BILL PIPPIN COLLECTION
No. 6298. Douglas P-70 (39-736) US Army Air Forces
Aeroplane Photo Supply (APS) Photo No. 3878

Douglas P-70

04/19/2007. Remarks by Dave Simpson: "This particular aircraft was the first production P-70, the night fighter version of the DB-7/A-20 Boston, fitted with two 1,600 hp Wright R-2600-11 engines, AI Mk.IV radar with antennae on fuselage and wings, and four 0.787 in (20 mm) cannon in ventral tub.

Of note is that P-70 (39-736) is often confused for a later version which was a P-70B-2 (43-9736) converted from an A-20G-30-DC on the factory floor into a night fighter. The lads at Douglas must have been exceedingly busy in the early 1940s as at the same time as they were supplying these night fighters, they were still cranking out A-20 Havoc bombers for the USAAF, BD-1 & BD-2 for the US Navy, Boston III, IIIa & IV bombers for the British and Soviet Lend-Lease programs and yet still found time to build TP-70B-2 trainer versions of the fighter.

The P-70 production break-down:

XP-70, modified A-20, s/n 39-735.

P-70, 59 modified A-20s, s/n: 39-736/39-740, 39-742/39-744, 39-746/39-747, 39-749/39-797.

P-70A-1, 39 modified A-20Cs, including s/n: 42-33135, 42-33137, 42-33141, 42-33143, 42-33148, 42-33152, 42-33164,
                42-33165, 42-33170, 42-33177, 42-33179, 42-33221.

P-70A-2, 65 modified A-20Gs, including s/n: 42-54053, 42-54057/42-54062, 42-54064/42-54068, 42-54103,
                42-54108/42-54110, 42-54112, 42-54126/42-54129, 42-54131/42-54133.

P-70B-1, 1 modified A-20G

P-70B-2, 105 modified A-20Gs, including s/n: 42-86858, 42-86893, 42-86896, 42-86900/42-86902, 42-86904/42-86911,
                43-9682, 43-9725/43-9732, 43-9736/43-9742, 43-9986/43-10004, 43-21551.

TP-70B-2, at least 16 modified A-20Gs, A-20Js and P-70B-2s including s/n: 42-86858, 42-86893, 42-86896, 42-86900,
                  42-86902, 42-86905/42-86911, 43-9727, 43-9739/43-9741.

At any rate, that is a little of what I know which is reasonably correct."


Created March 31, 2007