Bibliography

Joe Baugher's Web Articles
Army Air Forces Statistical Digest - World War II (Second Printing) (December 1945)
Army Air Forces Statistical Digest - Supplement Number 1: 1945 (April 1946)

NOTES

If no specific date of the month is given, then I assume that the first flight, contract, etc is given on the 15^th of that month for counting reasons.

“Peak Production Period” for combat aircraft/vehicles is defined as the period when the top 40% of all production is built. It's also a good “rule of thumb” for estimating when that type would be in true mass service.

Piston Engined Light Bombers

B-25 “Mitchell”

Prototype Authorization: 10 September 1939
Prototype First Flight: 19 August 1940
Production First Acceptance: 1 February 1941
First Combat Use: Not Applicable due to Pre-War Development
Peak Production Period: December 1942

Days from Authorization to First Acceptance: 510 days
Days from Authorization to Peak Production: 1,192 days

B-26 “Marauder”

Prototype Authorization: 10 September 1939
Prototype First Flight: 25 November 1940
Production First Acceptance: 22 February 1941
First Combat Use: Not Applicable due to Pre-War Development
Peak Production Period: February 1943

Days from Authorization to First Acceptance: 531 days
Days from Authorization to Peak Production: 1,254 days

A-20 “Havoc”

Production Authorization: 30 June 1939
Production First Flight: 16 September 1940
Production First Acceptance: December 1940
First Combat Use: Not Applicable due to Pre-War Development
Peak Production Period: August 1942

Days from Authorization to First Acceptance: 534 days
Days from Authorization to Peak Production: 1,142 days

Note: The A-20 was a redesign of an existing Douglas aircraft (DB-7) developed for foreign orders; so it's production timing is a bit odd.

A-26 “Invader”

Prototype Authorization: 2 June 1941
Prototype First Flight: 10 July 1942
Production First Acceptance: September 1943
Deliveries to Combat Units: June 1944
First Combat Use: 17 September 1944
Peak Production Period: December 1944

Days from Authorization to First Acceptance: 835 days
Days from Authorization to Deliveries to Combat Units: 1,109 days
Days from Authorization to First Combat Use: 1,203 days
Days from Authorization to Peak Production: 1,292 days

Piston Engined Heavy Bombers

B-24 “Liberator”

Prototype Authorization: 27 April 1939
Prototype First Flight: 29 December 1939
Production First Acceptance: 16 June 1941
Deliveries to Combat Units: Not Applicable due to Pre-War Development
First Combat Use: Not Applicable due to Pre-War Development
Peak Production Period: June 1943

Days from Authorization to First Acceptance: 781 days
Days from Authorization to Deliveries to Combat Units: Not Applicable due to Pre-War Development
Days from Authorization to First Combat Use: Not Applicable due to Pre-War Development
Days from Authorization to Peak Production: 1,510 days

B-29 “Superfortress”

Prototype Authorization: 24 August 1940
Prototype First Flight: 21 September 1942
Production First Acceptance: September 1943
Deliveries to Combat Units: 8 May 1944 (Operation Matterhorn units arrive in China)
First Combat Use: 5 June 1944
Peak Production Period: November 1944

Days from Authorization to First Acceptance: 1,117 days
Days from Authorization to Deliveries to Combat Units: 1,353 days
Days from Authorization to First Combat Use: 1,381 days
Days from Authorization to Peak Production: 1,544 days

B-32 “Dominator”

Prototype Authorization: 24 August 1940
Prototype First Flight: 7 September 1942
Production First Acceptance: 19 September 1944
Deliveries to Combat Units: July 1945
First Combat Use: July 1945
Peak Production Period: Not Applicable

Days from Authorization to First Acceptance: 1,487 days
Days from Authorization to Deliveries to Combat Units: 1,786 days
Days from Authorization to First Combat Use: 1,786 days
Days from Authorization to Peak Production: Not Applicable

Piston Engined Fighters

To Be Done Later

Jet Engined Fighters

F-100A “Super Sabre”

Prototype Authorization: 1 November 1951
Prototype First Flight: 25 May 1953
Production First Acceptance: November 1953
Initial Operational Capability: 29 September 1954

Days from Authorization to First Acceptance: 745 days
Days from Authorization to IOC: 1,063 days

F-15A “Eagle”

Prototype Authorization: 23 December 1969
Prototype First Flight: 27 July 1972
Production First Acceptance: 4 November 1974
Initial Operational Capability: October 1976

