World War Photos

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To replace the Thomas-Morse O-19 and Douglas O-38 reconnaissance and observation aircraft, in 1934 the USAAC command issued a new specification under which a three-seat “observation aircraft ” with better specifications was to be built. The development of such a machine was undertaken by General Aircraft Company, which in 1935 presented a design under the brand name GA-15. The military approved a new design, however, while the plant in Dundalk was preparing blueprints and manufacturing the prototype, General Aircraft ceased to exist as an independent company, and the contract to build the prototype and then the production planes, automatically transferred to the company North-American. In January 1936 the name of the GA-15 was changed to the NA-25.
Prototype XO-47 (36-145) was a semi-monocoque monoplane of all-metal construction with a Wright R-1820-41 “Cyclone” radial engine rated at 850 hp. When designing it, special attention was paid to visibility, which was almost impossible with traditional methods. For this reason, the designers decided to make a characteristic under-fuselage overhang (“guppy belly”) with side and bottom windows, which housed the observer with photo equipment, which also combined the duties of a co-pilot. Accordingly, the wing had to be raised, which determined the midplane configuration. The cockpits for the pilot and the gunner were separate, but they were covered by a common window canopy with a large glass area. Main wheels retracted into wing consoles in the direction of the tips, but the tail wheel was not retracted. The armament consisted of one 7.62 mm machine gun in the right wing console with a 200-rounds, and one 7.62 mm Colt-Browning machine gun in the gunner’s turret with 600 rounds. Tests of the XO-47 prototype were carried out in 1936. Despite a number of technical drawbacks, the plane was adopted by the USAAC, whose command signed a contract in February 1937 to produce the first 106 machines under the designation O-47A (brand name NA-25). These aircraft underwent minor modifications and were fitted with Wright R-1820-49 engines of 975 hp. A follow-up order for 40 more soon followed, with deliveries completed in 1938. Serial numbers for both series ranged from 37-260 to 37-368 and from 38-271 to 38-325. During 1939, North-American built 74 more aircraft with serial numbers ranging from 39-139 to 39-141, which featured a Wright R-1820-57 engine rated at 1,060 hp, a revised engine cooling system, improved radio equipment and an additional 50-gallon fuel tank. These machines were designated as O-47B (NA-51). No further upgrades to the existing design were made, except that in 1940 one aircraft was tested on floats.
During the pre-war period, O-47 were used only for training flights, with 143 aircraft subsequently transferred to the US National Guard. This decision was prompted by evidence of fighting in Europe, where single-engine scouts like the Mureaux 117 and Henschel Hs126 had significant losses. Nevertheless, with the active participation of the O-47s during 1941, combined arms maneuvers were conducted in Louisiana, North Carolina and South Carolina. First-line formations began to receive Aeronca and Piper light aircraft instead. When the USA entered World War II, these machines were drawn to patrol the coastline on the East Coast, towing targets, pilot training, and liaison duties. Moreover, in January 1942, ten O-47Bs were transported to Singapore to provide patrol and reconnaissance coverage of the Malay Peninsula where British Commonwealth troops were still stationed. Before the planes could reach their destination, Singapore surrendered and the O-47Bs went to Australia, where they remained for the rest of the war. Several more observation planes were left to cover the Panama Canal Zone. In the U.S., the 82 Observation Squadron, stationed at Salinas Air Force Base in California, was one of the last to abandon its O-47Bs, after which the remaining planes were scrapped and slowly dismantled for scrap. To date, four aircraft have survived and belong to various museums in the United States.