Seversky 2PA Two-Seat Fighter

The Seversky 2PA was a two-seat fighter/fighter-bomber developed in parallel with the P-35. Using the same basic airframe as the P-35, it was able to be equipped with either a conventional retractable undercarriage, or floats so that it could operate from water.

The United States Army Air Corps declined to place an order for the 2PA, so a marketing drive was undertaken to secure overseas buyers. The Soviet Union purchased two, a land based version and an amphibious one along with a production license. The Soviets however did not undertake any production.

The Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service purchased 20 as the Seversky A8V1. This caused friction with the USAAC and may have led to a loss of further sales. These were briefly employed in the Second Sino-Japanese War as Navy Type S Two-Seat Fighter or A8V1 (Allied codename “Dick”). The Japanese found them to possess unacceptable levels of maneuverability and climb rate for the escort fighter role and were therefore relegated to reconnaissance missions in Central China, two later being passed to the Asahi Shimbun newspaper group.

Sweden placed an order for 52 as the B6. However, after only two had been delivered the US placed an embargo on exporting military equipment to any country other than the United Kingdom. The remaining 50 were impounded and put into service with the USAAC as the AT-12 Guardsman advanced trainer.