Douglas A-26 Invader

Douglas A-26 Invader
Role	Attack aircraft and medium bomber
National origin	USA
Manufacturer	Douglas
First flight	1942
Introduction	1943
Status	Out of service
Primary user	USA
Produced	Out of production
Number built	2450 examples

The Douglas A-26 Invader is a twin-engined attack aircraft. It was used by the United States Army Air Force. It was also used in France and UK. The 'Invader' was used in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War by the United States. The French used it in the Algeria War. After 1948 its role in the US was changed from an attack aircraft to a bomber aircraft. The letter 'A' (for attack) in its name was changed to a 'B' (for bomber). It became the B-26 Invader. This caused some confusion because the Air Force already had the Martin B-26 Marauder, which was a different aircraft. Some A-26 Invaders were used during the 1950s by the United States Forest Service to fight forest fires. In this role the plane was used to put out wildfires from the air by dropping first borate, then later water and other retardants.