Douglas DT

Douglas · United States · first flew 1921 · bomber

The Douglas DT was Douglas Aircraft Company's first military aircraft and first product, a single-engine torpedo-carrying biplane built for the US Navy in the early 1920s. It established Douglas as a credible aircraft manufacturer.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	High-mounted, straight
E — Engines	1 × piston, nose-mounted
F — Fuselage	11 m fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

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Spot it by:

Early 1920s US Navy torpedo biplane
Liberty V-12 engine in long nose
Twin float or wheeled undercarriage options

A large two-bay equal-span biplane with a Liberty V-12 engine in a long exposed nose, twin pontoon floats or fixed wheel undercarriage, open tandem cockpits, and a torpedo carried under the fuselage centreline.

Specifications

The Douglas DT has a length of 11 m (36 ft).
It has a wingspan of 15.24 m (50 ft).
Its maximum speed is 209 km/h (130 mph).
Typical crew: 2.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

First flown in 1921, the DT-1 was followed by the production DT-2 and its variants. The DT-2s could operate on floats or wheels and were used by the Navy for torpedo attack development. Licence production was undertaken by several manufacturers. The type helped the Navy develop tactical torpedo bombing doctrine in the 1920s.

Variants

The DT-1 was the prototype; DT-2 the main production version with Liberty engine; the DT-4 and DT-6 were further developments. Licence versions were built by Dayton-Wright and Nelson.

Where you'll see it

Served with US Navy torpedo bomber squadrons through the 1920s; retired by the late 1920s as more modern types entered service.

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