Fletcher FD-25


The Fletcher FD-25 Defender was a light ground-attack aircraft developed in the United States in the early 1950s.

Design and development

Designed by John Thorp, the Defender was a conventional low-wing cantilever monoplane with fixed tailwheel undercarriage. Provision was made for two machine guns in the wings, plus disposable stores carried on underwing pylons. Construction throughout was all-metal, and the pilot sat under a wide perspex canopy.

Operational history

Three prototypes were built, two single-seaters and a two-seater, but no orders were placed by the US military. In Japan, however, Toyo acquired the rights to the design, and built around a dozen aircraft, selling seven to Cambodia, and four to Vietnam. One example served with the Royal Thai Police.

Survivors

One example remains in an airworthy condition today and appeared at the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh airshow in 2010. Two are on museum display at the Tokyo Metropolitan College of Industrial Technology in Japan: a single-seater and a two-seater.

Related development

The Fletcher FU-24 aerial topdressing plane was loosely based on the FD-25 Defender. Built under licence in New Zealand from the mid-1950s, they were used for agricultural and skydiving operations.

Specifications