The Brewster XA-32. The plane that finally killed Brewster?

Michel Lemieux · **Posted:** Mon Aug 10, 2020 11:48 am

The Brewster XA-32. The plane that finally killed Brewster?

What a beast!!!!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brewster_XA-32

https://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/detail.asp?aircraft_id=958

https://www.reddit.com/r/WeirdWings/comments/bbp4gz/the_xa32_the_plane_that_actually_killed_brewster/

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kalamazookid · **Posted:** Mon Aug 10, 2020 2:24 pm

It looks kind of like a strange mishmash of a Helldiver and J2M Raiden in a cartoonish sort of way.

JohnB · **Posted:** Mon Aug 10, 2020 9:22 pm

If that aircraft didn't kill Brewster, I'm sure the Navy would have done it themself....or hire the Japanese to do it.

Dana M Bell · **Joined:** Thu Jun 21, 2018 7:30 am **Posts:** 37

The Army was actually pretty happy with the XA-32. The problem was Brewster management. After the Navy got Brewster working to a point considered acceptable, Brewster reorganized with a new management team that was unacceptable to the Navy. BuAer canceled the F3A-1A contract and kicked Brewster out of the Navy-owned factory.

Shortly afterward, the Army discovered that its A-32s were to be built in a factory that Brewster no longer leased. There was great disappointment at Wright Field that their flying gun platform had no future.

(Had the program gone further, the Army might have canceled the A-32 anyway - the aircraft might not have worked out in the end, of the P-47 might have been good enough. But the Army was fairly happy with the aircraft when it was killed.)

Cheers,

Dana

Dana M Bell · **Joined:** Thu Jun 21, 2018 7:30 am **Posts:** 37

Sorry about the double post - not sure how that happened...

Cheers,

Dana

Snake45 · **Joined:** Sat Apr 05, 2014 5:49 pm **Posts:** 864

Dana M Bell wrote:

(Had the program gone further, the Army might have canceled the A-32 anyway - the aircraft might not have worked out in the end, of the P-47 might have been good enough. But the Army was fairly happy with the aircraft when it was killed.)

Cheers,

Dana

Actually, I was thinking, what could this airplane do that a 4x20mm-armed P-47 couldn't?

Come to think of it, a 20mm-armed P-47 might make a pretty cool "what-if" model build....

Dana M Bell · **Joined:** Thu Jun 21, 2018 7:30 am **Posts:** 37

Hi Snake!

Combined with the 50s, the 20s would have given pause to think to anyone on the receiving end. But the 37s? That would have been narsty!

Cheers,

Dana

Invader26 · **Joined:** Wed Aug 11, 2010 7:56 am **Posts:** 843

bring in the Beaufighter then with 20mm and .50's

Snake45 · **Joined:** Sat Apr 05, 2014 5:49 pm **Posts:** 864

Dana M Bell wrote:

Hi Snake!

Combined with the 50s, the 20s would have given pause to think to anyone on the receiving end. But the 37s? That would have been narsty!

Cheers,

Dana

My bad, I didn't realize the XA-32s had 37mms.

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The Brewster XA-32. The plane that finally killed Brewster?

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