| United States Consolidated B-32 "Dominator" Bomber Aircraft Sperry A-17 Nose and Tail Turret |
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| History of the B-32 "Dominator": The Consolidated B-32 Dominator (Consolidated Model 34) was an American heavy bomber, built for United States Army Air Forces during World War II, which had the distinction of being the last Allied aircraft to be engaged in combat during WWII. It was developed by Consolidated Aircraft, in parallel with the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, as a fallback design should the B-29 prove unsuccessful. The B-32 reached operational units in the Pacific in mid-1945, and subsequently saw only limited combat operations against Japanese targets before the end of the war. The B-32 contract orders were canceled shortly after WWII and only 118 B-32 airframes, of all types, were built. Production totals: XB-32-CO Consolidated-Vultee, San Diego, California 1941-1943, - 3 B-32-CF 1942-1945, Consolidated-Vultee, Fort Worth, Texas, - 114 B-32-CO 1944-1945, Consolidated-Vultee, San Diego, California 1941-1943, - 1 Serial Numbers and Production Contract Numbers: B-32 42-108471 to 42-108770, Contract AC-37856, $822,195 per aircraft B-32 42-109776 to 42-109788, Contract AC-37856, $822,195 per aircraft B-32 44-15753 to 44-15802, Contract AC-37856-7, $728,718 per aircraft B-32 44-39699 to 44-40048, Contract AC-37856-7, $728,718 per aircraft B-32 44-90486 to 44-90985, Contract AC-37856-8, $731,040 per aircraft Sources: U.S. Army Aircraft 1908-1946, James C. Fahey, 1946 and AAF Technical Order No. 00-25-30, August 1st 1945 |
| SPERRY A-17 NOSE AND TAIL TURRET QuestMasters Museum Collection: |
| The Model A-17 Turret, shown below, was produced by the Sperry Gyroscope Company, Great Neck, New York for the B-32 "Dominator" bomber, during WWII. The A-17 Turret was an armor-protected, ball type turret, designed for mounting in either the nose or tail of the aircraft. It housed the necessary equipment for the direct firing of two .50 caliber AN-M2 machine-guns. The Type K-11 Compensating Sight was used in the nose turret and the K-10 Compensating Sight in the tail turret. This unrestored turret was obtained by QuestMasters in 2020. |
| Model A-17 Turret Main Junction box, above left photo, and AN-M2 .50 caliber machine-gun barrel shrouds, above right photo. These parts will be used in the restoration of this A-17 Turret. |
| SPERRY A-17 NOSE AND TAIL TURRET MANUAL INSTRUCTION NO. 14-233A: |
| Training Exercise Manuals, Airplane & Engine Mechanics' Course, B-24 and B-32, Airplane Structures and Airplane Fuel Systems Branch, Army Air Forces Technical School, Keesler Field, Mississippi, 1944, above two photos. |
| B-32 "Dominator" Bomber photos: |
