![pv 2 harpoon pv 2 harpoon](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vK6OAs9_3LE/maxresdefault.jpg)
The main differences between the Ventura and the O-56 were in the engines: rather than the 2,000 hp (1,491 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-2800 radials of the Ventura, the O-56 used 1,700 hp (1,270 kW) Wright R-2600-13 radials.īefore completion of the first O-56, the U.S. This plane was originally planned to be built under the designation O-56.
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Among the orders were for 550 armed reconnaissance versions of the Ventura. In 1941 August, large orders for Venturas were placed with Lend-Lease Act money. Army Air Forces placed its own order for 200 Ventura Mark IIA, which were put into service as the B-34 Lexington. The RAF placed a further order for 487 Ventura Mark IIs, but many of these were diverted to United States Army Air Forces service. The Venturas were gradually transferred to patrol duties with Coastal Command, 30 went to the RCAF and some to the SAAF. They were replaced in this role by the de Havilland Mosquito. They proved unsuited to this task, because (like many other bombers used by the RAF), they were too vulnerable without long-range fighter escorts. Venturas were initially used for daylight raids on occupied Europe. They were delivered from mid-1942 onwards. The RAF ordered 188 Venturas in February 1940. The primary difference was not in layout rather, the Ventura was larger and heavier than the Hudson. It was used by a number of countries after the war's end, but the United States ceased ordering new PV-2s, and they were all soon retired from service.īelow is a list of Harpoons that survived Military service.The Ventura was very similar to its predecessor, the Lockheed Hudson. It was first used in the Aleutians by VP-139, one of the squadrons that originally used the PV-1. With the wing problems fixed, the PV-2 proved reliable, and eventually popular. When World War II ended, all of the order was cancelled. The first aircraft shipped were the PV-2D, which had eight forward-firing machine guns and was used in ground attacks. They finally resumed when the redesign was complete. By the end of 1944, only 69 PV-2s had been delivered. The PV-2s already delivered were used for training purposes under the designation PV-2C. This hurdle delayed entry of the PV-2 into service. As this problem could not be solved by a 6 ft (1.8 m) reduction in wingspan (making the wing uniformly flexible), a complete redesign of the wing was necessitated. The Navy ordered 500 examples, designating them with the popular name Harpoon.Įarly tests indicated a tendency for the wings to wrinkle dangerously. While the PV-2 was expected to have increased range and better takeoff, the anticipated speed statistics were projected lower than those of the PV-1, due to the use of the same engines but an increase in weight. Some other significant developments included the increase of the bombload by 30% to 4,000 lb (1,800 kg), and the ability to carry eight 5-inch (127 mm) HVAR rockets under the wings.
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Many early PV-1s had a bombardier's position, which was deleted in the PV-2. On the PV-2, the armament became standardized at five forward-firing machine guns.
Pv 2 harpoon full#
The motivation for redesign was weaknesses in the PV-1, which had shown itself to have problems in taking off when carrying a full load of fuel. The PV-2 Harpoon was a major redesign of the Ventura with the wing area increased from 551 ft2 (51.2 ㎡) to 686 ft2 (63.7 ㎡) giving an increased load-carrying capability, and which first flew on 3 December 1943.