North American AT-6 Texan

North American AT-6 Texan trainer

The AT-6 Texan was the most important US trainer (and used in significant numbers by Commonwealth forces as the 'Harvard'). It was based on the NA-16 of 1935 and evolved eventually into the AT-6.

The Texan (redesignated T-6 in the late 1940's) was widely distributed after WWII and saw service in new roles such as artillery observation and counter-insurgency.

The exact number of AT-6's built is in question. Figures range from just under 11,000 to near 17,000. The reasons for this disparity arise from the fact that some sources count the total number ordered, even if th order was canceled (usually in favor of a new version) and some versions were simply old AT-6's rebuilt to a new standard. but apparently got "double counted" as a new plane by some sources. The actual number was probably in the 15-16,000 range.

The AT-6 had a crew of two: instructor/pilot and student (or observer) and used 18.5 gallons of aviation gas at routine usage.

Subassemblies: Heavy Fighter Plane chassis +3, Heavy Fighter Wings +2, three fixed wheels +0.
P&P: 410-kW HP aerial gasoline engine with 410-kW prop and 110-gallon standard fuel tanks [Wings]; 2,000-kW batteries.
Occ: 2 CS Cargo: 2 Body

Armor
All: 2/3
Wheels: 3/5

Equipment
Body: Medium radio receiver and transmitter, backup pilot option, navigation instruments, autopilot
.
Statistics

Size: 30'x42'x12'	Payload: 0.56 tons	Lwt: 2.65 tons
Volume: 224	Maint.: 50 hours	Price: $16,100

HT: 12
HP: 260 Body, 180 each Wing, 25 each Wheel

aSpeed: 205

aAccel: 5

aDecel: 48

aMR: 12

aSR: 2

Stall: 56 mph

Design Notes
The historical wing area of 254 sf has been used. Design speed was 207 mph and stall speed 62 mph; the historical values were used. Loaded weight was decreased 2% to match historical. 10 VSP in the body has been ignored as waste space.

Variants
Some AT-6's were armed with one or two Aircraft LMGs firing forward and sometimes one to the rear.

The original NA-16 (1935) used a 298-kW engine to reach 170 mph.

The BT-9 (1935) was similar but with fixed landing gear. Speed 170 mph.

Texans used by the US Navy were designated SNJ. A very small number were fitted with arrestor hooks for carrier landings.

Like the AT-6, the Australian Wirraway (1939) was also developed from the NA-16. It used a 450-kW engine giving a top speed of 220 mph. While the 750 Wirraways were mainly used as advanced trainers, some were operated in the ground-attack role. These carried two forward-firing Vickers Mk V guns (Aircraft LMGs) and a third to the rear operated by the observer. Up to 1,000 lbs of bombs could be carried, but maximum weight was 3.3 tons. One armed Wirraway even managed to shoot down a Zero ...