Keystone B-6A
The Keystone B-6A was the last biplane bomber purchased by the U.S. Army Air Corps. The conservative Army leadership was slow to accept new design concepts in aircraft construction and tended to favor traditional and proven designs over radical unproven ones. This resulted in a design stagnation of about 10 years. The basic design and performance of the B-6A was little different from the Martin NBS-1 ordered in 1921.
The acceptance of the single-wing bomber would be slow. The B-7 and B-8 bombers were ordered in 1929, but they were originally designed as high-speed observation planes. The conversion to the bomber role was done while the prototypes were under construction.
Some Keystone bombers remained in service until the early 1940s, serving in secondary roles such as observation and reconnaissance.
(U.S. Air Force photo)
Keystone B-6A
The Keystone B-6A was the last biplane bomber purchased by the U.S. Army Air Corps. The conservative Army leadership was slow to accept new design concepts in aircraft construction and tended to favor traditional and proven designs over radical unproven ones. This resulted in a design stagnation of about 10 years. The basic design and performance of the B-6A was little different from the Martin NBS-1 ordered in 1921.
The acceptance of the single-wing bomber would be slow. The B-7 and B-8 bombers were ordered in 1929, but they were originally designed as high-speed observation planes. The conversion to the bomber role was done while the prototypes were under construction.
Some Keystone bombers remained in service until the early 1940s, serving in secondary roles such as observation and reconnaissance.
(U.S. Air Force photo)