North American T-6 Texan

washing an SNJ at NAS Jacksonville, Florida, USA Harvard under restoration exposing internal structure , preparing for take off The Texan's ancestry goes back to the North American NA-16 prototype which was first flown on 1 April 1935. In 1935, NAA submitted this design for the U.S. Army Air Corps Basic Trainer Competition. NAA also targeted the export market. Modified as the NA-26, it was submitted as an entry for a USAAC "Basic Combat Trainer" aircraft competition in March 1937. Based on the NA-18, but with a foot longer wingspan, it was the first of the NA-16 series with retractable gear. It was similar to the BT-9, but with a larger engine, the Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp, and could accommodate two guns. With minor alterations, 177 unarmed NA-36s would enter service as the BC-1 with a R-1340-47 engine from 9 June 1937. Roughly 30 were modified as BC-1-I instrument trainers. The BC-1A (NA-55-1) followed as an armed version, primarily for Air Corps Reserve and National Guard units, and the 83 built could be equipped with a machine gun on the nose, and a flexible gun in the rear cockpit. The US Navy received 40 NA-28 aircraft based on the BT-9, which it designated the NJ-1, as well as 16 NA-52s, designated the SNJ-1, 36 NA-65 as SNJ-2s, and 25 NA-79 also as SNJ-2s. In March 1937, the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation of Australia purchased an NA-32 (NA-16-1A, with fixed undercarriage) and an NA-33 (NA-16-2K with retractible undercarriage) along with a manufacturing license. The first CAC Wirraway, based on the NA-33, flew on 27 March 1939, of which 755 were built. In August 1937, Mitsubishi Jukogyo K.K. purchased a single NA-16, NA-16-4R (NA-37), powered by the Pratt & Whitney R-985-9CG, including manufacturing rights. A second N-16, NA-16-4RW (NA-47), powered by a smaller Wright engine, was ordered in December 1937. After being evaluated by the Imperial Japanese Navy, Kyusu and K.K. Watanabe Tekkosho chose to ignore the NAA design almost entirely, and built 176 of the somewhat similar K10W1 from 1941 to 1942 which the Allies gave the code name Oak. After WWII, the Japanese Air Self Defense Force operated 195 Texans (9 T-6Ds, 11 T-6Fs, and 175 T-6Gs) and the Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force operated 62 (10 SNJ-4s, 41 SNJ-5s, and 11 SNJ-6s) According to Dan Hagedorn, "the BC-1A series may be regarded as the true beginning of the modern AT-6 series". In December 1938, the British Commonwealth started receiving the first of 400 Harvard Mark Is (NA-49), for use in the Central Flying School. They were powered by the Pratt & Whitney R-1340-S3H1 Wasp. In May 1939, the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) ordered 30 Harvard Mark Is (NA-61). Then in November 1939, the British Purchasing Commission ordered the first of eventually 1275 Harvard Mark IIs (NA-66, NA-75, NA-76, and NA-81) for the Royal Air Force and RCAF. On 23 April 1939, NAA received a contract for 251 BT-14s and 94 AT-6s. The BT-14 (NA-58) was a fixed gear aircraft with a metal skinned fuselage 14 inches longer than the BT-9. In 1941, 27 BT-14s were refitted with the R-985-11, and designated as BT-14A-NAs. In June 1939, NAA received an order for 94 AT-6-NAs (NA-59), powered by the wright R-1340-47 and able to mount two machines guns. The USAAC AT-6A, and the U.S. Navy SNJ-3, were based on the NA-77 and NA-78 designs. Pratt & Whitney R-1340-49 Wasp radial engine powered the USAAC aircraft, while R-1340-38s powered the Navy aircraft. The USAAC received 1847 AT-6As, and the Navy received 270 SNJ-3s. The AT-6B (NA-84) was built for armament training, and could mount a machine gun on the right nose cowl, right wing, and in the rear cockpit, and could carry a light bomb rack. The aircraft was powered by the R-1340-AN-1 engine. The USAAC received 400. The NA-88 design was used to build 2970 AT-6Cs (747 of which went to the British Commonwealth as Harvard IIas), 2401 SNJ-4s, 2604 AT-6Ds (537 of which went to the British Commonwealth as Harvard IIIs), and 1357 SNJ-5s. The first AT-6C aircraft was delivered on 12 February 1942. The 12-volt electrical system was changed to a 24-volt system in the AT-6D, for standardization amongst the service. The AT-6D, which was also armament capable, and early versions included a wing gun camera, and a high-pressure oxygen system. The AT-6D used two toggle starter switches, rather than the foot pedal starter, and the first AT-6D was delivered on 