Douglas A - 26 Invader The Douglas A - 26 Invader ( designated B - 26 between 1948 – 1965 ) was a United States twin - engine light bomber and attack aircraft built by Douglas Aircraft during World War II that also saw service during several of the Cold War ' s major conflicts . A limited number of highly modified aircraft ( designation A - 26 restored ) served in combat until 1969 . It was found to be a fast aircraft capable of carrying twice its specified bomb load . A range of guns could be fitted to produce a formidable ground - attack aircraft . The redesignation of the type from A - 26 to B - 26 has led to popular confusion with the Martin B - 26 Marauder , a design that first flew in November 1940 , some 16 months before the Douglas design ' s maiden flight . Although both types utilized the much - used Pratt & Whitney Double Wasp eighteen - cylinder , double - row engine , they are completely different designs . The last A - 26 in active US service was assigned to the Air National Guard ; that aircraft was retired from military service in 1972 by the US Air Force and the National Guard Bureau and donated to the National Air and Space Museum . Design and development . The A - 26 was an unusual design for an attack bomber of the early 1940s period , as it was designed as a single - pilot aircraft ( sharing this characteristic with the British de Havilland Mosquito , among others ) . The aircraft was designed by Edward Heinemann , Robert Donovan , and Ted R . Smith . The project aerodynamicist on the program was A . M . O . Smith , who designed the wing making use of the then - new NACA 65 - 215 laminar flow airfoil . The Douglas XA - 26 prototype ( AAC Ser . No . " 41 - 19504 " ) first flew on 10 July 1942 at Mines Field , El Segundo , with test pilot Benny Howard at the controls . Flight tests revealed excellent performance and handling , but there were problems with engine cooling which led to cowling changes and omission of the propeller spinners on production aircraft , plus modification of the nose landing gear after repeated collapses during testing . The A - 26 was originally built in two different configurations . The " A - 26B " had a " solid " nose , which originally could be equipped with a combination of anything from . 50 caliber machine guns , 37mm auto cannon , 20mm or even a 75mm pack howitzer , but normally the solid nose version housed six ( or later eight ) . 50 caliber machine guns , officially termed the " all - purpose nose " , later commonly known as the " six - gun nose " or " eight - gun nose " . The " A - 26C " s " glass " nose , officially termed the " Bombardier nose " , contained a Norden bombsight for medium altitude precision bombing . The A - 26C nose section included two fixed M - 2 guns , later replaced by underwing gun packs or internal guns in the wings . After about 1 , 570 production aircraft , three guns were installed in each wing , coinciding with the introduction of the " eight - gun nose " for A - 26Bs , giving some configurations as many as 14 . 50 in ( 12 . 7 mm ) machine guns in a fixed forward mount . An A - 26C nose section could be exchanged for an A - 26B nose section , or vice versa , in a few man - hours , thus physically ( and officially ) changing the designation and operational role . The " flat - topped " canopy was changed in late 1944 after about 820 production aircraft , to a clamshell style with greatly improved visibility . Alongside the pilot in an A - 26B , a crew member typically served as navigator and gun loader for the pilot - operated nose guns . In an A - 26C , that crew member served as navigator and bombardier , and relocated to the nose section for the bombing phase of an operation . A small number of A - 26Cs were fitted with dual flight controls , some parts of which could be disabled in flight to allow limited access to the nose section . A tractor - style " jump seat " was located behind the " navigator ' s seat . " In most missions , a third crew member in the rear gunner ' s compartment operated the remotely - controlled dorsal and ventral gun turrets , with access to and from the cockpit only possible via the bomb bay when that was empty . Operational history . World War II . Pacific . The Douglas company began delivering the production model A - 26B in August 1943 with the new bomber first seeing action with the Fifth Air Force in the Southwest Pacific theater on 23 June 1944 , when they bombed Japanese - held islands near Manokwari . The pilots in the 3rd Bomb Group ' s 13th Squadron , " The Grim Reapers " , who received the first four A - 26s for evaluation , found the view from the cockpit to be poor for low level attack . General George Kenney , commander of the Far East Air Forces stated that , " We do not want the A - 26 under any circumstances as a replacement for anything . " Until changes could be made , the 3d Bomb Group requested additional Douglas A - 20 Havoc s , although both types were used in composite flights . The 319th Bomb Group worked up on the A - 26 in