Douglas B-23 Dragon Explained

B-23 Dragon / UC-67
National Origin:	United States
First Flight:	27 July 1939
Number Built:	38

The Douglas B-23 Dragon is an American twin-engined bomber developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company as a successor to the B-18 Bolo.

Design and development

Douglas proposed a number of modifications designed to improve the performance of the B-18. Initially considered a redesign, the XB-22 featured 1,600 hp Wright R-2600-1 Twin Cyclone radial engines. The complete B-18 redesign was considered promising enough by the USAAC to alter the original contract to produce the last 38 B-18As ordered under Contract AC9977 as the B-23. The design incorporated a larger wingspan with a wing design very similar to that of the DC-3, a fully retractable undercarriage, and improved defensive armament. The B-23 was the first operational American bomber equipped with a glazed tail gun position.^[1] The tail gun was a .50 calibre (12.7 mm) machine gun, which was fired from the prone position by a gunner using a telescopic sight.^[2]

The first B-23 flew on July 27, 1939 with the production series of 38 B-23s manufactured between July 1939 and September 1940.^[3]

Operational history

While significantly faster and better armed than the B-18,^[4] the B-23 was not comparable to newer medium bombers like the North American B-25 Mitchell and Martin B-26 Marauder. For this reason, the 38 B-23s built were never used in combat overseas, although for a brief period they were employed as patrol aircraft stationed on the west coast of the United States.^[1] The B-23s were primarily relegated to training duties, although 18 of them were later converted as transports and redesignated UC-67.

The B-23 also served as a testbed for new engines and systems. For example, one was used for turbosupercharger development by General Electric at Schenectady, New York. Another was used for testing cabin pressurization.^[5]

After World War II, many examples were used as executive transports, with appropriate internal modifications, and as a result a large number have survived, both in public and private collections. Howard Hughes (among others) used converted B-23s as personal aircraft.

Operators

United States

United States Army Air Corps

Variants

B-23

Twin-engined bomber version of the B-18 with modified fuselage, 38 built.

C-67

Conversion to utility transport with provision for glider towing, 12 conversions from B-23, redesignated UC-67 in 1943.

UC-67

C-67 redesignated in 1943.

Surviving aircraft

Ecuador

39-031 – UC-67 on static display at the Aeronautical and Space Museum of the Ecuadorian Air Force in Quito.^[6]

United States

39-0033 – B-23 under restoration with ATW Aviation in Marana, Arizona.^[7]
39-0036 – B-23 on static display at the McChord Air Museum at McChord Field near Lakewood, Washington.^[8]
39-0037 – B-23 in storage at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio.^[9]
39-0038 – B-23 in storage at the National Warplane Museum in Geneseo, New York.^[10]
39-0047 – UC-67 on static display at the Castle Air Museum in Atwater, California.^[11]
39-0051 – B-23 on static display at the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona.^[12]
39-0057 – B-23 in storage at Fantasy of Flight in Polk City, Florida.^[13]
39-0063 – B-23 airworthy with private owner in Anchorage, Alaska.^[14]

References

Bibliography

Francillon, René J. McDonnell Douglas Aircraft since 1920. London, Putnam, 1979. .
Jesse. William. Short-lived Dragon: The Douglas B-23. Air Enthusiast. May–June 1999. 81. 70–72 . 0143-5450.
Mondey, David. The Hamlyn Concise Guide to American Aircraft of World War II. London: Hamlyn Publishing Group, 2002, (republished 1996 by the Chancellor Press), First edition 1982. .

External links

Douglas B-23 Dragon – National Museum of the United States Air Force

Notes and References

Mondey 1982, p. 111.
Stinger Gun in Plane's Tail Guards Vulnerable Spot . Popular Science . January 1941 . 75 . 1 . 6 . 24 August 2021.
Book: Francillion, R.J. . 1988 . McDonnell Douglas Aircraft since 1920: Volume I . Naval Institute Press . 304 . 0 87021-428-4 .
Web site: McChord Air Museum Homepage - Douglas B-23 Dragon (s/n 39-36) 89th Reconnaissance Squadron, McChord AAF . 2023-03-31 . www.mcchordairmuseum.org.
Have You Seen? . Flying . July 1945 . 37 . 1 . 73 . 24 August 2021.
Web site: Airframe Dossier - Douglas UC-67 Dragon, s/n 39-0031 USAAF, c/n 2717, c/r HC-APV . Aerial Visuals . 8 September 2024.
Web site: FAA Registry [N747M] ]. Federal Aviation Administration . U.S. Department of Transportation . 8 September 2024.
Web site: Douglas B-23 Dragon . McChord Air Museum . 8 September 2024.
Web site: Douglas B-23 Dragon . National Museum of the United States Air Force . 8 September 2024.
Web site: The B-23 Dragon Project . 1941 Historical Aircraft Group Museum . 8 September 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120510163747/http://www.1941hag.org/b_23_dragon.html . 10 May 2012.
Web site: Douglas B-23 Dragon . Castle Air Museum . 8 September 2024.
Web site: Douglas B-23 Dragon . Pima Air & Space Museum . 8 September 2024.
Web site: FAA Registry [N4000B] ]. Federal Aviation Administration . U.S. Department of Transportation . 8 September 2024.
Web site: FAA Registry [N777LW] ]. Federal Aviation Administration . U.S. Department of Transportation . 8 September 2024.