22 July 1943. The Navy received an additional 630 AT-6Ds direct from the USAAF, redesignating them SNJ-5s, for a total of 1987. Similarly, the NA-121 design was used to build the final wartime Texans, and included 800 AT-6Ds (of which 211 went to the Navy as SNJ-5s), and 956 AT-6Fs (of which 411 went to the Navy as SNJ-6s). They were capable of carrying a centerline drop tank. From 1942, Canada's Noorduyn built 2557 R-1340-AN-1-powered Harvard IIs under license, paid for by USAAF Lend-Lease funds as the AT-16, but designated as the Harvard II.B. After WWII, many remained in service with the RCAF. The NA-168 series consisted of remanufactured AT-6s and SNJs for the USAF, starting in 1949. The Air Training Command received 641 aircraft, designated T-6G-NT, of which 416 eventually were sent to U.S. Military Assistance Program countries. U.S. National Guard units received an additional 50 aircraft, of which 28 eventually were sent to France. An additional 59 aircraft were Liaison/Trainer aircraft, designated LT-6G-NA, for the Korean War. These aircraft could be deployed with 2 detachable machine gun pods, and 4 HVARs, or 4 bombs, plus a auxiliary drop tank. Alternatively, they could carry the gun pods and 12 SCA markings rockets, or 6 bombs. The T-6G-NAs had a fuel capacity, while previous models had a capacity. The rear cockpit also had the same instruments as the front cockpit. Then, in 1951, the USAF placed an order for 824 T-6Gs, designated T-6G-1-NH, for the Air Training Command. The Canada Car and Foundry built 285 Harvard 4s, designated NA-186 under the Mutual Defense Assistance Program (MDAP) and an additional 270 directly for the RCAF. In April 1951, the USAF ordered an additional 107 T-6Gs for the MDAP, designated NA-188. They placed an order for 11 training aircraft in March 1952, designated NA-195, and then a final batch of 110 aircraft in June for MDAP, designated NA-197. ==Operational history==

The aircraft was mainly used for training, but in many cases it was also repurposed into combat roles. The aircraft served in a great many air forces around the world in the mid to late 20th century. After serving in air forces, it also went on to be displayed at air shows and museums as a warbird. Combat use The British used Harvards during World War II in North Africa, but not in a combat role. They were used extensively for preparing pilots in theatre for flying US aircraft types, whose handling and controls differed from British aircraft. Peru used its seven T-6 fighter bombers in the Ecuadorian-Peruvian War equipped with two guns, while carrying up to four bombs. Twenty AT-6s were employed by the 1st and 2nd fighter squadrons of the Syrian Air Force in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, providing ground support for Syrian troops, and launching airstrikes against Israeli airfields, ships, and columns, losing one aircraft to antiaircraft fire. They also engaged in air-to-air combat on a number of occasions, with a rear gunner shooting down an Israeli Avia S-199 fighter. The Israeli Air Force (IAF) bought 17 Harvards, and operated nine of them in the final stages of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, against the Egyptian ground forces, with no losses. In the Sinai Campaign, IAF Harvards attacked Egyptian ground forces in Sinai Peninsula with two losses. aircraft in Korea The Royal Hellenic Air Force employed three squadrons of British- and American-supplied T-6D and G Texans for close air support, observation, and artillery spotting duties during the Greek Civil War, providing extensive support to the Greek army during the Battle of Gramos. Communist guerillas called these aircraft , because they saw them flying very early in the morning. After the "Milkmen", the guerillas waited for the armed Spitfires and Helldivers. During the Korean War and, to a lesser extent, the Vietnam War, T-6s were pressed into service as forward air control aircraft. These aircraft were designated T-6 "Mosquitos". No. 1340 Flight RAF used the Harvard in Kenya against the Mau Mau in the 1950s, where they operated with bombs and machine guns against the rebels. Some operations took place at altitudes around above mean sea level. A Harvard was the longest-serving RAF aircraft, with an example, taken on strength in 1945, still serving in the 1990s (as a chase plane for helicopter test flights—a role for which the Shorts Tucano's higher stall speed was ill-suited). The T-6G was also used in a light attack or counterinsurgency role