B-3A | |
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Keystone B-3A (S/N 30-281), the first B-3A built. | |
Role | Light bomber |
Manufacturer | Keystone Aircraft |
Primary user | United States Army Air Corps |
Number built | 63 B-3A/B-5 |
Variants |
Keystone B-4 Keystone B-5 Keystone B-6 |
The Keystone B-3A was a bomber aircraft developed for the United States Army Air Corps in the late 1920s.
It was originally ordered as the LB-10A (a single-tail modification of the Keystone LB-6), but the Army dropped the LB- 'light bomber' designation in 1930.
Although the performance of the B-3A was hardly better than that of the bombers flown at the end of World War I, it had come a long way. In terms of its safety, it was far superior to its oldest predecessors.
The B-3A was the last biplane operated by the US Army; it remained in service until 1940. A few years after it was first produced, the introduction of all-metal monoplanes rendered it almost completely obsolete.
General characteristics
Performance
Armament