North American AJ Savage

Carrier-based medium bomber powered by two piston engines and a turbojet.

Overview

North American Aviation (NAA) United States ICAO: AJ 1949–1954

The North American AJ Savage was developed by North American Aviation as a carrier-based medium bomber intended for the United States Navy. It was built soon after the Second World War to carry nuclear weapons and was fitted with two piston engines and a turbojet. The aircraft was introduced in 1950 and was retired in 1960. A total of 140 aircraft were built, and three prototypes.

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Specifications

Units
Engine
2 × Pratt & Whitney R-2800-44W Double Wasp
Engine type
Piston
Power
2 × 2,400 hp · 1,790 kW
Avionics
—
Wing tips
No winglets
Seats
3
Crew
—
Cabin width
—
Cabin height
—
Cabin length
—
Exterior length
63 ft 1 in  ·  19.22 m
Tail height
20 ft 4 in  ·  6.20 m
Fuselage diameter
6 ft 7 in  ·  2.00 m
Wing span
75 ft 6 in  ·  23.00 m
Baggage volume
—
Gross weight
—
Empty weight
—
Max takeoff weight
51,000 lb  ·  23,100 kg
Max landing weight
—
Max payload
13,200 lb  ·  6,000 kg
Fuel capacity
1,640 gal · 6,200 L · 4,500 kg (AvGas)
Max cruise speed
409 kt  ·  471 mph  ·  757 km/h
Maximum speed
—
Cruise speed
—
Approach speed
—
Range
1,504 nm  ·  1,730 mi  ·  2,790 km
Fuel burn
—
Ceiling
43,000 ft  ·  13,100 m
Rate of climb
2,900 ft/min  ·  15 m/s
Takeoff distance
—
Landing distance
—
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U.S. Navy North American AJ-1 Savage in flight over southern California.

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Operational Context

On July 3, 1948, the first prototype XAJ-1 performed its maiden flight. The initial production version AJ-1 can accommodate three crew members. It has an external length of 19.22 meters, an external height of 3.5 meters, a tail height of 6.25 meters and 4.9 meters with fin folded, and a width of 15.39 meters with wings folded. It has a high-wing with a wingspan of 21.75 meters without tip tanks and 23 meters with tip tanks and a wing area of 77.61 square meters.

The aircraft is fitted with a tricycle landing gear and has a wheelbase of 6 meters. The aircraft has an empty weight of 12,500 kg, a gross weight of 21,319 kg, and a maximum payload of 6,000 kg. The maximum takeoff weight is 23,112 kg. It has a fuel tank capacity of 1,640 US gal.

The AJ-1 is powered by two Pratt and Whitney R-2800-44W Double Wasp eighteen-cylinder air-cooled twin-row radial piston engine with water injection. It has two poppet valves per cylinder, a variable-speed single-stage single-speed centrifugal-type supercharger, one Stromberg injection carburetor fuel system, and an air cooling system. The Pratt and Whitney engines produce a maximum takeoff thrust of 2,400 lbf each.

The aircraft is also powered by a single Allison J33-A-10 centrifugal compressor turbojet in the tail end of the fuselage. It has a single-stage double-sided centrifugal compressor, fourteen can type stainless steel combustion chambers, a single-stage axial turbine, and a wet sump oil system. The Allison engine produces a maximum takeoff thrust of 4,600 lbf. The aircraft also featured four-bladed Hamilton Standard constant-speed propellers of 4.42 meters in diameter. This engine was only utilized during takeoff and when an extra speed boost was needed.

The AJ Savage has a maximum speed of 409 knots and a travel range of 1,504 nautical miles. It can fly up to 40,800 feet and can climb at a rate of 2,900 feet per minute. The aircraft could be loaded with 5,400 kg of conventional bombs or one Mark 4 implosion-type nuclear bomb.