Edgar Schmued designed the A-36 Invader as a dive bomber and ground-attack variant of the North American P-51 Mustang for the USAAF, the North American A-36 Invader was operated from 1942 until 1945, the most notable difference from the P-51 Mustang design was a new wing which included hydraulically operated dive brakes, less obvious but equally important was the strengthening of the airframe to cope with the stress of dive bombing. Although generally reliable the A-36 Invader's Allison engine's cooling system proved vulnerable to ground fire when either dive bombing or at low altitude, this was partially responsible for it's replacement by Republic P-47 Thunderbolts and the Curtiss P-40 in the European theatre during June 1944. North American A-36 Invader Specifications: Crew: Pilot only Length: 32 ft 3 in (9.83 m) Wingspan: 37 ft 0.25 in (11.28 m) Height: 12 ft 2 in (3.71 m) Loaded weight: 10,000 lb (4535 kg) Engine: Single 1,325 hp (988 kW) Allison V-1710-87 liquid-cooled piston V12 engine Maximum speed: 365 mph (315 kn, 590 km/h) Cruise speed: 250 mph (215 kn, 400 km/h) Range: 550 mi (478 nmi, 885 km) Service ceiling: 25,100ft (7650 m)
Armament: Six 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns Maximum of 1,000 lb (454 kg) of bombs on two under-wing hard-points
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