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XA-38 Grizzly | |
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General information | |
Type | Attack aircraft |
National origin | United States |
Manufacturer | Beechcraft |
Status | Canceled |
Primary user | United States Army Air Forces |
Number built | 2 |
History | |
First flight | 7 May 1944 |
The Beechcraft XA-38 "Grizzly" was a World War II-era ground attack aircraft, developed by Beechcraft, but never put into production. The Grizzly was to have been fitted with a forward-firing 75 mm cannon to penetrate heavily armored targets.
While the first prototype flew on 7 May 1944, testing established that the type would not be ready for the projected invasion of Japan. It also featured the Wright R-3350 engines already in use with the Boeing B-29 Superfortress—which had priority. Consequently, the XA-38 was canceled after a second prototype had been completed.