The Swedish Air Force ordered 52 two-seat Seversky 2PA for delivery in 1940. They were intended to equip the light bomber Wing F 6 at Karlsborg.
Due to a US embargo on arms exports, only two aircraft were delivered. They received the designation B 6 with the Flygvapnet (Swedish Air Force) along with individual numbers 7203 and 7204.
The two aircraft was delivered to Sweden in August 1940. They were assembled at CVM (the Air Force workshops at Malmslätt near Linköping) and then sent to F 6 at Karlsborg.
7203 was assigned the blue (second) squadron of F 6 and was marked with the code 16. After a month, with only 31 hours in the air, it crashed and was damaged beyond repair during a training flight.
7204 became a staff aircraft and was coded 46. In December 1940 the aircraft was reassigned to Wing F 8 at Barkarby near Stockholm and was used by the Air Staff. It was often used by Bengt G. Nordenskiöld who was Commander in Chief of the Flygvapnet from 1942 – 1954. After a landing accident in 1953, the aircraft was taken out of service.
Seversky B 6 (2PA)Seversky B 6 (2PA)Seversky B 6 (2PA) F 8-46 7204Seversky B 6 (2PA) F 6-46 7204Seversky B 6 (2PA) 7204Seversky B 6 (2PA)Seversky B 6 (2PA)Seversky B 6 (2PA) 7204 with a J 9 (F8-56) to the right
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.
The Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service purchased 20 Seversky 2PA escort fighters as the Seversky A8V1. This caused friction with the USAAC and may 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.
Seversky 2PA-B3 prior to deliverySeversky A8V1Seversky A8V1Seversky A8V1 3-57 and 3-59Seversky A8V1 3-56Seversky A8V1 being used by the newspaper Asahi Shimbun
