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Vought SBU / V-142A / XF3U / XSB3U / XSBU Corsair

The Vought SBU-1 Corsair was a two-seat, all-metal biplane dive bomber built by Vought Aircraft Company of Dallas, Texas for the US Navy.

Its design was based upon the F3U-1 two-seat fighter that was abandoned when the Navy decided not to obtain any more two-seat fighters.

The aircraft was equipped with a closed cockpit, had fixed landing gear, and was powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-1535 radial air-cooled engine as had the F3U-1, but also included a controllable pitch propeller and a new NACA cowl with adjustable cowling gills on the trailing edge of the cowl.

The adjustable cowling gills permitted better control of cooling airflow over the engine.

The SBU-1 completed flight tests in 1934 and went into production under a contract awarded in January 1935.

The Corsair was the first aircraft of its type, a scout bomber, to fly faster than 200 mph.

The last SBU Corsairs were retired from active service in 1941, being reassigned as trainers.

Variants

XSB3U-1

One prototype built.

XF3U-1

Two-seat fighter prototype with a 700 hp R-1535-64 engine.

XSBU-1

The XF3U-1 converted to scout bomber prototype with a 700 hp R-1535-96 engine, later used as an engine test bed.

SBU-1

Original production order; 84 aircraft with 750 hp R-1535-82 engine.

SBU-2

Follow-on order; 40 aircraft with R-1535-98 engines.

Model V.142A

Export version for Argentina.

Specifications

Crew

Two

Length

27 ft 10 in (8.49 m)

Wingspan

36 ft 3 in (10.14 m)

Height

11 ft 11 in (3.63 m)

Wing area

327 sq ft (30.4 m2)

Empty weight

3,645 lb (1,659 kg)

Max take-off weight

5,520 lb (2,509 kg)

Powerplant

1 × Pratt & Whitney R-1535-80 Twin Wasp Junior,

14-cylinder two-row air-cooled radial engine,

700 hp (522 kW)

Performance

Maximum speed

178 kn (205 mph, 330 km/h) at 8,900 ft (2,700 m)

Cruise speed

106 kn (122 mph, 196 km/h)

Range

477 nmi (548 mi, 882 km)

Service ceiling

23,700 ft (10,800 m)

Rate of climb

1,180 ft/min (6.0 m/s)

Armament

Guns

1x Fixed forward firing .30 in (7.62 mm) Browning machine gun

&

1x machine gun flexibly mounted .30 in machine gun in rear cockpit

Bombs

1x 500 lb (227 kg) bomb.

 

 

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