Great Lakes XTBG

XTBG-1
General information
Type	Torpedo bomber
Manufacturer	Great Lakes Aircraft Company
Primary user	United States Navy
Number built	1

The Great Lakes XTBG-1 was an American prototype torpedo bomber, intended for service in the United States Navy as part of that service's plan to modernise its aerial striking force in the mid-1930s. The XTBG-1 was outperformed by the competing TBD Devastator, however, in addition to having instability problems ^[1] and only a single prototype of the three-seat design was constructed during 1935. ^[2]

Design

Featuring retractable landing gear and a fully enclosed weapons bay for its torpedo, the XTBG-1 had the unusual feature of the torpedo-aimer seated forward of the wing, in a small, enclosed compartment. ^[3]

Specifications (XTBG-1)

Data from Aero-web ^[4]

General characteristics

• Crew: 3
• Length: 34 ft 9 in (10.6 m)
• Wingspan: 42 ft 0 in (12.8 m)
• Height: 15 ft 1 in (4.6 m)
• Gross weight: 9,313 lb (4,224 kg)
• Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney R-1830-60 Twin Wasp 14-cyl. twin row air-cooled radial piston engine, 800 hp (600 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 185 mph (298 km/h, 161 kn)
• Service ceiling: 15,600 ft (4,800 m)

Armament
1 x air-droppable torpedo in an internal weapons bay

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

• Brewster SBA
• Fairey Swordfish
• Great Lakes XB2G
• Grumman XSBF
• Hall XPTBH
• Northrop BT
• SB2U Vindicator
• TBD Devastator
• Vought XSB3U
• Yokosuka B4Y

Related lists

• List of carrier-based aircraft
• List of United States Navy aircraft designations (pre-1962)

References

1. Douglas TBD-1 Devastator Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine , Underwater Admiralty Sciences
2. Swanborough, Gordon (1990). United States Navy Aircraft since 1911. Putnam Aeronautical Books. ISBN   0-87021-792-5.
3. Doll, Tom (1992). SB2U Vindicator in action. Aircraft Number 122. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications. p. 4. ISBN   0-89747-274-8.
4. Great Lakes XTBG-1 Avenger Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine , Aero-web.org