Stearman XA-21

Stearman Aircraft · United States · first flew 1938 · bomber

The Stearman XA-21 was an American twin-engine attack bomber prototype developed in the late 1930s to meet a US Army Air Corps requirement for a new attack aircraft.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	High-mounted, tapered
E — Engines	2 × piston, wing-mounted
F — Fuselage	High-wing monoplane with a streamlined fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

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Spot it by:

Twin-engine 1930s US attack bomber prototype
High-wing monoplane with a streamlined fuselage
Twin Pratt & Whitney Twin Hornet radials in wing nacelles

High-wing twin-engine monoplane with a streamlined fuselage, representative of late-1930s US attack designs. The prototype was first built with a stepless cockpit and later given a conventional stepped nose. Twin radial engines in neat nacelles distinguish it from single-engine attackers.

Specifications

The Stearman XA-21 has a length of 16.18 m (53 ft).
It has a wingspan of 19.81 m (65 ft).
Its maximum speed is 414 km/h (257 mph).
Typical crew: 3.

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

History

Designed by Stearman (by then a Boeing subsidiary), the XA-21 competed in a US Army Air Corps competition for a twin-engined attack aircraft. Its cockpit was rebuilt with a conventional stepped nose after visibility concerns, which did not significantly change performance, and it was not ordered into production.

Variants

Only one prototype was built; no production variants followed.

Where you'll see it

The single prototype was bought by the Army Air Corps in September 1939 and given the serial 40-191; it never entered service.

Related aircraft

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