United States' North American AT-6 Texan trainer

Photos

North American AT-6 trainer:	North American AT-6 trainer:	North American SNJ trainer at Jacksonville Naval Airstation:
North American AT-6A trainer: Aeronautics Aircraft Spotters' Handbook	North American AT-6A trainer: Aeronautics Aircraft Spotters' Handbook
North American AT-6C, Harvard Mk II trainer: Aeronautics Aircraft Spotters' Handbook	North American AT-6C, Harvard Mk II trainer: Aeronautics Aircraft Spotters' Handbook
North American AT-6C, Harvard Mk IIA trainer in Rhodesia in 1947:	North American AT-6C, Harvard Mk IIA trainer in Rhodesia in 1947:	North American AT-6C, Harvard Mk IIA trainer in Rhodesia in 1947:	North American AT-6C, Harvard Mk IIA trainer in Rhodesia in 1947:
North American AT-6 trainer:	North American AT-6 trainer:

Design

The North American AT-6 Texan became the most produced trainer.¹ Development started in 1937 on its design.²

The AT-6 Texan was a monoplane, single engine, trainer with retractable landing gear.²

Prototype

The NA-16, with a fixed undercarriage, first flew in April 1935.¹

The NA-26, with retractable undercarriage, first flew in 1937.¹

Production

• North American AT-6:
• North American AT-6A: 1,549²
• North American AT-6B:
• North American AT-6C: 2,970²
• North American AT-6D: 4,388²
• North American AT-6F: 956²
• Produced by:
  • North American Aviation Inc.²: >15,000², 15,109¹
    • Location: Inglewood, California²; Dallas, Texas (Douglas plant)²
  • Noorduyn (Canada): 1,500 (AT-6A)², 2,610¹

Variants

• North American NA-16: Prototype.¹
• North American NA-26: Prototype.¹ Had Pratt & Whitney R-1340 radial engine.¹
• North American BC-1 / North American Harvard I: First flew in February 1938.¹
• North American BC-1A / North American Harvard II: Metal skin covering.¹ Rudder was straight edged.¹
• North American Harvard IIA: Wood replaced alluminum.¹
• North American Harvard IIB: Canadian produced AT-6A.¹
• North American Harvard III: Electronics upgraded.¹ All metal construction.¹
• North American SNJ-1: US Navy trainer.¹
• North American SNJ-2: US Navy trainer.¹
• North American SNJ-3: US Navy trainer.¹ Instrument panel was modified.¹ Had R-1340-AN engine.¹
• North American SNJ-3C: US Navy trainer.¹ Had tailhook.¹
• North American SNJ-4: Wood replaced alluminum.¹
• North American SNJ-5: Electronics upgraded.¹ All metal construction.¹
• North American SNJ-6: Canopy was clear.¹
• North American AT-6: Was renamed in 1940 from BC-1A.¹ Started to be delivered in 1940.²
• North American AT-6A: Instrument panel was modified.¹ Fuels tanks were altered.² New engine.²
• North American AT-6B: Had R-1340-AN engine.¹ Used to train gunners.²
• North American AT-6C: Wood replaced alluminum.^1,2
• North American AT-6D: Electronics upgraded.¹ All metal construction.¹ 24 volt electrical system.²
• North American AT-6F: Rear canopy was clear.¹
• North American XAT-6E: Modified AT-6D with Ranger V-770-9 inverted V 12 engine (575 HP).¹

Usage

Countries that used the AT-6: Britain, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa, Southern Rhodesia, Soviet Union, Sweden, and the United States.¹

RAF and Commonwealth

The RAF and Commonwealth air forces used >5,000 AT-6 for training, which they called the Harvard.²

The final British pilot to qualify in a Harvard was on March 23, 1955.²

Korean War

In the Korean War some AT-6s were used as observation planes.²

Specifications

	North American AT-6 Texan	North American AT-6A Texan	North American AT-6C Texan	North American Hardvard Mk II
Type	Trainer1	Trainer2,3		Advanced combat trainer3
Crew	21	22
Engine (Type)	Pratt & Whitney R-13401	Pratt & Whitney Wasp3 Pratt & Whitney R-1340-47 Wasp2		Pratt & Whitney Wasp3
Cylinders	Radial 91	Radial 92
Cooling		Air2
HP	6001	5503, 6002		5503
Propeller blades	21
Dimensions
Span	42' 0.25"1 12.8 m1	42'2		42'3
Length	29' 6"1 8.99 m1	29'2		28' 11"3
Height	11' 8.5"1 3.57 m1	11' 8"2		11' 8"3
Wing area
Weight
Empty			4,158 lb1 1,886 kg1
Loaded		5,300 lb2	5,300 lb1 2,404 kg1	5,200 lb3
Performance
Speed	208 mph1 335 kph1	208 mph2		200 mph3
Cruising speed
Climb	1,640'/minute1 500 m/minute1
Climb to 10,000' / 3,048 m	7.4 minutes1
Service ceiling	21,500'1 6,553 m1	24,200'2
Range	750 miles1 1,207 km1	750 miles2		730 miles3
Armament		2: MG2
Wing roots	1 or 2: 0.3" MG1
Rear cockpit	1: 0.3" MG1	1: MG3