March 1945 , joining the initial 3rd BG , with the 319th flying until 12 August 1945 . The A - 26 operations wound down in mid - August 1945 with only a few dozen missions flown . Europe . Douglas needed better results from the Invader ' s second combat test , so A - 26s began arriving in Europe in late September 1944 for assignment to the Ninth Air Force . The initial deployment involved 18 aircraft and crews assigned to the 553d Squadron of the 386th Bomb Group . This unit flew its first mission on 6 September 1944 . No aircraft were lost on the eight test missions , and the Ninth Air Force announced that it was happy to replace all of its A - 20s and B - 26s with the A - 26 Invader . The first group to fully convert to the A - 26B was 416th Bombardment Group with which it entered combat on 17 November , and the 409th Bombardment Group , whose A - 26s became operational in late November . Due to a shortage of A - 26C variants , the groups flew a combined A - 20 / A - 26 unit until deliveries of the glass - nose version caught up . Besides bombing and strafing , tactical reconnaissance and night interdiction missions were undertaken successfully . In contrast to the Pacific - based units , the A - 26 was well received by pilots and crew alike , and by 1945 , the 9th AF had flown 11 , 567 missions , dropping 18 , 054 tons of bombs , recording seven confirmed kills while losing 67 aircraft . In Italy the Twelfth Air Force ' s 47th Bomb Group also received the A - 26 , starting in January 1945 . They were used against German transport links , but also for direct support and interdiction against tanks and troop concentrations in the Po valley in the final campaigns in Italy . Postwar era . The USAF Strategic Air Command operated the redesignated B - 26 ( " RB - 26 " ) in service from 1949 through 1950 ; USAF Europe until 1957 ; the Tactical Air Command through the late 1960s , and the last examples in service with the Air National Guard through 1972 . The U . S . Navy also used a small number of these aircraft in their utility squadrons for target towing and general utility use until superseded by the DC - 130A variant of the C - 130 Hercules . The Navy designation was JD - 1 and JD - 1D until 1962 , when the JD - 1 was redesignated UB - 26J and the JD - 1D was redesignated DB - 26J . Korean War . B - 26 Invaders of the 3d Bombardment Group , operating from bases in Southern Japan , were some of the first USAF aircraft engaged in the Korean War , carrying out missions over South Korea on 27 and 28 June , before carrying out the first USAF bombing mission on North Korea on 29 June 1950 when they bombed an airfield outside of Pyongyang . On 10 August 1950 , the Air Force Reserve ' s 452d Bombardment Wing was activated for Korean Service . It flew its first missions in November 1950 from Itazuke Japan doing daylight support with the 3rd Bomb Wing flying night missions . Because of the Chinese intervention it was forced to find another base and moved to Miho Air Base on the west coast of Honshū . In early 1951 it moved to Pusan East ( K - 9 ) Air Base and continued its daylight as well as night intruder missions . In June 1951 , it joined the 3rd Bomb Wing in night activity only , dividing the target areas with the 452nd taking the eastern half and the 3rd the western . For its efforts in the Korean War , it was awarded 2 Unit Citations and the Korean Presidential Citation . It also received credit for eight Campaign Operations . In May 1952 it was inactivated and all of its aircraft and equipment along with its regular air force personnel were absorbed by the 17th Bomb Wing . During its time as an active unit , the 452nd flew 15 , 000 sorties ( 7000 at night ) with a loss of 85 crewmen . B - 26s were credited with the destruction of 38 , 500 vehicles , 406 locomotives , 3 , 700 railway trucks , and seven enemy aircraft on the ground . On 14 September 1951 , Captain John S . Walmsley , Jr . attacked a supply train . When his guns jammed , he illuminated the target with his searchlight to enable his wingmen to destroy the train . Walmsley was shot down and posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor . Invaders carried out the last USAF bombing mission of the war 24 minutes before the was signed on 27 June 1953 . In addition to the standard attack versions of the B - 26 which flew night interdiction missions , a small number of modified WB - 26s and RB - 26s of the 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing flew critical weather observation and reconnaissance missions in supporting roles . First Indochina War . In the 1950s , the French Air Force ' s ( ' ) Bombing Groups ( ' ) including GB 1 / 19 " Gascogne " and GB 1 / 25 " Tunisia " , used B - 26 during the First Indochina War lent to France by the United States Air Force . Cat Bi ( Haiphong ) based Douglas B - 26 Invaders operated over Dien Bien Phu in March and April 1954 during the siege of Dien Bien Phu . In this period , a massive use of Philippines based USAF B - 26s against the Viet