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| Typenumber | XA-7 |
Type of aircraft |
All metal attack bomber |
| Crew | Two - Pilot & observer-rear gunner |
| Country | U.S. |
| Date first flight | 1930 |
| Wingspan | 43'11 feet |
| Lenght | 31'11 feet |
| Enginetype | Curtiss V-1570-27 Conqueror |
| Engine power |
600 hp |
| Armament | Designed for 4 forward firing .30-cal. machine guns and 1 flexible .30-cal. machine gun for the rear gunner plus provisions for 488 lbs of bombs mounted on wing racks. |
| Performance | Maximum speed: 184 mph. Cruising speed: approximately 150 mph Range: approximately 500 miles Service Ceiling: approximately 19,000 ft. |
| Fokker XA-7 |
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| All metal attack bomber |
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All-metal attack bomber, a very modern and good looking creation, with streamlined panted gear and four wing guns. This was the first monoplane designed for attack purposes. The Atlantic-Fokker XA-7 was built in response to a US Army request for a new aircraft designed from scratch for the the attack role rather than as a conversion of an existing type (like the Curtiss Falcon series of attack planes). The Atlantic-Fokker company was formed by Anthony Fokker (the first company president) in 1924. The aircraft built by the company were known as Atlantic or Atlantic-Fokker types until General Motors bought the firm in 1930 and changed the name to General Aviation. By the time the XA-7 was completed, the company had changed so the XA-7 is often referred to as the General Aviation XA-7. The XA-7 was an all-metal, low-wing monoplane design with dual open cockpits arranged in tandem. It was powered by the liquid-cooled Curtiss V-1570 "Conqueror" V-12 engine. The XA-7 had thick internally braced wings and non-retractable landing gear covered by large wheel pants. |
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Armament, as designed, consisted of four forward firing .30-cal. machine guns and one flexible .30-cal. machine gun for the gunner-observer in the aft cockpit. A small bomb load of about 500 lbs. could also be carried. The XA-7 was tested, at least initially, without armament installed.
The XA-7 was in competition was the Curtiss XA-8 and both aircraft begin flight testing in mid-1931. When the Air Corps evaluation was complete, the Curtiss XA-8 was declared the winner and a small production contract was awarded. Only one XA-7 was built and it was eventually scrapped after testing was complete. Rebuilt in 1931 with a new nose, but chronic cooling problems brought abandonment of the project. |
