Fletcher FD-25

The Fletcher FD-25 Defender was a light ground-attack aircraft developed in the United States in the early 1950s.

Designed by John Thorp, the Defender was a conventional low-wing cantilever monoplane with fixed tailwheel undercarriage. Provision was made for two machine guns in the wings, plus disposable stores carried on underwing pylons. Construction throughout was all-metal, and the pilot sat under a wide perspex canopy.

Three prototypes were built, two single-seaters and a two-seater, but no orders were placed by the US military. In Japan, however, Toyo acquired the rights to the design, and built around a dozen aircraft, selling seven (five single-seater attack versions and two two-seat trainers) to Cambodia, and four to Vietnam. One example (FD-25B JA3051) served with the Royal Thai Police.

One example (FD-25B N240D) remains in an airworthy condition today and appeared at the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh airshow in 2010. Two (a single-seater and a two-seater) are on museum display at the Tokyo Metropolitan College of Industrial Technology in Japan.

The wing design of the Fletcher FU-24 aerial topdressing plane was loosely based on that of the FD-25 Defender. Almost 300 were built under licence in New Zealand from the mid-1950s and used for agricultural and skydiving operations.

Data from Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1955–56

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 20 ft 11 in (6.38 m)
• Wingspan: 30 ft 0 in (9.14 m)
• Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
• Wing area: 150 sq ft (14 m²)
• Aspect ratio: 6:1
• Airfoil: NACA 65.5-415
• Empty weight: 1,228 lb (557 kg)
• Gross weight: 2,500 lb (1,134 kg)
• Fuel capacity: 60 US gal (50 imp gal; 230 L)
• Powerplant: 1 × Continental E-225-8 6-cylinder, air-cooled, horizontally-opposed pistonengine, 225 hp (168 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 187 mph (301 km/h, 162 kn) at sea level
• Cruise speed: 162 mph (261 km/h, 141 kn)
• Range: 630 mi (1,010 km, 550 nmi)
• Service ceiling: 16,500 ft (5,000 m)
• Rate of climb: 1,725 ft/min (8.76 m/s)

Armament

• Guns: 2 × wing-mounted .30-in (7.62 mm) machine guns
• Rockets:
  
  • 40 × 2.75 inch rockets or
  • 4 × 5-inch rockets or
  • 20 × 8 cm rockets
• Bombs: 2 × 250 lb (113 kg) bombs

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

• SIAI Marchetti SF.260
• American Electric Piranha
• Soko J-20 Kraguj
• LIPNUR Sikumbang

Notes

Bibliography

• Flivver Plane Totes Guns and Bombs November 1951 Popular Science article on FL-25—rest of article and photos on following page