Minh heavy artillery was planned by the U . S . and French Joint Chief of Staff as Operation Vulture , but was eventually cancelled by the respective governments . Indonesia . In 1958 , the CIA started Operation Haik in Indonesia , concerned about the Sukarno regime ' s communist leanings . At least a dozen B - 26 Invaders were committed in support of rebel forces . On 18 May 1958 , American contract pilot Allen Pope ' s B - 26 was initially hit by anti - aircraft ground fire and then brought down by a North American P - 51 Mustang flown by Capt . Ignatius Dewanto ( the only known air - to - air kill in the history of the Indonesian Air Force ) . The capture and trial of Lieutenant Pope brought a quick end to Operation Haik , but the capabilities of the Invader were not lost on the Indonesian government . In 1959 , the government purchased six aircraft at Davis - Monthan AFB and these were ferried to Indonesia in full military markings during mid - 1960 . These aircraft would have a long career and were utilized in a number of actions against rebels in various areas . The last operational flights of the three survivors was in 1976 supporting the Indonesian invasion of East Timor . In 1977 , the last two flyers were retired . Service with the USAF in Southeast Asia . The first B - 26s to arrive in Southeast Asia were deployed to Takhli RTAFB , Thailand in December 1960 . These unmarked aircraft , operated under the auspices of the U . S . CIA ( Central Intelligence Agency ) , were soon augmented by an additional 16 aircraft , 12 B - 26Bs and B - 26Cs plus four RB - 26Cs under Operation " Mill Pond " . The mission of all of these aircraft was to assist the Royal Lao Government in fighting the Pathet Lao . The repercussions from the Bay of Pigs invasion meant that no combat missions are known to have been flown , although RB - 26Cs operated over Laos until the end of 1961 . The aircraft were subsequently operated in South Vietnam under Project " Farm Gate " . The only other deployment of B - 26 aircraft to Laos prior to the introduction of the B - 26K / A - 26A , was the deployment of two RB - 26C aircraft , specifically modified for night reconnaissance , deployed to Laos between May and July 1962 under Project " Black Watch " . These aircraft , initially drawn from " Farm Gate " stocks , were returned upon the end of these missions . The aircraft from Laos participated in the early phase of the Vietnam War with the USAF , but with Vietnamese markings as part of Project " Farm Gate " . Though " Farm Gate " operated B - 26Bs , B - 26Cs , and genuine RB - 26Cs , many of these aircraft were operated under the designation RB - 26C , though they were used in a combat capacity . During 1963 , two RB - 26C were sent to Clark AB in the Philippines for modifications , though not with night systems as with those modified for " Black Watch " . The two aircraft returned from " Black Watch " to " Farm Gate " were subsequently given the designation RB - 26L to distinguish them from other modified RB - 26C , and were assigned to Project " Sweet Sue " . " Farm Gate ' s " B - 26s operated alongside the other primary strike aircraft of the time , the T - 28 Trojan , before both aircraft types were replaced by the Douglas A - 1 Skyraider . The B - 26s were withdrawn from service in February 1964 after two accidents related to wing spar fatigue , one during combat in Southeast Asia in August 1963 and one during an airpower demonstration at Eglin AFB , Florida in February 1964 . On 11 February 1964 , two pilots from the 1st Air Commando Wing stationed at Hurlburt Field , Fla . , died in the crash of a B - 26 on Range 52 at Eglin AFB when it lost a wing during pull - out from a strafing pass . The aircraft was participating in a demonstration of the Special Air Warfare Center ' s counter insurgency capabilities and had completed a strafing run when the accident occurred . SAWC had presented the demonstration on an average of twice each month for the previous 21 months . B - 26 aircraft used by USAF Commandos in Vietnam were grounded 8 April 1964 , following an official investigation into the 11 February accident . B - 26 aircraft in use by the Vietnamese Air Force were also grounded in accordance with the U . S . ruling . In response to this , the On Mark Engineering Company of Van Nuys , California was selected by the Air Force to extensively upgrade the Invader for a counterinsurgency role . The first production flight of the B - 26K was on 30 May 1964 at the Van Nuys Airport . On Mark converted 40 Invaders to the new " B - 26K Counter - Invader " standard , which included upgraded engines , propellers , and brakes , re - manufactured wings , and wing tip fuel tanks , for use by the 609th Special Operations Squadron . In May 1966 , the B - 26K was re - designated " A - 26A " for political reasons ( Thailand did not allow the U . S . to have bombers stationed in country at the time , so the Invaders were redesignated with an " A " , for attack aircraft ) and deployed in Thailand to help