AT-6F/SNJ-6
The AT-6F/SNJ-6 (NA-121) was the last production variant of the T-6/SNJ series. These aircraft differed from the AT-6D/SNJ-5 in several ways. The rear cockpit armament was deleted completely and the swivelable rear seat was changed to a fixed forward facing seat. The rear cockpit compartment canopy was changed with a one-piece, non- moveable clear bubble canopy being installed in place of the movable rear canopy section of the AT-6D. The nose and wing-mounted guns were also removed, along with the under-wing bomb racks. AT-6Fs were also fitted with a propeller spinner; however, these were often removed in the field by maintenance crews since the spinners made maintenance of the propeller hub and engine more difficult. The AT-6F/SNJ-6 was the first Texan variant with provisions for carrying external fuel. A twenty gallon drop tank was mounted on a fuselage centerline rack just aft of the main wheel wells. The Army contracted for a total of 1,375 aircraft; however, with the end of the war 417 of these were cancelled. North American built a total of 958 AT-6F/SNJ-6s. Of the airframes completed, 411 were delivered to the Navy as SNJ-6s. None of the SNJ-6s are known to have been fitted with tail hooks.
Combat units usually had an AT-6 assigned for use as a hack/utility aircraft. These Texans
carried VIPs and press people on base tours, as well as the unit commanders to their
meetings. Anita Theresa, an AT-6F (44-81723) of the 364th FS/357thFG, carried the Group's
Red and Yellow checked nose and a Yellow rudder. (Olmsted) Propeller Spinner
Four T-6Fs, destined for the Soviet Union, share the North American flight line at Dallas dur- T-6D
ing 1944 with a pair of USAAF T-6s and six P-51 Ds bound for Australia (2), the Netherlands
East Indies (2), the RAF (1), and USAAF (1). (NAA)