Days from Authorization to First Acceptance: 1,777 days
Days from Authorization to IOC: 2,488 days

F-16A “Fighting Falcon”

Prototype Authorization: 13 April 1972
Prototype First Flight: 2 February 1974
Production First Acceptance: August 1979?
Initial Operational Capability: 1 October 1980

Days from Authorization to First Acceptance: 2,680 days
Days from Authorization to IOC: 3,093 days

F-22A “Raptor”

Prototype Authorization: 31 October 1986
Prototype First Flight: 29 September 1990
Production First Acceptance: 23 October 2002 (Raptor #10)
Initial Operational Capability: 15 December 2005

Days from Authorization to First Acceptance: 5,919 days
Days from Authorization to IOC: 6,985 days

Armored Vehicles

M1 “Abrams” MBT

Prototype Authorization: June 1973
Prototype Handover: February 1976
Production Handover: 28 February 1980
Initial Operational Capability: Unknown

Warships

Midway CVB: 513~ days from being laid down to launched, 178~ days from launching to commissioning, 690 days average total
Essex CV: 453~ days from being laid down to launched, 165~ days from launching to commissioning, 617 days average total
Saipan CVL: 363~ days from being laid down to launched, 371 days from launching to commissioning; 734 days total (CVL-48 only)

Bogue CVE: 154~ days from being laid down to launched, 250~ days from launching to commissioning, 383 days average total
Casablanca CVE: 116~ days from being laid down to launched, 50~ days from launching to commissioning, 166 days average total
Commencement Bay CVE: 207~ days from being laid down to launched, 212~ days from launching to commissioning, 418 days average total
Average CVE: 159~ days from being laid down to launched, 171~ days from launching to commissioning, 322 days average total

Iowa BB: 942~ days from being laid down to launched, 153~ days from launching to commissioning, 1095 days average total
South Dakota BB: 744~ days from being laid down to launched, 215~ days from launching to commissioning, 959 days average total
North Carolina BB: 839~ days from being laid down to launched, 324~ days from launching to commissioning, 1163 days average total

Alaska CB: 627~ days from being laid down to launched, 309~ days from launching to commissioning, 936 days average total
Baltimore CA: 502~ days from being laid down to launched, 256~ days from launching to commissioning, 758 days average total
Cleveland CL: 457~ days from being laid down to launched, 240~ days from launching to commissioning, 697 days average total

Fletcher DD: 212~ days from being laid down to launched, 152~ days from launching to commissioning, 364 days average total
Allen M. Sumner DD: 172~ days from being laid down to launched, 116~ days from launching to commissioning, 288 days average total
Gearing DD: 196~ days from being laid down to launched, 133~ days from launching to commissioning, 293 days average total
Average Destroyer: 193~ days from being laid down to launched, 134~ days from launching to commissioning, 315 days average total

Evarts DE: 111~ days from being laid down to launched, 143~ days from launching to commissioning, 278 days average total
Buckley DE: 89~ days from being laid down to launched, 120~ days from launching to commissioning, 214 days average total
Cannon DE: 158~ days from being laid down to launched, 88~ days from launching to commissioning, 241 days average total
Edsall DE: 81~ days from being laid down to launched, 136~ days from launching to commissioning, 217 days average total
John C. Butler DE: 66~ days from being laid down to launched, 116~ days from launching to commissioning, 182 days average total
Rudderow DE: 69~ days from being laid down to launched, 235~ days from launching to commissioning, 304 days average total
Average Destroyer Escort: 96~ days from being laid down to launched, 140~ days from launching to commissioning, 239 days average total

Gato SS: 238~ days from being laid down to launched, 109~ days from launching to commissioning, 347 days average total
Balao SS: 224~ days from being laid down to launched, 148~ days from launching to commissioning, 372 days average total
Tench SS: 111~ days from being laid down to launched, 122~ days from launching to commissioning, 221 days average total
Average Submarine: 191~ days from being laid down to launched, 126~ days from launching to commissioning, 313 days average total

Warship Time Equations

Heavy Armored Warships Built in U.S. Yards during WWII

Time = 32.69 * Displacement^0.32

Where:

Time = Time from keel laying to commissioning in days
Displacement = Full-Load displacement of the vessel in long tons.

Notes: Suitable for things ranging from light cruisers to battleships.