The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia
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Douglas B-18A Bolo
| Crew | 6 |
| Dimensions | 89'6" by 57'10" by 15'2" 27.28m by 17.63m by 4.62m |
| Wing area | 965 square feet 89.7 square meters |
| Weight | 16,321-27,673 lbs 7403-12,552 kg |
| Speed | 215 mph at 10,000 feet 346 km/h at 3048m |
| Cruising speed | 167mph 268 km/h |
| Landing speed | 69 mph 111 km/h |
| Climb rate | 17.5 feet per second 5.3 meters per second |
| Service ceiling | 23,900 feet 7285 meters |
| Power plant | 2 1000hp (746 kW) Wright R-1820-53 nine-cylinder radial engines driving three bladed propellers |
| Armament | 1 nose 0.30
machine gun 1 dorsal 0.30 machine gun 1 ventral 0.30 machine gun |
| Bomb load | 4000 lbs (1814 kg) normal or overload of 6500 lbs (2948 kg) |
| Range | 1150 miles (1850 km) with bomb load
of 2500 lbs (1130 kg) 2225 miles (3580 km) ferry |
| Fuel | 802 gallons 3040 liters |
| Production | 133 B-18 and 217 B-18A at Douglas Aircraft Company, Santa Monica, CA |
| Variants |
The B-18 and B-18A were nearly identical. In 1942, 76 B-18As were converted to antisubmarine duty with a radome in the nose and MAD detector in the tail. This configuration for antisubmarine patrol bombers would be used into the 21st century. These conversions were designated as B-18Bs or B-18Cs. |
The Bolo was Douglas' response to an Army requirement for a successor to the B-10 family of bombers. It was largely superseded by the B-17 by the time war broke out, but about 30 were still stationed in Hawaii and three squadrons were operating from Hamilton Field near San Francisco. Most were converted for antisubmarine duty and served on the East Coast.
References
Baugher (1999; accessed 2013-2-18)
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