Editing Vought OS2U Kingfisher (section)

==Design and development==
[[File:Vought OS2U Kingfisher in flight, circa in 1944 (80-G-K-15959).jpg|left|thumb|OS2U Kingfisher in 1944]]
In the late 1930s, [[Vought]] engineer [[Rex Beisel]] was tasked with designing an observation monoplane aircraft for the U.S. Navy suitable for many tasks, including directing battleship fire. In replacing the standard biplane observation aircraft with a more modern monoplane design, Beisel incorporated innovations making it the first production type to be assembled with [[spot welding]], a process Vought and the [[Naval Aircraft Factory]] jointly developed to create a smooth [[fuselage]] that resisted buckling and generated less drag. Beisel also introduced high-lift devices and [[Spoiler (aeronautics)|spoilers]]. In a unique arrangement, deflector plate [[Flap (aeronautics)|flaps]] and [[Aileron|drooping ailerons]] were located on the trailing edge of the wing to increase the [[Camber (aerodynamics)|camber]] of the wing and thus create additional lift.<ref name="Noles"/> Beisel's first prototype flew in 1938, powered by an air-cooled, {{cvt|450|hp}} [[Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior|Pratt & Whitney R-985-4 Wasp Junior]] radial engine.<ref name="Noles">{{cite web|last=Noles Jr.|first=James|url=http://www.serviceclub.org/air_space_catapult_crews_layout-fm05.pdf|title=Old, slow and ugly|date=February–March 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080907140343/http://www.serviceclub.org/air_space_catapult_crews_layout-fm05.pdf|archive-date=2008-09-07|url-status=dead|website=Air and Space|page=66}}</ref>

For combat missions, the pilot had a {{cvt|0.30|in|2}} [[M1919 Browning machine gun|Browning M1919 machine gun]], the receiver mounted low in the right front cockpit, firing between the engine cylinder heads, while the radio operator/gunner manned another {{cvt|0.30|in|2}} machine gun (or a pair) on a flexible [[Scarff ring]] mount. The aircraft could also carry two {{cvt|100|lb}} bombs or two {{cvt|325|lb}} [[depth charge]]s.<ref name="Noles"/><ref name="CGAH">{{cite web|url=https://cgaviationhistory.org/aircraft_/vought-os2u-2-3-kingfisher/|title=Vought OS2U-2 / 3 "Kingfisher"|author=<!--Not stated-->|website=Coast Guard Aviation Association|publisher=United States Coast Guard Aviation History|access-date=2023-01-07|archive-date=14 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240814184925/https://cgaviationhistory.org/aircraft_/vought-os2u-2-3-kingfisher/|url-status=live}}</ref> Additionally, the "[[Kingfisher]]", as it was designated, served as a trainer in both its floatplane and landplane configurations.<ref>Hickman 2010, p. 59.</ref>