Dream Girl Invasion

Dream Girl. More pretty girls on the noses of fighter planes. This painting is on a Korean War A-26C "INVADER".

Here's all of the geeky nerd stuff. about the Douglas A-26C "INVADER" for my fellow airplane fetishists out there.

The A-26, a follow-up airplane to the A-20 Havoc, made its first flight on July 10, 1942. Production delivery began in August 1943, and on November 19, 1944, it went into combat over Europe. It was used for level bombing, ground strafing and rocket attacks. By the time production halted after VJ-Day, 2,502 Invaders had been built.

The A-26 was redesignated the B-26 in 1948. During the Korean War, the airplane entered combat once again, this time as a night intruder to harass North Korean supply lines.

Early in the Vietnam conflict, the Invader went into action for the third time. Also, the USAF ordered 40 modified B-26Bs having more powerful engines and increased structural strength. Designated the B-26K, the airplanes were designed for special air warfare missions. In 1966, the B-26K was redesignated the A-26A.

The A-26C on display was flown to the U.S. Air Force Museum in September 1957. It appears in the colors and marking used during the Korean War by the 34th Bomb Squadron flying night intruder missions.

SPECIFICATIONS
Span: 70 ft.
Length: 51 ft. 3 in.
Height: 18 ft. 3 in.
Weight: 35,000 lbs. loaded
Armament: Highly variable. A-26C had two forward-firing .50-cal. machine guns and two turrets with two .50-cal. machine guns each. It also carried bombs internally and under wings.
Engines: Two Pratt & Whitney R-2800s of 2,000 hp. ea.
Crew: 3
Cost: $172,000
Serial number: 44-35733
C/N: 29012

PERFORMANCE
Maximum speed: 373 mph.
Cruising speed: 284 mph.
Range: 1,400 miles
Service Ceiling: 28,000