Brewster XSBA-1 / SBN-1

Carrier-Based Dive Bomber

United States | 1941

"A protracted development period left the Brewster SBN-1 an obsolete machine when America went to war in December of 1941."

Public Domain image of the Brewster SBN-1 in flight.

Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Brewster SBN-1 Carrier-Based Dive Bomber.

1 x Wright XR-1820-22 Cyclone radial piston engine developing 950 horsepower.
Propulsion

255 mph
410 kph | 221 kts
Max Speed

28,215 ft
8,600 m | 5 miles
Service Ceiling

1,016 miles
1,635 km | 883 nm
Operational Range

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Brewster SBN-1 Carrier-Based Dive Bomber.

3
(MANNED)
Crew

27.7 ft
8.43 m
O/A Length

39.0 ft
(11.89 m)
O/A Width

8.7 ft
(2.64 m)
O/A Height

6,759 lb
(3,066 kg)
MTOW

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Brewster XSBA-1 / SBN-1 Carrier-Based Dive Bomber .

1 x 0.30 caliber medium machine gun on trainable mount in rear cockpit.

OPTIONAL:
1 x 500lb bomb carried in an internal bomb bay.

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Brewster XSBA-1 / SBN-1 family line.

XSBA-1 - Base Prototype Designation; single example completed.

SBN-1 - Production Model Designation; 30 examples delivered to the USN.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 05/05/2016 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

The Brewster aviation concern managed some - albeit slow - headway on their XSBA/SBN carrier aircraft. The type was a three-seat, single-engine monoplane dive bomber incorporating what were then-modern components during the early-to-mid 1930s. The aircraft began life as the XSBA-1 prototype before evolving to become the "SBN-1" taken on in small numbers by the United States Navy (USN) just prior to America's entry into World War 2 (1939-1945). A sole XSBA-1 prototype was produced to go along with the thirty SBN-1 production models eventually adopted by the USN. The product stemmed from a 1934 USN competition which saw Brewster's design emerge followed by a first flight in 1936. However, by the time it was introduced in 1941 and America was at war in 1942, the 1930s-era airplane proved of little value to foreseeable operations. As such, it was relegated to training duties for a short time before being pulled from service from August 1942 onwards.

For the XSBA-1, Brewster engineers adopted a deep, tapering fuselage with the powerplant conventionally set at the front of the aircraft driving a three-bladed propeller. The pilot and crew sat under a greenhouse-style canopy with good views of the surrounding action. The aircraft featured monoplane wing appendages that were mid-set along the fuselage sides. The main landing gear were retractable into the sides of the lower fuselage (ala the Grumman F4F fighter) utilizing a rather complex-looking strut arrangement. The tail was capped by a single vertical tail fin and low-set horizontal tailplanes. Its crew numbered three- pilot, navigator and gunner - with the latter crewmember seated in a position at the rear of the aircraft manning a sole, trainable 0.30 caliber machine gun. Perforated split dive-flaps were installed on the wings to retard the descent of the aircraft when on its attack run. An internal bomb bay supported a single 500lb bomb. Power was served through a Wright XR-1820-22 Cyclone radial piston engine of 950 horsepower and performance specifications included a maximum speed of 255 miles per hour, a range out to 1,015 miles and a service ceiling of 28,300 feet.

By the time of the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941, the United States Navy was still in the process of accepting delivery of these Brewster machines from the Naval Aircraft Factory (NAF). The aircraft proved of little value with the fast-paced war to follow, quickly usurped by more modem and capable dive bombers that followed and, as such, production stood at just the 30 aforementioned examples as well as the single prototype model.

Brewster's life as an aircraft contractor ended on April 5th, 1946 as the company struggled to profit after the war's end. Aircraft production at the Naval Aircraft Factory - set up by the USN in 1918 solely to produce its needed aircraft - ended in early 1945.

Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Brewster XSBA-1 / SBN-1. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 31 Units
Contractor(s): Brewster Aeronautical Corporation - USA

[ United States ]

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Public Domain image of the Brewster SBN-1 in flight.

Going Further...
The Brewster XSBA-1 / SBN-1 Carrier-Based Dive Bomber appears in the following collections:

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