US Piston Engined Fighter Projects

[pometablava]

I have a copy of the monumental Angelucci & Bowers "The American Fighter". But even this work is not as comprehensive as I would like..to tell the truth I never have enough to satisfy my love for aerospace projects research

To add an example, I have received this drawing courtesy from my good friend Lark. It is a Lockheed variation from its XP-58 Chain Lightning project. It seems that also a canard version was considered. I find this aircraft fascinating, just look at its size for a fighter...it is impressive. The drawing comes from The Lockheeds that never were, part one from Bill Slayton.


Lark and me are involved in a research about unbuilt US Fighters (until the publication of a book in the subject either from Tony Buttler or Scott Lowther). I have a lot of interest in R-40C fighter design competition in 1940 which was an incredible ambitious program that led (aparently) nowhere. About 50 revolutionary designs were submitted but, as Lark show me there is a lost link which is crucial to understand US Fighter evolution in the late 30's. This is the Douglas DS-312A which led the way with its nose free configuration. It was so influencial that most of the R-40C Pursuit Interceptors (including the winner designs XP-54, 55 and 56) were nose free.

Can anybody give any info or drawings of this aircraft?

[raravia]

WOW!

This is a very strange bird!....

Let me try to to think where i put some illustrationsi that i found it in a link which doesn't exist anymore, it shows with simple illustrations  patents of many US aircrafts, between 1930 and 1951, including some non built fighters of the 30's and civil aircrafts. 

Saludos

Fabián

[pometablava]

Fabián,

I hope you could find these files. It sounds fantastic!

In the meantime, our good friend Lark send me an article from Journal American Aviation Historical Society published in winter 1995. The title is Request for data R40-C and the author is Gerald H. Balzer. Mr Balzer composed a modelic article on Aviation evolution history. It is a masterpiece. Knowledge of the subject is so deep that informations from Angelucci/Bowers in The American Fighter and internet evidence a lack of rigor.

I have learn a lot from this critical period in US Fighter design history. For instance, the Douglas DS-312 never led the way in armament choices in the R40-C RFP. The text from Paul Ludwig's "Mustang-the development of the long range fighter" is not correct about this fact (although it is a good book).
In The American Fighter, the XP-48 is also identified as Model 312 but the information given is not true. The XP-48 was not an "emergency fighter" to be easily mass produced and the comparison with the XP-77 in false. The XP-48 competed against the XP-46 and XP-47A in 1939. Specification XC-622 (1939) called for a light but powerful interceptor comparable to European trends in fighter design.

From the article I attach the list of contenders and the Republic submmission (AP-12 Rocket).
From Angelucci/Bowers the Douglas Model 312 (XP-48).

Antonio

[elmayerle]

From the listing, that AP-12 section view is more info than I've seen elsewhere on the XP-69.  It's rather a pity that the Wright Tornado engine never sw flight-worthy hardware status.

[hesham]

Hi,

do you have any idea about McDonnell Model-2 twin engined
fighter which led to develope Model-23 (P-67) fighter ?.

[hesham]

A little known fighters (actually built):
Ryan STA-Special :was single seat low wing fighter,a version of STM tandem
                        two seat trainer, powered by 150 hp Menasco C4S air-cooled
                        engine.
Waco CSO-A :single seat lightweight fighter,a version of CSO tandem two seat
                   sports and training biplane,powered by 250 hp Wright R-760 E
                   Whirlwind radial engine.
Waco CTO-A :single seat lightweight fighter biplane,developed from Model-10
                   it had a tapered wing.

[hesham]

My dears,

do you know Davis Manta fighter ?.
just model;

[hesham]

My dears,

for Davis Manta it was a really fighter project.

in 1938 USN issue a specification a light high performance carrier
based fighter to replace biplane fighters then in service,the main
contenders were Bell Model-5 XFL-1,Grumman G-34 XF5F-1,Vought
V.166B XF4U-1,Brewster and Curtiss,I search for the last two companys
but I found nothing,does anyone know those two proposals ?.specially
one of two company submitted a twin engined design.

[pometablava]

Hesham,

I posted the Brewster's entry here:

http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,650.0.html

Regards

[Akaikaze]

Any more information on the Manta?  With a rendering similar to the one displayed on this thread, the artist stated that the aircraft was cancelled without explaination.

[hesham]

My dears,

I heard that Gluhareff was designed a several delta wing fighters
to USAF and NACA,can anybody confirm that information ?.

[red admiral]

Should have posted this before;

Davis Manta

From Miranda aviation mag

[Tophe]

My dears,
I heard that Gluhareff was designed a several delta wing fighters
to USAF and NACA,can anybody confirm that information ?.

The Gluhareff Dart's 3-view is in the booklet "Unknown No.3", sold at http://www.luft46.com/rd/rdreams.html
(view from below on the cover in that site)

[hesham]

     Thank you my dear Tophe.

[pometablava]

Davis Manta

From Miranda aviation mag

I didn't knew about this Manta. It looks like an advanced version of the original project posted above, could you tell us more about if?