disrupt supplies moving along the Ho Chi Minh trail . Two of these aircraft were further modified with a Forward Looking Infrared ( FLIR system ) under project " Lonesome Tiger " , as a part of Operation Shed Light . Bay of Pigs Invasion . In early 1961 , about 20 B - 26Bs , most converted from B - 26C configuration , were ' sanitized ' at Duke Field ( aka Auxiliary Field Three at Eglin AFB ) , Florida . They had defensive armament removed , and were fitted with the eight - gun nose , underwing drop tanks , and rocket racks . They were flown to a CIA - run base in Guatemala where training was underway of B - 26 , C - 46 and C - 54 Cuban exile air crews by personnel from the Alabama ANG ( Air National Guard ) . After transfer to Nicaragua in early April 1961 , they were painted in the markings of the FAR ( Fuerza Aérea Revolucionaria ) , the air force of the Cuban government . On 15 April 1961 , crewed by Cuban exiles , eight B - 26s of the FAL ( " Fuerza Aérea de Liberación " ) attacked three Cuban airfields , in an attempt to destroy FAR combat aircraft on the ground . On 17 April 1961 , FAL B - 26s supported the seaborne Bay of Pigs Invasion of Cuba . The conflict ended on 19 April , after the loss of nine FAL B - 26s , 10 Cuban exiles and 4 American aircrew in combat . The FAR flew B - 26Cs in the conflict , one of which was shot down by a CIA ' command ship ' with the loss of 4 Cuban aircrew . Africa in the 1960s . CIA contracted pilots , some previously employed during the Bay of Pigs Invasion , flew B - 26Ks for ground attack against " Simba " rebels in the Congo Crisis . New production B - 26K Counter - Invaders were delivered to the Congo via Hurlburt Field in 1964 . The Portuguese Air Force purchased Invaders covertly for use in Portuguese Angola in 1965 , during the Portuguese Colonial War . Biafra used two provisionally armed B - 26s in combat during Nigerian Civil War in 1967 , flown among others by Jan Zumbach . Variants . Douglas / U . S . military variants . The large majority of the A - 26 / B - 26 Invader ' s production run of 2 , 452 were early A - 26Bs and A - 26Cs . Third party civil variants . Since 1945 , over 300 A - 26s have been entered on to the FAA U . S . Civil Aircraft Register . Perhaps up to a hundred of those were probably only registered for ferry flights from USAF bases such as Davis - Monthan AFB , AZ and Hill AFB , UT to civil airports and stored as candidates for sale on the civil or overseas military markets . The initial main civil uses were as " executive " personnel transports with minimal modifications such as removal of military features , bomb bay doors sealed shut , passenger entry stairs in bomb bay , and the conversion of the fuselage to accept six to eight passengers . Improvements developed considerably until the early 1960s , when purpose - built executive types such as the ( turboprop ) Gulfstream started to become available . During the mid - 1950s , A - 26s were tested and used as air tankers for suppression of forest and wildland fires , and may have briefly used borate - based retardants , hence the inaccurate and unofficial term " borate bombers . " Borate was soon discontinued due to its undesirable ecologic effects , replaced with retardant mixtures of water , clays , fertilizers and red dyes . That use of A - 26s on USDA contracts was discontinued in major regions by about 1973 , when many of the A - 26 air tankers then found willing purchasers in Canada . Much early development of conversions was carried out by Grand Central Aircraft , whose drawings and personnel were taken up by the On Mark Engineering Company of Van Nuys , California from about 1955 . By the 1960s , On Mark had obtained an exclusive licence from Douglas Aircraft Company for manufacture and sale of parts for A - 26s . The On Mark Executive ( 1956 ) , the On Mark Marketeer ( 1957 ) , and the more radical pressurized On Mark Marksman ( 1961 ) were products of this effort . The next most significant conversion was the Rock Island Monarch 26 , while less numerous and more basic conversions for executive operations were carried out by Wold Engineering , LB Smith Aircraft Corp . , R . G . LeTourneau Inc , Rhodes - Berry Company and Lockheed Aircraft Service Inc . Garrett AiResearch used two A - 26 variants as testbeds for turbine engines ; see also XA - 26F above . Notable appearances in media . In July 2005 , Time Team from UK ' s Channel 4 TV , along with members of RAF Millom Museum , took part in a major project to excavate the crash sites of two A - 26 Invader aircraft that had collided shortly after take - off over marshes close to the then USAAF BAD 2 airbase at Warton in Lancashire on 29 November 1944 . The aircraft , A - 26B - 10 - DT " 43 - 22298 " ( pilot : 2nd Lt . Kenneth E . Hubbard accompanied by Pvt . John F . Guy ) and A - 26B - 15 - DT " 43 - 22336 " ( 2nd Lt . Norman Zuber unaccompanied ) , had been en route to Brétigny , Oise in northern France to take up service with the 641st Squadron of the 409th Bombardment Group .