A-26C

Douglas' A-26 Invader was intended for large-scale production to replace the USAAF's three medium bombers, the A-20 Havoc, B-52 Mitchell, and B-26 Marauder, and it served briefly in Europe and the Pacific in the closing months of World War II. Pilots praised its improved maneuverability, top speed, and hitting power. At Dover Army Air Field in Delaware during World War II, A-26s were used to develop rocket racks, sighting devices, and load configurations that enabled a single aircraft to launch devastating attacks at hardened ground targets, ships, or trains. A maximum of 28 rockets were eventually carried on hard points under the wings, although that configuration was not ready until after the war ended. Many orders were cancelled in 1945, but the aircraft returned to combat five years later. The first and last combat missions of the 1950-53 Korean War were flown by B-26s after the A-26 was redesignated in 1948. During the Vietnam War, Invaders, again designated A-26s in 1966, were used to bomb the Ho Chi Minh trail until 1969.

Dover, Delaware · United States