Douglas O-46
The Douglas O -46 was a reconnaissance aircraft of the United States Army Air Corps ( USAAC ) of 1936.
The O- 46A was the last variant of a long series of reconnaissance aircraft of Douglas. You fell victim to the rapid technological progress. She was designed for reconnaissance missions behind the front line, but it was, however, already in 1939 to slow and easy ausmanövrierbar by modern enemy fighters. Moreover, they could only bad apart from short, unprepared runways.
At the start of the Second World War it was back very quickly from the front lines and in 1942 converted from reconnaissance in a liaison aircraft.
History
The first O- 46A, 12 - cylinder V- engine Curtiss delivered in October 1934 leistendem with 675 hp V- 1570-59 "Conqueror " to the USAAC. Later, a new 14 -cylinder radial engine Pratt & Whitney R -1535 -7 " Twin Wasp Junior" was used with 725 hp in the O- 46A. From May 1936 to April 1937 a total of 90 O- 46A to the U.S. Army Air Force ( USAAF) and the National Guard were delivered.
Only eleven machines were moved overseas. Two machines were destroyed by the Japanese during the attack on Clark Field in the Philippines on December 8, 1941. They took there though to dogfights in part, but it was not recorded any particular success. 1942, the machines were withdrawn and used as training and liaison aircraft.
Military use
- U.S. Army Air Force