The Douglas T2D was an American twin-engined torpedo bomber contracted by the military, and required to be usable on wheels or floats, and operating from aircraft carriers. It was the first twin-engined aircraft to be operated from an aircraft carrier.
Design and development[]
In 1925, the United States Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics designed a twin-engined torpedo bomber aircraft, intended to have greater performance than contemporary single-engined aircraft. A single prototype was built by the Naval Aircraft Factory as the XTN-1, which was quickly followed by three identical aircraft built by Douglas, the T2D-1.
The XTN/T2D was a large two bay biplane, capable of easy conversion between floats and wheels, and carrying a crew of four.