Hawker Hurricane spent their last days in Burma. The Vengeance saw considerable action attacking Japanese supply, communications and troop concentrations in Burma. Its service in that theater has been described as sterling.Fact|date=July 2008 At best the Vengeance was a qualified success in Burma doing much to hold the line against Japanese advances.

Operational service

As the Vultee Vengeance, it was used both by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA). The Vengeance was used by the RAF mostly in Burma. In the European theater, the Vengeance was considered too vulnerable to enemy fighters for front line use and was soon withdrawn for use in secondary roles such as training and target towing. In these roles all armament was removed from the aircraft. The FAA received their aircraft near the end of the war in late 1944 and 1945 and did not see front line action before the war ended.

The Vultee Vengeance saw service in India and Burma during the Burma Campaign with Nos. 45, 82, 84, and 110 Squadrons, Royal Air Force. The Vengeance additionally saw service with Nos. 7 and 8 Squadrons of the Royal Indian Air Force.

Australia placed an order for 400 Vengeances as an emergency measure following the outbreak of war in the Pacific. While the first Vengeance was delivered to the Royal Australian Air Force in May 1942, the aircraft did not arrive in substantial numbers until April 1943. By this time the crisis had passed and the Australian Vengeances saw limited combat. Squadrons equipped with the Vengeance included Nos. 12, 21, 23, 24 and 25 Squadrons. Of these, Nos. 12, 21 and 24 Squadrons served briefly in New Guinea.

Following a short front-line career the RAAF's Vengeances were withdrawn from service in March 1944 and the Vengeance squadrons were re-equipped with B-24 Liberator heavy bombers. While the RAAF still had 58 Vengeances on order in March 1944, this order was cancelled and the aircraft were never delivered. Small numbers of Vengeances remained in service with support and trials units until 1946.

One near complete Vengeance that did not see squadron service is displayed at the Camden Air Museum, New South Wales, Australia.

Operators

;AUS
*Royal Australian Air Force [ [http://www.defence.gov.au/raaf/raafmuseum/research/aircraft/series2/A27.htm A27 Vultee Vengeance] ]
**No. 12 Squadron RAAF
**No. 21 Squadron RAAF
**No. 23 Squadron RAAF
**No. 24 Squadron RAAF
**No. 25 Squadron RAAF
**No. 3 Communication Unit RAAF
**No. 4 Communication Unit RAAF
**No. 5 Communication Unit RAAF
**No. 6 Communication Unit RAAF
**No. 7 Communication Unit RAAF
**No. 9 Communication Unit RAAF

;BRA
*Brazilian Air Force

;flagicon|India|British British India
*Royal Indian Air Force
**No. 7 Squadron IAF
**No. 8 Squadron IAF
**No.1 Service Flying Training School
**No.22 Anti Aircraft Cooperation Unit
**No.1 Target Towing Flight

;UK
*Royal Air Force
**No. 34 Squadron RAF
**No. 45 Squadron RAF
**No. 82 Squadron RAF
**No. 84 Squadron RAF
**No. 110 Squadron RAF
**No. 288 Squadron RAF
**No. 289 Squadron RAF
**No. 291 Squadron RAF
**No. 567 Squadron RAF
**No. 577 Squadron RAF
**No. 587 Squadron RAF
**No. 595 Squadron RAF
**No. 631 Squadron RAF
**No. 667 Squadron RAF
**No. 679 Squadron RAF
**No. 691 Squadron RAF
**No. 695 Squadron RAF

pecifications (A-31A)

aircraft specifications

plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop
crew=2 (pilot, navigator/gunner)
length main=12.12 m
length alt=39 ft 9 in
span main=14.63 m
span alt=48 ft
height main=4.67 m
height alt=15 ft 4 in
area main=30.84 m²
area alt=332 ft²
empty weight main=4,672 kg
empty weight alt=10,300 lb
max takeoff weight main=7,439 kg
max takeoff weight alt=16,400 lb
engine (prop)= Wright R-2600-A5B-5 Cyclone twin row 14 cylinder
type of prop= radial air-cooled engine
number of props= 1
power main= 1,193 kW
power alt= 1,600 hp
max speed main=279 mph
cruise speed main=220 mph
range main=3,701 km
range alt= 2,300 miles
ceiling main=6,800 m
ceiling alt=22,300 ft
climb rate main=m/s
climb rate alt=ft/min
loading main= 241 kg/m²
loading alt= 49.4 lb/ft²
power/mass main= 0.31 kW/kg
power/mass alt= 0.10 hp/lb
armament=
* Four fixed forward firing .303 inch machine guns in the wing
* Two flexible mount .303 inch machine guns in rear cockpit
* Two internal 500 lb bombs
* Two 250 lb bomb on wing racks

ee also

aircontent
related=
similar aircraft=
* Aichi D3A
* Blackburn Skua
* Breda Ba.65
* Curtiss SB2C Helldiver
* Douglas Dauntless
* Junkers Ju 87
sequence=
lists=
*List of aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm
*List of aircraft of the Royal Air Force

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Jefford, C.G. "RAF Squadrons, A Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912". Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife Publishing, 1998 (second edition 2001). ISBN 1-84037-141-2.
* Mondey, David. "American Aircraft of World War II". London: Aerospace Publishing Ltd., 1982. ISBN 0-600-34969-1.
* Shores. Christopher and Smith, Frank. "Diving Vengeance." "AirEnthusiast Five", November 1977-February 1978. Bromley, Kent, UK: Pilot Press Ltd., 1977.
* Smith, Peter C. "Vengeance! The Vultee Vengeance Dive Bomber". Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife Publishing, 1986. ISBN 0-0906393-65-3.
* Winchester, Jim. "American Military Aircraft". Barnes & Noble Books, 2005. ISBN 0-7607-6982-6.

External links

* [http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=3167 USAF museum A-31]
* [http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=3174 USAF museum A-35A]
* [http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=3175 USAF museum A-35B]
* [http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/History/1940s/Vengeance-Tales.html www.bharat-rakshak.com: Vultee Vengeance Tales]
* [http://www.airtoaircombat.com/detail.asp?id=546 AirToAirCombat.Com: Vultee A-35 Vengeance]