Douglas B-23 Dragon

The Douglas B-23 Dragon was a twin-engined bomber developed by Douglas Aircraft Company as a successor to (and a refinement of) the B-18 Bolo.

Design and development
Douglas proposed a number of modifications designed to improve the performance of the B-18. Initially considered a redesign, the XB-22 featured 1,600 hp Wright R-2600-1 Twin Cyclone radial engines. The complete B-18 redesign was considered promising enough by the USAAC to alter the original contract to produce the last 38 B-18As ordered under Contract AC9977 as the B-23. The design incorporated a larger wingspan with a wing design very similar to that of the Douglas DC-3, a fully retractable undercarriage, and improved defensive armament. Notably, the B-23 was the first operational US bomber equipped with a glazed tail gun position. The tail gun mounted a .50 caliber machine gun, which was fired from the prone position by a gunner using a telescopic sight.

The first B-23 flew on July 27, 1939 with the production series of 38 B-23s manufactured between July 1939 and September 1940.

Operational history
While significantly faster and better armed than the B-18, the B-23 was not comparable to newer medium bombers like the North American B-25 Mitchell and Martin B-26 Marauder. For this reason, the 38 B-23s built were never used in combat overseas, although for a brief period, they were employed as patrol aircraft stationed on the west coast of the United States. The B-23s were primarily relegated to training duties although 18 of the type were converted as transports and redesignated as the UC-67. The B-23 also served as a test-bed for new engines and systems.

After World War II, many examples were used as executive transports with appropriate internal modifications and as a result a large number have survived. Howard Hughes (among others) used converted B-23s as personal aircraft.

Operators

 * 🇺🇸 United States
 * United States Army Air Corps

Variants

 * B-23
 * Twin-engined bomber version of the B-18 with modified fuselage, 38 built.


 * C-67
 * Conversion to utility transport with provision for glider towing, 12 conversions from B-23, re-designated UC-67 in 1943.


 * UC-67
 * C-67 re-designated in 1943.

Ecuador

 * On display
 * UC-67
 * 39-031 (HC-APV) - Ecuadorian Air Museum, Quito.

United States

 * Airworthy
 * B-23
 * 39-0033 - Pissed Away N747M LLC in Bellevue, Washington.
 * On display
 * B-23
 * 39-0036 - McChord Air Museum in McChord AFB, Washington.
 * 39-0051 - Pima Air & Space Museum adjacent to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona.
 * 39-0057 - Fantasy of Flight in Polk City, Florida.
 * UC-67
 * 39-0047 - Castle Air Museum at the former Castle Air Force Base in Atwater, California.
 * Under restoration
 * B-23
 * 39-0037 - under restoration at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio.
 * 39-0038 - under restoration at the 1941 Historical Aircraft Group Museum in Geneseo, New York.
 * UC-67
 * 39-0063 - under restoration to airworthiness by Carmacks Commercial Corp. in Anchorage, Alaska.
 * Wrecks
 * B-23
 * 39-0052 - largely complete wreck at Loon Lake, Idaho.