USAAC/USAAF Requests for Proposal, Circular Proposals & Specifications

Are you referring to USAAC Type Specification XC-622 / Circular Proposal / Request for Data R-40C? If so, I have a list of sorts (a bit incomplete, unfortunately) here.
 
A lot of confusion exists over the terms "Circular Proposal", "Design Specification" and "Request for Data".

[THE LIST WAS REMOVED AND REPLACED BY A MORE COMPLETE ONE A FEW POSTS BELOW]

Details of these specifications then appeared in the form of "Circular Proposals", the designations of which were built as follows: "CP ¤¤-***", where ¤¤ corresponds to the year (fiscal year, not necessarily the year of issue) and *** the order in which each year's projects were issued.
  • CP 35-26 Multiengine bomber (led to the B-17, North American XB-21)
  • CP 35-356 New bomber (Boeing 299 "XB-17", Douglas XB-18, Martin 146)
  • CP 36-28 North American BT-9 modified with open cockpits and narrow cowl
  • CP 36-288 Primary trainer (North American NA-22)
  • CP 37-220 Basic combat trainer (North American NA-26 > BC-1)
  • CP 38-385 Twin-engine attack bomber (Douglas 7A, Stearman X100, Martin 167, North American NA-40, Bell Model 9)
  • CP 39-2 Short range observation liaison aircraft (Bellanca Model 49-42 > YO-50)
  • CP 39-13 New fighter (replaced by CP 39-770) (Curtiss XP-46)
  • CP 39-460 Modified specification from CP 38-385, not requiring prototypes (Douglas 7B > A-20, Stearman XA-21, Martin XA-22)
  • CP 39-635 New and improved primary trainer
  • CP 39-640 Medium bomber (Douglas B-23, North American NA-40B, Martin 179)
  • CP 39-770 Interceptor (Bell P-39C, Bell P-40D, Republic P-44, Bell P-45, Curtiss XP-46, Republic XP-47, Douglas XP-48, Bellanca Models 17-110 and 20-115)
  • CP 39-775 High-altitude interceptor (Lockheed XP-49, Grumman XP-50, Bellanca Model 33-220)
  • CP 40-620 Experimental rotary wing aircraft (Platt-LePage XR-1, Kellett XR-2, Kellett XR-3, Sikorsky XR-4)
Many other Circular Proposals were about equipments and did not concern aircraft. It seems that the Circular Proposal system was replaced by the MX- series circa 1943. In the case of XC-218, for instance, each separate proposal that was granted a contract received a separate MX- designation:
  • MX-17 Boeing XB-29
  • MX-18 Lockheed XB-30
  • MX-21 Consolidated XB-32
  • MX-34 Martin XB-33
Anyone who can shed some light on the subject and add to the lists is very much welcome to!!
 
Here is a list:
Specifications:
X-600-----?
X-601-----?
X-602-----CP35-414/Consolidated Model 26/XP-33, North American Model ? and ...
X-603-----Wedell-Williams Model ?/XP-34 and ...
X-604-----Bell Model 1/XFM-1 and Lockheed Model 11/XFM-2.
X-605-----?
X-606-----?
X-607-----?
X-608-----Lockheed P-38 Lightning
X-609-----Bell Bell P-39 Aerocobra
X-610-----?
X-611-----?
X-612-----?
X-613-----?
X-614-----?
XC-615---CP39-775, Lockheed XP-49, Grumman XP-50, Bellanca Model 33-220
XC-616---CP39-770
XC-617---?
XC-618---CP39-780, Multiplace Fighter. Concept was abandoned.
XC-619---CP39-770 replaced specification XC-616 with XC-619, series from the XP-44 up -48, Bellanca Model 17-110 and Model 20-115.
XC-620---?
XC-621---U.S. Army Spec. R-1800-D dated December 1, 1939, Grumman Model 45. Maybe two-engined fighter proposals.
XC-622---Request For Data R-40C, Vultee XP-54, Curtiss XP-55, Northrop XP-56.


These specifications only pursuit/fighter programmes
 
  • C-103 was a bomber specification, to which the Douglas DB-10 project (Design Specification DS-259) was submitted in October 1938.
 
  • C-413-3A was a specification that produced the Ryan YO-51 Dragonfly STOL aircraft (and likely its rival, the Bellanca YO-50).
 
Hi All!
С-413 must be С-143 ( CP 39-2---Stinson YO-49, Bellanca YO-50 and Ryan YO-51)
 
nugo said:
С-413 must be С-143 ( CP 39-2---Stinson YO-49, Bellanca YO-50 and Ryan YO-51)
Click to expand...

Makes sense indeed. Thanks for spotting that mistake!
 
An addition provided by ACResearcher in the Martin 145 thread:
  • X-200 Long-range bomber (Boeing 294 = XB-15, Martin 145A = XB-16)
 
U. S. ARMY AIR CORPS / AIR FORCE DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS

At last I'm able to present a decent list of design specificationsin the previously called "X/XC-..." list, which ran from about 1935 to at least the end of World War II.

This is a simplified version: in many instances there were prefixes such as "98-", "C-", "R-", "RC-", "X-", "XC-", "XR-", "XS-", "Y-", "DA-", "DA-98-", "DA-C-", "DA-R-" which I omitted here for the sake of clarity. Very often too, there was a suffix letter added to the last figure (typically A, B, C, D or E).