by France during the Algerian War in special (EALA), armed with machine guns, bombs and rockets. At its peak, 38 EALAs were active. The largest unit was the 72, which consisted of up to 21 EALAs. From 1961 to 1975, Portugal used more than a hundred T-6Gs, also in the counterinsurgency role, during the Portuguese Colonial War. During this war, almost all the Portuguese Air Force bases and air fields in Angola, Mozambique, and Portuguese Guinea had a detachment of T-6Gs. On 16 June 1955, rebel Argentine Navy SNJ-4s bombed Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires, Argentina; one was shot down by a loyalist Gloster Meteor. Navy SNJ-4s were later used by the colorado rebels in the 1963 Argentine Navy Revolt, launching attacks on the 8th Tank Regiment columns on 2 and 3 April, knocking out several M4 Sherman tanks, and losing one SNJ to anti-aircraft fire. In 1957–58, the Spanish Air Force used T-6s as counterinsurgency aircraft in the Ifni War, armed with machine guns, iron bombs, and rockets, achieving an excellent reputation due to its reliability, safety record, and resistance to damage. The Pakistan Air Force used T-6Gs in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 as a night ground-support aircraft, hitting soft transport vehicles of the Indian army. In the early hours of 5 December, during a convoy interdiction mission in the same area, Squadron Leader Israr Quresh's T-6G Harvard was hit by Indian antiaircraft ground fire and a shell fractured the pilot's right arm. Profusely bleeding, the pilot flew the aircraft back with his left hand and landed safely. The World War II-vintage propeller trainers were pressed into service and performed satisfactorily in the assigned role of convoy escorts at night. For the Indian Air Force, the T-6 based at Sulur remained the backbone of pilot training until they were replaced by the HPT-32 from the late 1970's. A single unit flies for the IAF heritage flight. The South African Air Force received their first T-6s in October 1942 to be used by the Joint Air Training Scheme. By July 1944, 633 Harvard Mk IIA T-6s and IIIs had been shipped to South Africa with another 555 (379 MkIIAs and 176 Mk IIIs) to arrive by October 1945. Another 65 (AT-6Ds and 30 T-6Gs) were ordered between 1952 and 1956. The aircraft also saw some action during the South African Border war. The T-6 remained in service until 1995 as a basic trainer, mainly as a result of the United Nations arms embargo against South Africa's apartheid policies. They were replaced by Pilatus PC-7 MkII turboprop trainers. Research testbed The Harvard 4 has been used in Canada as a testbed aircraft for evaluating cockpit attitude displays. Its aerobatic capability permits the instructor pilot to maneuver the aircraft into unusual attitudes, then turn the craft over to an evaluator pilot in the "blind" rear cockpit to recover, based on one of several digitally generated attitude displays. ==Accidents and incidents==

A known design concern with the T-6/SNJ series involves the fuel tank selector valve, which allows the pilot to switch between left, right, and reserve fuel tanks during flight. Over time, wear in the selector mechanism can introduce play in the valve shaft, potentially causing the valve to slip into an intermediate position that restricts fuel flow to the engine. Among T-6 hobbyist operators, a common practice has been to avoid switching the fuel tank selector during flight to mitigate this risk, although this workaround is not passed on to new owners. In 1997, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved Supplemental Type Certificate SA00636CH, which modified the AT-6 fuel system to use only "On" and "Off" positions, eliminating the need to switch between tanks in flight. On 16 October 2024, an SNJ-3 (registration OH-NAT) crashed shortly after takeoff from Räyskälä airfield in Finland when its engine lost power due to fuel starvation caused by a worn fuel tank selector valve. The pilot attempted to turn back to the runway but the aircraft struck trees at the edge of the forest bordering the airfield. Both occupants were killed, and the aircraft was destroyed by the impact and a subsequent fire. The Finnish Safety Investigation Authority (OTKES) investigation found that the valve's selector shaft had of play in its angular gear, allowing it to drift to a position restricting fuel flow. OTKES recommended that the FAA inform SNJ/T-6 type owners and operators about the risks associated with the aging of the fuel tank selector valve mechanism. ==Variants==

