Vultee A-31 Vengeance

The Vultee A-31 Vengeance was a single‑engine, all‑metal dive‑bomber developed in the late 1930s by Vultee Aircraft for the United States Army Air Corps. First flown in 1939, the type entered production in 1940 and quickly attracted foreign orders; the Royal Australian Air Force, Royal New Zealand Air Force and the Indian Air Force operated the aircraft throughout World War II, while the United States used it mainly for training after 1942. The Vengeance featured a distinctive inverted gull wing, a robust fixed undercarriage, and a spacious mid‑fuselage slot that housed a 1,200‑hp Wright R‑1820 Cyclone radial engine. Its dive brakes were integrated into the wing trailing edges, allowing steep, controlled attacks from altitudes of 10,000 feet. Armament typically included two forward‑firing .50‑caliber machine guns, a rear defensive gun, and a bomb load of up to 2,000 lb carried under the fuselage or in wing racks. Although its operational record was mixed—limited success in the Pacific theater and eventual replacement by faster, more versatile aircraft—the A‑31 demonstrated the viability of dedicated dive‑bomber design and contributed valuable lessons in aerodynamic braking and structural reinforcement that influenced post‑war combat aircraft development.

Vultee Aircraft

Vultee A-31 Vengeance

Classification

Production & History

Design & Classification