Lockheed PV-2 Captain's Handbook (Ebook)
Lockheed PV-2 Plane captain’s handbook (1944)
Lockheed Aircraft Corporation
The PV-2 Harpoon was a development of the PV-1 Ventura. The wing area had been increased to 63.70 m2 with a wingspan of 22.80 m, in order to increase the carrying capacity and improve full-load take-offs. A new rectangular tail with vertical planes at the ends had been adopted, the volume of the bomb bay had been increased so as to be able to fully contain a torpedo and the armament was more extensive. Its first flight dates back to 3 December 1943.
An initial order was placed for 500 machines, but initial tests revealed a problem in the wings, which had to be shortened and redesigned. The aircraft already delivered were used for training under the designation PV-2C and by the end of 1944, only about 70 aircraft had been put into service. Deliveries were resumed with aircraft based on the new design. The first version delivered was the PV-2D with eight frontal weapons for ground attack.
The modified PV-2 first used in the Aleutian Islands proved to be reliable, eventually became popular and was still used in many countries after the end of the Second World War, despite the cancellation of orders at the end of the conflict.
The Harpoon, a maritime surveillance monoplane carrying 1,800 kg of bombs, depth charges or a torpedo, was equipped with five forward-firing 12.7 mm machine guns, a Martin dorsal turret with two 12.7 mm machine guns and another remote-controlled turret equipped with two weapons of the same calibre placed under the fuselage behind the dorsal turret. Some versions could still carry five 12.7 cm diameter HVAR (High Velocity Aircraft Rocket) rockets under each wing.
This book has been prepared with the objective of presenting pertinent servicing and field maintenance data on PV-2 airplanes in a condensed and convenient form, especially for the benefit of the plane captain.
191 pages – in english