When A Small Company Tries Competing With Heavyweights: Kaiser-Fleetwings XBTK

in this video, we take a look at the Kaiser-Fleetwings XBTK, an American dive bomber and torpedo bomber from late-World War II. We first talk about companies showing up in strange places and making strange products, before moving to how military aircraft are typically dominated by a small group of manufacturers. We then talk about the small company Kaiser-Fleetwings, originally known as Fleetwings, and their relatively quiet existence, outside of a blip late in WWII where they attempted to make some combat aircraft.

We talk about the original purpose of the XBTK as a lightweight dive bomber, before talking about how it was shifted over to being a multirole bomber competing with the likes of the Douglas A-1 Skyraider and Martin AM Mauler. We talk about its comparatively lackluster armament, greater speed, and innovative exhaust design. We talk about how that innovation failed and how the XBTK ended up getting left behind by the Skyraider and Mauler.