I haven't yet been able to work out the meaning of the prefixes, but I suspect they may have to do with either what Army entity drafted the specification, or on what budget... Suffixes vary according to the year (-4/-4A/-4B usually refer to the same aircraft type or a close variant).

Finally, there MUST have been a "Series 800", but I haven't been able to find any reference to it yet.

Of course, the list is not complete, so I'm open to any additions or suggestions!


(list replaced by PDF file — see further below)
 
Fantastic - now you can add this one too from my new Mustang book. The Consolidated XP-33 came from this. -SP
 

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Skyblazer

U. S. ARMY AIR CORPS / AIR FORCE DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS

At last I'm able to present a decent list of design specificationsin the previously called "X/XC-..." list, which ran from about 1935 to at least the end of World War II.
Click to expand...
This kind of reminds me a little bit of the later WS designation scheme, and the RAF's scheme in that the year was listed the date of the specification. I'm curious if anybody knows why they organized 100's as attack planes, and fighters as 600's and stuff?

I know Cold-War the WS-concepts definitely reflected the USAF's priority on things (100 for bombers since that mattered the most to them, 200 seemed to be for fighters/fighter-interceptors and interceptors protected the country from enemy attack...)


Steve Pace

Fantastic - now you can add this one too from my new Mustang book.
Click to expand...
That's a really beautiful design and I'll put that on my Christmas list...
 
KJ_Lesnick said:
This kind of reminds me a little bit of the later WS designation scheme, and the RAF's scheme in that the year was listed the date of the specification. I'm curious if anybody knows why they organized 100's as attack planes, and fighters as 600's and stuff?
Click to expand...

Hi KJ, I am not sure of course, but if you look at the list, you'll see that it more or less follows the alphabetical order (A for Attack, B for Bomber, C for Cargo, O for Observation, P for Pursuit, T for trainer). Only exception is the photo reconnaissance mission (between O and P) and the BC mission which is last because that mission didn't exist when the system was invented.
 
As I was looking for a place to add U.S. Army Air Corps Specification R-1800-D in my files, I happened on a list which I started many years ago, working from many different sources (books, mostly) and had completely forgotten about. Unless I'm mistaken, I don't think I've ever shared it before on this forum, nor have I ever seen its equivalent anywhere on the web (if I'm wrong by all means please let me know).

I've compiled it for you in PDF form and I hope it will be of interest to some of you.

Also, I'm adding a second PDF with the list of Draft Specifications that I already shared previously in this topic, and a third one with Circular Proposals.
When new allocations emerge, I will update the PDF files accordingly.

Unfortunately I still don't have a list for Requests for Proposal such as the late Steve Pace was asking for in the initial post of this thread.
 

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Amazing work as usual my dear Skyblazer,

and I can add;

CP 38-385 also Curtiss Model-83

CP 39-460 also Martin M-177

CP 39-640 also Burnelli XBA-1,Consolidated LB-22 & LB-24,Chance Vought V-302
and Martin M-178
 
hesham said:
Amazing work as usual my dear Skyblazer,
and I can add;
CP 38-385 also Curtiss Model-83
CP 39-460 also Martin M-177
CP 39-640 also Burnelli XBA-1,Consolidated LB-22 & LB-24,Chance Vought V-302
and Martin M-178
Click to expand...

Thanks. I've added these to my spreadsheet and will eventually update the PDF.
I realize I made a mistake about the Stearman in CP 39-640, which was NOT the XA-21.

Are you quite sure about the Martin 177 being submitted along with the Model 167? I haven't found a reference for this.
(I don't use the M- prefix for Martin, as the company itself didn't seem to use it)
 
My dear Skyblazer,

I am sure about M-177,and for Model-167;

CP 38-385 : Martin M-167,CP 39-460 : Martin M-167A.
 
hesham said:
CP 39-640 also Burnelli XBA-1,Consolidated LB-22 & LB-24,Chance Vought V-302
and Martin M-178
Click to expand...

Also Lockheed Model-29A was involved.
 
Hi all

in my tables:

1751 1551-A Huff-Daland XHB-1
1575-A Curtiss P-1, P-1A, P-2
1576-A Douglas O-2, O-2A, XO-2B
1637-A 1637 Curtiss YP-6
1637-B 1637-A Curtiss P-6C
1637-C 1637-B Curtiss P-6E
1736 1726 Consolidated A-11

***

98-102 Boeing Model 329
C-103 also Consolidated LB-8 & LB-12
C-103A also Consolidated LB-19
C-104 Consolidated LB-14 & LB-15
109-A Vultee YA-19, XA-19A, XA-19B
XC-213 also Consolidated LB-22
XC-223-1 Brewster XA-32, XA-32A
C-321 C-321-1 Consolidated C-87
DA-422-1 Lockheed O-56
DA-422-1B Lockheed B-37
X-608 also Vultee P-1015 and Hughes D-2
X-609-1 also Bell XP-39B
98-610-3 Curtiss P-40G
98-610-3A Curtiss P-40D
C-609-2 Bell YP-39A
 
Just out of curiosity, on the first spreadsheet, there are a number of the specifications for types ordered under USAAS, prior to the change in titles. However I do not find anything in there like the Circular E-265 which is mentioned in the below document, which was posted by ACResearcher in connection with NBL AAS bomber program of 1926. Where would I find a list of these Circulars?
1641719777353.png
 

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