A-1 (AD) Skyraider, A2D Skyshark, SB2D-1 (BTD-1) Destroyer

[Joe C-P]

A modern, 21st upgraded version; less fragile and a bigger payload than the Harrier for ground support.

A load of HARMS, Mavericks, and rockets for anti-small boat ops during coastal and riverine ops.

[Jeffry Fontaine]

A-1 Skyraider with T-56 turboprop and An-2 floats, to be used for CSAR in Vietnam instead of helos. I plan to build this one in the next future...  

That would certainly be an interesting combination of parts to build that version. 

Keep it simple to fit with Ed Heineman's original concept of a robust and easy to maintain aircraft.  Weapons would be simple forward firing rockets and guns with free fall bombs to supplement this.  With enough stores stations to make life miserable for a large expanse of real estate, it would certainly be a welcome sight for troops in contact or downed aircrew waiting for recovery.  The float version might be okay for some situations but adding floats would require sacrificing part of your war load to make it work.  If you are going pursue something on floats it might be prudent to consider the AD5 (A-1E) version for your float conversion.  The added benefit of more interior seating for additional crew as well as space for the personnel that are to be rescued might be the selling point on such an aircraft. 

[Archangel]

Whatabout a Twin Skyraider in the same manner as the Twin Mustang F-82? Plenty of bombs and rockets to carry and 6X20mm guns in the wings. Two outside of the fuseleages and four inbetween them.

[elmayerle]

Whatabout a Twin Skyraider in the same manner as the Twin Mustang F-82? Plenty of bombs and rockets to carry and 6X20mm guns in the wings. Two outside of the fuseleages and four inbetween them.

How about 8x20mm cannon, two on each outboard wing and four in the center wing?

[tinlail]

I would like to do a Skyraider with a T-56 turboprop engine, in a lengthen nose. And then reverse the the main landing gear so that the attach  like the A-10 landing gear, and add a nose gear under the engine.

[Archangel]

Whatabout a Twin Skyraider in the same manner as the Twin Mustang F-82? Plenty of bombs and rockets to carry and 6X20mm guns in the wings. Two outside of the fuseleages and four inbetween them.

How about 8x20mm cannon, two on each outboard wing and four in the center wing?

That would be good too. I was usingan old Airfix A-1 Skyraider in 1/72nd scale as a start point. That kit has folding wings as part of the kit and if you use it to build a Twin Skyraider at the joint then you have 6X20mm without to much work. Adding two more wouldn't be hard to do.

[Joe C-P]

Biplane!

Spats!

[jcf]

I would like to do a Skyraider with a T-56 turboprop engine, in a lengthen nose. And then reverse the the main landing gear so that the attach  like the A-10 landing gear, and add a nose gear under the engine.

Douglas D-557C, a step along the road from Skyraider to Skyshark.

Jon

[tinlail]

This is roughly what I was aiming for. It might be for the "Restore It, Decommission It, or Recommission It Group Build", or as I prefer to think of it "Plastic never has metal fatigue" Much more of a reuse an existing airframe, however I need to finish my current projects.

[Jeffry Fontaine]

I'd love to see a Skyraider with a Dauntless-style two-seat canopy, Non-Specular Blue-gray, roundel with the center red dot, etc.. Maybe Leppla's plane at Coral Sea. Would this be a "Douglas Dauntmore"? 

Craig,

This sounds like a good WHIF and kit bashing project for someone.  Skyraider with the Dauntless canopy, cockpit and gunners station.  Maybe a brace of .50" machine guns instead of the puny .30" machine guns of the original Dauntless to give it some punch. 

I would imagine your "Dauntmore" would have no problem handling the Mk XIII torpedo and the larger armor piercing bombs for taking on the larger capital ships or high value ground targets. 

[kitnut617]

I quite like the ideas of some of these suggestions, I think something a bit more advanced than a gunners position though, maybe a couple of Invader turrets, top and bottom, use an AD-5, shorten the canopy, turrets behind that.

[jcf]

I quite like the ideas of some of these suggestions, I think something a bit more advanced than a gunners position though, maybe a couple of Invader turrets, top and bottom, use an AD-5, shorten the canopy, turrets behind that.

Well then you'd kinda have an XSB2D-1, R-3350 engine, gunner with remote turrets top and bottom. 
The aircraft was more than a a bit of a drut and Douglas's original entry in the Bomber-Torpedo program
that eventually led to the Skyraider. 


XSB2D-1

The turrets and and second crew position were stripped to produce the BTD-1, which still wasn't up to snuff so the Douglas team went back to the drawing board and created the XBT2D/AD Skyraider.

A second crew position and remote control turrets are not 'more advanced' in the context of the Skyraider, they are in fact two steps backwards.

Jon

[sequoiaranger]

>I would imagine your "Dauntmore" would have no problem handling the Mk XIII torpedo and the larger armor piercing bombs for taking on the larger capital ships or high value ground targets. <

I would imagine that, like the Martin Mauler, the Dauntmore could haul THREE torpedoes. Maybe an all-Skyraider attack group would differentiate; one group hauling three torpedoes, and the other a fine rack of eight 500-lb'ers (GP or SAP) for the flight decks. With similar tonnage loads, they could travel to the target in one group, then split and do simultaneous low and high attacks. The high attack aircraft launches all eight (or maybe just four for this run) bombs in a "shotgun" attack like a battleship's broadside, and likewise the torpedo Skyraiders launch all three torpedoes in a mild turn so they spread (Japanese destroyer tactics).

Gosh, now I'm getting excited. I think a "Dauntmore" is in my whiffing future! Maybe "The Revenge of Torpedo 8"

[kitnut617]

A second crew position and remote control turrets are not 'more advanced' in the context of the Skyraider, they are in fact two steps backwards.

Jon

Maybe the wrong choice of words there Jon but wouldn't the gunners position be another two steps backward beyond that.

[Jeffry Fontaine]

Gosh, now I'm getting excited. I think a "Dauntmore" is in my whiffing future! Maybe "The Revenge of Torpedo 8"

The "official" Sequoiaranger whif name for this hybrid will be "Douglas Decimator."

Craig,

Is this close to what you had in mind?