- Source: Fletcher FD-25
The Fletcher FD-25 Defender was a light ground-attack aircraft developed in the United States in the early 1950s.
Design and development
Designed by John Thorp, the Defender was a conventional low-wing cantilever monoplane with fixed tailwheel undercarriage. Provision was made for two machine guns in the wings, plus disposable stores carried on underwing pylons. Construction throughout was all-metal, and the pilot sat under a wide perspex canopy.
Operational history
Three prototypes were built, two single-seaters and a two-seater, but no orders were placed by the US military. In Japan, however, Toyo acquired the rights to the design, and built around a dozen aircraft, selling seven (five single-seater attack versions and two two-seat trainers) to Cambodia, and four to Vietnam. One example (FD-25B JA3051) served with the Royal Thai Police.
Survivors
One example (FD-25B N240D) remains in an airworthy condition today and appeared at the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh airshow in 2010. Two (a single-seater and a two-seater) are on museum display at the Tokyo Metropolitan College of Industrial Technology in Japan.
Related development
The wing design of the Fletcher FU-24 aerial topdressing plane was loosely based on that of the FD-25 Defender. Almost 300 were built under licence in New Zealand from the mid-1950s and used for agricultural and skydiving operations.
Specifications
Data from Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1955–56General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 20 ft 11 in (6.38 m)
Wingspan: 30 ft 0 in (9.14 m)
Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Wing area: 150 sq ft (14 m2)
Aspect ratio: 6:1
Airfoil: NACA 65.5-415
Empty weight: 1,228 lb (557 kg)
Gross weight: 2,500 lb (1,134 kg)
Fuel capacity: 60 US gal (50 imp gal; 230 L)
Powerplant: 1 × Continental E-225-8 6-cylinder, air-cooled, horizontally-opposed pistonengine, 225 hp (168 kW)
Performance
Maximum speed: 187 mph (301 km/h, 162 kn) at sea level
Cruise speed: 162 mph (261 km/h, 141 kn)
Range: 630 mi (1,010 km, 550 nmi)
Service ceiling: 16,500 ft (5,000 m)
Rate of climb: 1,725 ft/min (8.76 m/s)
Armament
Guns: 2 × wing-mounted .30-in (7.62 mm) machine guns
Rockets:
40 × 2.75 inch rockets or
4 × 5-inch rockets or
20 × 8 cm rockets
Bombs: 2 × 250 lb (113 kg) bombs
See also
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
SIAI Marchetti SF.260
American Electric Piranha
Soko J-20 Kraguj
LIPNUR Sikumbang
References
Notes
Bibliography
External links
Flivver Plane Totes Guns and Bombs November 1951 Popular Science article on FL-25—rest of article and photos on following page
Kata Kunci Pencarian:
- Arkea
- Amerika Serikat pada Olimpiade Musim Dingin 2010
- Fletcher FD-25
- Fletcher FU-24
- Defender
- Counter-insurgency aircraft
- LIPNUR Sikumbang
- Khmer Air Force
- Fletcher Aviation
- Continental O-470
- American Electric Piranha
- List of aircraft (F)
