Douglas's original two-seat bomber combined a tricycle undercarriage, folding gull wings, an internal bomb bay, and remotely controlled defensive turrets. Its offensive load and performance substantially exceeded those of the Helldiver. Growing American air superiority then weakened the case for carrying a gunner and defensive armament. The single-seat BTD Destroyer removed the turrets and shortened the cockpit canopy, using the saved weight for armour and fuel while retaining its offensive load and wing-mounted cannon. Converting an existing design was relatively straightforward, but the result compared poorly with aircraft designed from the outset for the new requirement. Production ended after a small batch, and the BTD remained a trials aircraft rather than entering operational service.
Notable Point · 1:50:14-1:53:54
How the Douglas BTD became a single-seat bomber
Removing the gunner and turrets gave the BTD more fuel and armour, but adapting a two-seat design left it disadvantaged against purpose-built competitors.