The B-23 Dragon was a twin-engined aeroplane developed by Douglas Aircraft Company as a successor to (and a refinement of) the B-18 Bolo. The design of the B-23 was very similar to that of the Douglas DC-3. It was the first operational bomber equipped with a tail gun. It first flew on July 27, 1939

While significantly faster and better armed than the B-18, the B-23 found itself inferior to newer bombers like the B-25 Mitchell and B-26 Marauder. For this reason, the 38 B-23s built were never used in combat. They worked in training, reconnaissance, transport (the UC-67), and test-bed rôles. One of the UC-67 is being reconverted to B-23 configuration by the USAF Museum.

Specifications (B-23 Dragon)

General Characteristics

• Crew: six
• Length: 58 ft 6 in (17.8 m)
• Wingspan: 92 ft (28 m)
• Height: 18 ft 6 in (5.6 m)
• Wing area: 993 ft² (92.3 m²)
• Empty: 19,089 lb (8,677 kg)
• Loaded: 26,500 lb (12,045 kg)
• Maximum takeoff: 32,400 lb (14,727 kg)
• Powerplant: 2 x Wright R-2600-3, 1,600 hp (1,194 kW) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 282 mph (451 km/h) at 122,000 feet
• Maximum Range: 2,750 miles (4,400 km)
• Normal Range: 1400 miles with 4000 lb of bombs
• Service ceiling: 31,600 ft (9,632 m)
• Rate of climb: 1,493 ft/min (455 m/min)
• Wing loading: 26.7 lb/ft² (130 kg/m²)
• Power/Mass: 0.17 hp/lb (0.20 kW/kg)

Armament

• 0.30-calibre machine guns (3)
• 0.50-calibre machine gun (tail) (1)
• 4,000 lb (1,818 kg) of bombs

Source: --Aerodotus 19:43, 3 Jan 2005 (UTC)

References

• USAF Museum description of B-23

Related content

Related development: Douglas DC-3 - B-18 Bolo - Douglas UC-67

Comparable aircraft:

Designation sequence: Y1B-20 - XB-21 - XB-22 - B-23 - B-24 - B-25 - B-26