The origins of theSeversky P-35 single-seat fighter trace back to theSeversky SEV-3amphibian, which was developed into the Seversky BT-8 basic trainer. Seversky's chief designer,Alexander Kartveli, also proposed a two-seat fighter derivative, theSEV-2XP. This was powered by a 735 hp (548 kW)Wright R-1670 radial engine. It had fixed landing gear in aerodynamic spats and was armed with one 0.50 in (12.70 mm) and one 0.30 in (7.62 mm) forward-firing machine guns plus an additional 0.30 in (7.62 mm) machine gun for rear defence.
When theUSAAC announced a competition for a new single-seat fighter in 1935, Seversky sent the SEV-2XP, confident it would win despite being a two-seater. However, the aircraft was damaged on 18 June 1935 during its transit to the fly-offs atWright Field. The Air Corps delayed the fly-off until March 1936, which allowed Seversky time to rework the fighter into the single-seatSEV-1XP with retractable landing gear and re-engined with theWright R-1820 radial.[1]
In what proved to be an unpopular move for Seversky, twenty2PA-B3s were sold to theJapanese Navy, which briefly employed them in theSecond Sino-Japanese War asNavy Type S Two-Seat Fighter orA8V1 (Allied codenameDick).
Two demonstrators ended up in theUSSR; although a manufacturing licence was also bought, the Soviets undertook no production.
Sweden ordered 52 2PAs (known as theB 6), but only two were delivered before the remaining 50 were impounded in 1940 and put into service with the USAAC as theAT-12 Guardsman advanced trainer. On 18 June 1940, United States declared an embargo against exporting weapons to any nation other than the United Kingdom.
Davis Larry.P-35: Mini in Action (Mini Number 1). Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications, 1994.ISBN0-89747-321-3.
Fitzsimmons, Bernard.The Illustrated International Aircraft Guide Fighters of WWII, Part IX. London: MacDonald Phoebus Ltd., 1981.
Green, William.War Planes of the Second World War, Volume Four: Fighters. London: Macdonald & Co. (Publishers) Ltd., 1961 (Sixth impression 1969).ISBN0-356-01448-7.
Hucker, Robert. "Seversky: Innovator and Prophet."Air Classics, 20th Anniversary Special Edition 1964–1984, 1984.
United States Air Force Museum Guidebook. Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio: Air Force Museum Foundation, 1975.
1 X as second letter is for experimental aircraft or imported technology demonstrators not intended for service,2 Hyphenated trailing letter (-J, -K, -L, -N or -S) denotes design modified for secondary role,3 Possibly incorrect designation, but used in many sources