Planet Models 256 R3D-1/2

The R3D was an American military passenger and transport aircraft in the dorsal wing configuration of the interwar period and World War II. The drive was provided by two motors Wright GR-1820-F62 900 hp each. The length of the aircraft was 18.96 meters with a wingspan of 23.77 meters. The maximum speed did not exceed 370 km / h, and the maximum range was up to 2,570 kilometers.

The R3D aircraft was developed as a development of the Douglas DC-5 machine, which in turn was dedicated to the civilian market as a supplement to the successful DC-3 and DC-4 machines. The machine, however, was not a commercial success. Based on it, a military version was created, designated as R3D. There were two main development versions of the R3D aircraft. The first - marked as R3D-1 - got, among others additional armor and served as a transport and passenger aircraft in the US Navy. It is worth adding that this type of plane was flew by, among others, General Douglas MacArthur. The second version - designated R3D-2 - was planned as an aircraft intended for paratroopers and dedicated to the Marine Corps. In total, however, only 7 R3D aircraft of both versions were built!