A-26 Invader Aircraft
Fighter Factory

As the early 1940’s approached and aeronautical development was rapidly advancing, the United Stated Army Air Corps was planning develop a plane that could replace the A-20 Havoc, B-25 Mitchell, and the B-26 Marauder. Douglas Aircraft Corporation’s designer, Edward Heinemann, met with Army officials to get their ideas on the ideal airplane specifications.

The first experimental Douglas A-26 Invader flew in July 1942 and exceeded all of the performance standards including the ability to carry twice the bomb load as required. It would take Douglas 28 months from flight test to combat due to the many changes made by the military and the wartime delays in the delivery of milling machines. The Invader was powered by two Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engines, which produced 2,000hp each. The first version, A-26A, was introduced into combat in November 1944 in Europe.

The A-26B carried additional armor protection for the pilot and six 0.50 inch machine guns in the nose. The “B” variant could also carry up to 4,000 pounds of bombs internally and an additional 2,000 pounds of bombs, rockets, or fuel under the wings. Eventually the A-26 was fitted with a transparent bombardier nose with two 0.50 inch guns. This variant was the A-26C, and commonly used as the lead ship. There were a total of 2,502 Invaders build between 1942 and 1945. Douglas A-26 Invaders were used in the European theater, the Korean War, and Vietnam.

The Fighter Factory’s Douglas A-26B Invader was built in 1945. Not much is known about the military history of this plane. Many of the civilian hours were flown between Jacksonville, FL, and Denver, CO. At the Fort Worth International Airfest on October 17, 1987, the landing gear collapsed as the pilot taxied to the hangar. It was repaired and subsequently ferried to Paris, Texas, where it sat for a number of years. The plane was purchased in 1996 and trucked to the Fighter Factory in Virginia where it is in the final stages of total restoration.

Click here to see some
A-26 Invader photos.