Northrop A-17A attack bomber aircraft two-seat single-engine World War 2

The Northrop A-17A was a two-seat, single-engine, low-wing attack bomber built for the U.S. Army Air Corps. First developed by the Northrop Corporation in the mid-1930s, it featured a fully retractable landing gear and an internal bomb bay.

Key Specifications
Engine: One 825 hp Pratt & Whitney R-1535-13 radial engine
Maximum Speed: 220 mph (354 km/h)
Maximum Range: 732 miles (1,178 km)
Armament: Five .30-caliber machine guns (four in the wings, one in the rear cockpit)
Bomb Load: Up to 1,200 lbs (544 kg)

Design and History
The A-17 was a militarized version of the famous Northrop Gamma mail plane. While the initial A-17 version had a fixed landing gear, the A-17A was upgraded with completely retractable landing gear to reduce drag. The U.S. Army Air Corps ordered 129 units of the A-17A. By the time these were delivered, Northrop had merged with the Douglas Aircraft Company.

Service Life
The aircraft served as the U.S. military's last major single-engine attack plane before World War II. In 1938, the U.S. Army Air Corps decided to focus on twin-engine attack aircraft, rendering the A-17A obsolete for frontline combat. The remaining A-17As were redirected to coastal patrols and training, and many were later exported globally under the designation Douglas Model 8. Several nations used them in conflicts and training roles during World War II, including Sweden (where they were built under license as the Saab B 5), Canada (known there as the Nomad), and Peru.