The presence of a foreigner on a test flight for an aircraft still under development caused a scandal in the press. The Model 7B crashed on 23 January 1939 while demonstrating single-engine performance, killing the test pilot and seriously injuring a French observer aboard the aircraft. The French discreetly participated in the flight trials, so as not to attract criticism from American isolationists. The model attracted the attention of a French Purchasing Commission visiting the United States. The prototype Model 7B made its first flight on 26 October 1938. The Air Corps invited all five companies to build prototypes at their own expense and to submit sealed bids for production of their aircraft. It faced competition from the North American NA-40, Stearman X-100, Martin 167F, and an unbuilt design from Bell Aircraft, the Model 9. To meet this requirement, the Douglas team, now headed by Heinemann, developed the Model 7B, with a similar layout to the 7A, but was powered by 1,100 hp (820 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-1830-S3C3-G Twin Wasp 14-cylinder engines, and carried a bombload of up to 2,000 lb (910 kg). In 1937, the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) issued a new specification for an attack aircraft. Reports of aircraft performance from the Spanish Civil War indicated that this design would be seriously underpowered, and it was canceled. It was estimated to be capable of 250 mph (400 km/h) with a 680 lb (310 kg) bomb load. In March 1936, a design team headed by Donald Douglas, Jack Northrop, and Ed Heinemann produced a proposal for a bomber-reconnaissance aircraft powered by a pair of 450 hp (340 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior 9-cylinder radial engines mounted on a shoulder wing. The USAAF used the P-70 designation to refer to the night fighter variants. The exception was the Royal Australian Air Force, which used the name Boston for all variants. In most British Commonwealth air forces, the bomber variants were known as Boston, while the night fighter and intruder variants were named Havoc. It was also used by the air forces of Australia, South Africa, France, and the Netherlands during the war, and by Brazil afterwards. A total of 7,478 aircraft were built, of which more than a third served with Soviet units. It served with several Allied air forces, principally the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), the Soviet Air Forces ( VVS), Soviet Naval Aviation ( AVMF), and the Royal Air Force (RAF) of the United Kingdom. In 1942 USAAF A-20s saw combat in North Africa. From 1941, night fighter and intruder versions were given the service name Havoc. French DB-7s were the first to see combat after the fall of France, the bomber served with the Royal Air Force under the service name Boston. That’s why God gave you a brain, so you’ll hopefully be smart enough not to volunteer to get shot, Tasered (or is it Tased?), etc.The Douglas A-20 Havoc (company designation DB-7) is an American medium bomber, attack aircraft, night intruder, night fighter, and reconnaissance aircraft of World War II.ĭesigned to meet an Army Air Corps requirement for a bomber, it was ordered by France for their air force before the USAAC decided it would also meet their requirements. But, then again, I wouldn’t have been stupid enough to volunteer to get shot with it in the first place. I, no doubt, would have reacted in similar fashion if I’d taken a hail of high-velocity plastic BBs in the legs from the Strafer. The Strafer video X-Caliber Tactical was playing at it’s booth at SHOT Show 2009 showed footage of this very thing, where LEO (Law Enforcement Officer) test subjects took some shots from the Strafer to the backs of their legs, and it didn’t look like a pleasant experience, judging by the way said LEOs were hopping around and whining in pain and generally acting like little girls after they got "Strafed". Psychological testing and some Taser-style sensitivity training (where anyone who uses the Strafer has to first be shot with it themselves) may not be a bad idea. PPP) and marketed by X-Caliber Tactical, the Strafer MK4 Mod0 less-lethal weapon system is a sadist’s dream come true, and potentially dangerous in the wrong individual’s hands, so police departments may want to be careful in their choices of recipients. Manufactured by Piper’s Precision Products (P3 a.k.a. The Strafer’s maximum engagement range is 125 yards. And, you can effectively engage those little whipper-snappers from a distance of 75 yards.
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