The Fokker Atlantic XA-7 (AF-17)

In December 1929, the USAAC ordered a single (test) example of the XA-7, designating it as the Fokker AF-17.

The XA-7 was the first all-metal aircraft designed and built by Atlantic.

The experimental all-metal aircraft had internally braced wings and a streamlined fuselage that accommodated two crew members in open tandem cockpits.

Armament consisted of four forward-firing 7.62 mm machine guns, one 7.62 mm flexible machine gun for the gunner/observer in the rear gun turret, while four 55 kg bombs could also be carried on wing racks.

The engine was a Curtiss G1V-1570C Conqueror liquid-cooled V-12 engine of 600 hp.

Fokker considered the XA-7 one of the biggest problem cases he had encountered at the Hasbrouck Heights factory.

In the United States, Fokker's practice was to build a new aircraft before offering it to potential buyers. But for military aircraft, specifications came almost exclusively from the military itself.

At that time, the military authorities overestimated the skill of Fokker's metal aircraft designers and builders. Metal aircraft weren't very popular at Fokker.

In short, many problems were associated with the XA-7's all-metal construction, which Fokker had still not mastered despite his earlier experiments.

The XA-7, registration 30-226, first flew in January 1931, six months before its main rival, the Curtiss XA-8.

It was delivered to Wright Field in April and tested for several months.

In the summer of 1931, the XA-7 was sent back to the factory for a major overhaul: the nose was completely revised, the landing gear was replaced and the cockpit windows were also changed.

In its revised form, the XA-7 was returned to Wright Field, where it began competitive flight testing against the Curtiss XA-8.

Although Fokker's XA-7 was technically more advanced, the Curtiss XA-8 had generally better flight performance.

Therefore, the USAAC chose the Curtiss, thirteen of which were ordered in September 1931.

Development of the XA-7 was halted and the sole example was subsequently scrapped.

It is remarkable in the maze of different type designations that both the USAAC and Atlantic did not change this type designation after the modification of the XA-7.

For many other types, the slightest change immediately resulted in a different type designation being applied.

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