Northrop BT

BT-1
Northrop BT-1s over Miami in October 1939
Role	Dive bomber
Manufacturer	Northrop
Designer	Ed Heinemann
First flight	19 August 1935
Primary user	United States Navy
Number built	55
Variants	SBD Dauntless

The Northrop BT was a two-seat, single-engine, monoplane, dive bomber built by the Northrop Corporation for the United States Navy. At the time Northrop was a subsidiary of the Douglas Aircraft Company.

Design and development

The design of the initial version began in 1935. A 700 hp (522 kW) Pratt and Whitney XR-1535-66 Twin Wasp Jr. double row, radial air-cooled engine powered the aircraft. The aircraft had slotted flaps and a landing gear that partially retracted.

The next iteration of the BT, designated the XBT-1 was equipped with a 750 hp (559 kW) R-1535 engine. This aircraft was followed in 1936 by the BT-1 that was powered by an 825 hp Pratt and Whitney R-1535-94 engine. One of the BT-1 aircraft was modified with a fixed tricycle landing gear and was the first such aircraft to land on an aircraft carrier.

BT-1 of VB-5 in 1938

The final variant, the XBT-2, was a BT-1 aircraft modified to incorporate a fully retracting landing gear, wing slots, a redesigned canopy, and was powered by an 800 hp (597 kW) Wright XR-1820-32 radial air-cooled engine. The XBT-2 first flew on 25 April 1938 and after successful testing the Navy placed an order for 144 aircraft. In 1939 the aircraft designation was changed to the Douglas SBD-1 with the last 87 on order completed as SBD-2s. The Northrop Corporation had become the El Segundo division of Douglas aircraft hence the change to Douglas.

Operational history

BT-1 at El Segundo

VB-5 lineup of BT-1s

The U.S. Navy placed an order for 54 BT-1s in 1936 with the aircraft entering service during 1938. The BT-1s served on the USS Yorktown and Enterprise. The type was not a success in service due to poor handling characteristics, especially at low speeds, "a fatal flaw in a carrier based aircraft."^[1] It was also prone to unexpected rolls and a number of aircraft were lost in crashes.

Variants

XBT-1

Prototype, one built.

BT-1

Production variant, 54 built.

XBT-2

One BT-1 modified with fully retractable landing gear and other modifications.

BT-2

Production variant of the XBT-2, 144 on order completed as SBD-1 and SBD-2.

Douglas DB-19

One BT-1 was modified as the DB-19 which was tested by the Imperial Japanese Navy as the DXD1 (Navy Experimental Type D Attack Plane)

Operators

 United States

• United States Navy

Specifications (BT-1)

Data from United States Navy Aircraft since 1911 ^[2]

General characteristics

• Crew: two (pilot and gunner)
• Length: 31 ft 8 in (9.65 m)
• Wingspan: 41 ft 6 in (12.65 m)
• Height: 9 ft 11 ft (3.02 m)
• Wing area: 319 ft² (29.6 m²)
• Empty weight: 4,606 lb (2,094 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 7,197 lb (3,271 kg)
• Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney R-1535-94 Twin Wasp Jr. double row radial air-cooled engine, 825 hp (615 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 193 knots (222 mph, 357 km/h) at 9,500 ft (2,900 m)
• Cruise speed: 167 knots (192 mph, 309 km/h)
• Range: 1,000 nmi (1,150 mi 1,852 km)
• Service ceiling: 25,300 ft (7,710 m)
• Rate of climb: 1,270 ft/min (6.5 m/s)

Armament

• Guns:
  
  • 1 × .50 in (12.7 mm) machine gun
  • 1 × .30 in (7.62 mm) machine gun
• Bombs: 1,000 lb (454 kg) bomb under fuselage

Notable mentions in media

Northrop BT-1s appeared in pre-war yellow wing paint schemes in the Technicolor film Dive Bomber (1941) starring Errol Flynn.

See also

Related development

• Northrop YA-13
• Northrop A-17
• SBD Dauntless
  

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

• Blackburn Skua
• Seversky P-35
• Aichi D3A
  

Related lists

• List of military aircraft of the United States (naval)
  

References

Notes

1. ^ "Northrop BT-1." historyofwar.org. Retrieved: 5 December 2009.
2. ^ Swanborough and Bowers 1976, p. 358.

Bibliography

• Bowers, Peter M. United States Navy Aircraft since 1911. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1990, ISBN 0-87021-792-5.
• Brazelton, David. The Douglas SBD Dauntless, Aircraft in Profile 196. Leatherhead, Surrey, UK: Profile Publications Ltd., 1967. No ISBN.
• Drendel, Lou. U.S. Navy Carrier Bombers of World War II. Carrollton, TX: Squadron/Signal Publications, Inc., 1987. ISBN 0-89747-195-4.
• Gunston, Bill. The Illustrated History of McDonnell Douglas Aircraft: From Cloudster to Boeing. London: Osprey Publishing, 1999. ISBN 1-85532-924-7.
• Kinzey, Bert. SBD Dauntless in Detail & Scale, D&S Vol.48. Carrollton, TX: Squadron/Signal Publications, Inc., 1996. ISBN 1-888974-01-X.
• Listemann, Phil. Northrop BT-1 (Allied Wings No.3). France: www.raf-in-combat.com, 2008. ISBN 2-9526381-7-9.
• Swanborough, Gordon and Peter M. Bowers. United States Navy Aircraft since 1911. London: Putnam, Second edition, 1976. ISBN 0-370-10054-9.

External links

• VectorSite: The Douglas SBD Dauntless & Curtiss SB2C Helldiver
• Northrop BT-1
• Image of a DB-19