Keystone B-6

Infobox Aircraft
name=B-6


caption= Keystone B-6A of the 1st Bomb Squadron, 9th Bomb Group, Mitchel Field, N.Y.
type=Light bomber
manufacturer=Keystone
designer=
first flight=
introduced=
retired=
status=
primary user=United States Army Air Corps
more users=
produced=
number built= 5 Y1B-6 + 39 B-6A
unit cost=
developed from=Keystone B-3
variants with their own articles=

The Keystone B-6 was a biplane bomber developed for the United States Army Air Corps.

Design and development

In 1931, the United States Army Air Corps received five working models (Y1B-6s) of the B-6 bomber. The "Y1B-" designation, as opposed to a "YB-" designation, indicates funding outside normal fiscal year procurement. Two of these were redesignations of LB-13s; three were re-engined B-3As. The Air Corps placed an order for 39 production models on April 28, 1931, with deliveries between August 1931 and January 1932. At the same time, an order was placed for 25 B-4As, the same aircraft but mounting Pratt & Whitney engines instead of Wright Cyclones. Despite their lower sequence number, the B-4As would be delivered last. These were the last canvas-and-wood biplane bombers ordered by the Air Corps.

The performance of the B-6A varied little from the Martin NBS-1 ordered in 1921. Its successor, the monoplane bomber, had a hard time getting accepted. The Douglas Y1B-7 and Fokker XB-8 were originally designed as high-speed reconnaissance planes.

Operational history

B-6A together with B-5A were first line bombers of the United States for the period between 1930 and 1934. Later remained in service until the early 1940s serving primarily as observation aircraft.

Variants

;LB-13:Seven aircraft ordered but delivered as the Y1B-4 and Y1B-6 with different engine installations.;Y1B-6:Two pre-production aircraft and three converted B-3As, as the LB-10 but with two 575hp (429kW) R-1829-1 engines.;B-6A:Production version of the Y1B-6, 39 built.

Operators

;flag|United States|1912
*United States Army Air Corps

pecifications (B-6A)

aircraft specifications
plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop
crew=5
length main=48 ft 10 in
length alt=14.9 m
span main=74 ft 8 in
span alt=22.8 m
height main=15 ft 9 in
height alt=4.8 m
area main=1,145 ft²
area alt=106.4 m²
empty weight main=8,057 lb
empty weight alt=3,665 kg
loaded weight main=13,350 lb
loaded weight alt=6,056 kg
max takeoff weight main= lb
max takeoff weight alt= kg
number of props=2
engine (prop)=Wright R-1820-1
type of prop=radial engines
power main=575 hp
power alt=429 kW
max speed main=120 mph
max speed alt=100 kt, 190 km/h
cruise speed main=103 mph
cruise speed alt=89 kt, 166 km/h
range main=825 mi
range alt=717 kt, 1,330 km
ceiling main=14,100 ft
ceiling alt=6,400 m
loading main=11.66 lb/ft²
loading alt=56.92 kg/m²
power/mass main=0.0861 hp/lb
power/mass alt=142 W/kg
guns=3× .30 in (7.62 mm) Browning machine guns
bombs=2,500 lb (1,100 kg); 4,000 lb (1,800 kg) on short runs

External links

* [http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/research/bombers/b1-49.htm USAF Museum article on B-6]
* [http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/research/bombers/b1-33.htm USAF Museum article on LB-13]

ee also

aircontent
related=
* Keystone B-3
* Keystone B-4
* Keystone B-5
similar aircraft=
sequence=
lists=
* List of bomber aircraft
* List of military aircraft of the United States