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1935 Northrop Gamma 5A Attack Plane
Photo 8x10 — Only One Built, Sent to Japan
Photographed Weeks Before It Left for Japan's NavyDESCRIPTIONOriginal period photograph of the Northrop Gamma 5A in a front quarter view on the ramp, with the factory caption inked in white in the lower right: Northrop #1668, 5A, 10-16-35, Quarter Front. The two-seat attack plane is shown with its three-blade propeller, exposed radial engine, long tandem canopy, and large streamlined wheel fairings. A stenciled maintenance warning on the wing root is legible and reads "Disconnect wiring, flap, airspeed and cables before removing wing." Scanned at 600dpi so the rivet lines, cowl panels, and stencil lettering hold up to close inspection.The Northrop 5A was a one-off. Built in October 1935 as constructor number 187 and approved for an experimental license as NX14997 on October 4, it was an export attack bomber developed in parallel with the U.S. Army's A-17 and powered by a 775-horsepower Wright R-1820 radial. This print is dated October 16, 1935, just twelve days after that license was approved.Its story took a turn within weeks. In November 1935 the airplane was shipped to Japan, where the Imperial Japanese Navy designated it BXN1 and used it to study modern American aviation engineering. Production records list the shipment with no export certificate or bill of sale on file.Japan was already a Northrop customer. The Navy had evaluated two earlier Northrop Gammas in 1933 under the BXN designation, and a second 5-series attack plane, the 5D, followed in 1936 and was handed to Nakajima for study. That pattern of buying American airplanes to learn from them makes this one of the clearer documented examples of how the Imperial Navy gathered technology in the years before the Pacific War.Accounts differ on how the 5A ended, with one describing an accident during tests and another saying it was dismantled for engineering data. Either way, the only 5A ever built left the Northrop plant for good within weeks of this photograph, which makes this a direct look at the aircraft in its American form.The photograph dates from the final years of the original Northrop Corporation, which built the Gamma and Delta in El Segundo, California in partnership with Douglas. Douglas dissolved the corporation in 1937 and the plant became Douglas's El Segundo Division.Every effort is made for fact checking and provenance including background research through news and historical archives. If any listing is incorrect in any way and you're unsatisfied with the item, please connect with me and I'll make it right.Orders placed before Noon CDT will ship same day Ground Advantage with tracking so you know exactly when it will arrive. Shipping is free and already built into the price, so the BIN price is exactly what you pay, no surprise shipping costs at checkout. Returns accepted on all items exceeding $25 in cost. Rigid, professional packaging on all shipments, sealed and protected in acid free protectors.CONDITIONOriginal period photographic print, not a modern reproduction, measuring 8 x 10 inches with the image running landscape. The image is sharp with a warm cream to sepia tone and a smooth tonal range, with light dust specks and small scattered marks consistent with age. The dark spots on the pavement are part of the original scene and are not damage. There are no tears, creases, or emulsion loss in the image area, and the white border shows light edge and corner wear.The back carries residual album paper and adhesive residue from where the print was removed from a period album. This is confined to the reverse and does not affect the photographic image.