, 1976. National Archives of Brazil • Argentine Army Aviation (SNJ-4) • Argentine Naval Aviation (SNJ-4 and 30 SNJ-5Cs for carrier operations) • Austrian Air Force • Belgian Air Force • Biafran Air Force • Bolivian Air Force • Naval Aviation • Brazilian Air Force • Royal Khmer Aviation (AVRK) • Royal Canadian Air Force • Royal Canadian Navy • National Research Council (still in use) AT-6 Texan during World War II • Republic of China Air Force • Chilean Air Force • Colombian Air Force • Congolese Air Force • Cuban Air and Air Defense Force • Royal Danish Air Force • Dominican Air Force • Air Force of El Salvador • French Air Force • Gabon Air Force • German Air Force () • Hellenic Air Force • Haitian Air Corps • Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force • Honduran Air Force • Royal Indian Air Force • Indian Air Force Harvard IIB on display at Satria Mandala Museum • Indonesian Air Force – received up to 40 Harvard IIBs from the Netherlands, bought 25 AT-6s from the United States • Iranian Air Force • Iraqi Air Force – bought 15 aircraft in the early 1950s; 6 of them were donated to Lebanon in 1956 • Israeli Air Force • Italian Air Force operated 238 aircraft from 1949 until 1979 • Japan Air Self-Defense Force • Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force , Whangarei, New Zealand, 1961 • • Lebanese Air Force • Republic of Korea Air Force Kingdom of Laos • Royal Lao Air Force • Mexican Air Force Total of 120 delivered, 47 AT-6 and 73 T-6C • Royal Moroccan Air Force • Royal Netherlands Air Force • Dutch Naval Aviation Service • Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force – Post war • Mozambique Air and Air Defense Forces • Royal New Zealand Air Force (1 maintained for historic flight) • New Zealand Territorial Air Force • Royal Norwegian Air Force (1 maintained for historic flight) • Fuerza Aérea de Nicaragua (G.N) Escuela Militar de Aviación 1948-1979 • Pakistan Air Force • Paraguayan Air Force • Paraguayan Naval Aviation Harvard IIA (equivalent to the AT-6C) in World War II era markings • Philippine Air Force museum • Portuguese Air Force • Portuguese Naval Aviation • South African Air Force • Southern Rhodesian Air Force • Republic of Vietnam Air Force • Royal Saudi Air Force • Spanish Air Force • Soviet Air Forces • Swedish Air Force 145 Harvard IIb as Sk 16A, 106 T-6A, T-6B, SNJ-3, SNJ-4 as Sk 16B and 6 SNJ-2 as Sk 16C. desert camouflage colours • Swiss Air Force • Syrian Air Force • Royal Thai Air Force • Royal Thai Navy • Tunisian Air Force • Turkish Air Force: 196 planes of various types • Royal Air Force • Royal Navy • Qinetiq (retired in 2016) • United States Army Air Corps/Army Air Forces • United States Air Force • United States Navy • United States Marine Corps • United States Coast Guard • Uruguayan Air Force • • Venezuelan Air Force Kingdom of Yemen • Yemeni Air Force • SFR Yugoslav Air Force ==Specifications (T-6G)==

, left . In the September 1944 issue of The Sportsman Pilot, USAAF Capt. Paul K. Jones' article stated, "The Six is a plane that can do anything a fighter can do—and even more. Naturally not as fast, she makes up for speed in her ease of handling and her maneuverability. She's a war machine, yes, but more than that she's a flyer's airplane. Rolls, Immelmans, loops, spins, snaps, vertical rolls—she can do anything—and do it beautifully. For actual combat, more guns, more speed and more power is needed. But for the sheer joy of flying—give me an AT-6." After World War II, the National Air Races established a unique racing class for the AT-6/Texan/Harvard aircraft; this class continues today at the Reno National Air Races each year. Since the Second World War, the T-6 has been a regular participant at air shows, and was used in many movies and television programs. For example, converted single-seat T-6s painted in Japanese markings to represent Mitsubishi Zeros made appearances in A Yank in the R.A.F. (1941), Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970), Baa Baa Black Sheep (1976-1978), and The Final Countdown (1980). In A Bridge too Far (1977) it represented the razorback Republic P-47 Thunderbolt. Some were modified for the Dutch film Soldaat van Oranje (1977) to represent the Dutch pre–World War II fighter Fokker D.XXI. The New Zealand Warbirds "Roaring 40s" aerobatic team use ex–Royal New Zealand Air Force Harvards. The Flying Lions Aerobatic Team uses Harvards acquired from the South African Air Force. ==See also==