Kjempet OS2U Kingfisher - Bilder &; Video

Den Vought OS2U Kingfisher was an American catapult-launched observation floatplane. It was a compact mid-wing monoplane, with a large central float and small stabilizing floats. Performance was modest, because of its light engine. The OS2U could also operate on fixed, wheeled, taildragger landing gear. The OS2U was the main shipboard observation aircraft used by the United States Navy during World War II, and 1,519 of the aircraft were built. It served on battleships and cruisers of the US Navy, with the United States Marine Corps in Marine Scouting Squadron Three (VMS-3), with the United States Coast Guard at coastal air stations, at sea with the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy, and with the Soviet Navy. The Royal Australian Air Force also operated a few Kingfishers from shore bases.

Den Vought OS2U Kingfisher was a versatile and reliable observation floatplane that served the U.S. Navy and its allies during World War II. It was designed by Rex Beisel, who also created the famous Vought F4U Corsair fighter. The Kingfisher was a compact mid-wing monoplane with a large central float and two smaller wing-mounted floats. It could also operate from land with a conventional wheeled landing gear.
Kingfisher hadde en enkelt Pratt &; Whitney R-985 stjernemotor som produserte 450 hestekrefter, noe som ga den en maksimal hastighet på 264 km / t og en rekkevidde på 1,300 km. Den hadde et mannskap på to: en pilot og en observatør/skytter. Piloten hadde et fast fremoverskytende maskingevær, mens observatøren hadde en eller to fleksible maskinpistoler på et ringfeste. Kingfisher kunne også bære bomber eller dybdeladninger for anti-ubåtoppdrag.
Kingfisher ble katapult-lansert fra slagskip og kryssere, og kunne gjenvinnes med kran eller ved landing ved siden av skipet. Den utførte forskjellige roller, som speiding, dirigering av marineskyting, redning av nedskutte flyvere og anti-ubåtpatruljer. Den ble også brukt av US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps og flere utenlandske luftstyrker, inkludert Royal Navy, Royal Australian Air Force og Sovjetunionen.
Den Kingfisher was produced from 1940 to 1945, with a total of 1,519 units built. It was retired from service in 1959 by Cuba, the last operator. It is considered one of the most successful observation floatplanes of all time.