USN Carrier Based Day Fighter requirement from 1946 generated 12 submissions:
Douglas D-565
Martin Model 235
McDonnell Model 40 and 40A
Chance Vought V-346A to D
Boeing Model 454
Boeing Model 459
Curtiss Wright unknown design
North American unknown design
The winner was Model V-346A which was produced as F7U Cutlass
pometablava said:Tailspin,
my reference for the Boeing entries come from Tony Buttler's "American Secret Projects. Fighters & interceptors 1945-1978" Page 40.
robunos said:Tailspin Turtle, I've seen the Douglas Model 565 published in Jay Miller's 'Aerograph 5 - Douglas A-3 Skywarrior', as the 'Douglas Design based on A-3 studies', on page 14 of said book... ???
cheers,
Robin.
robunos said:That's why it stuck in my mind. It was implied that this design was the starting point for the evolution of the A3D/A-3, but it didn't look right. For a start it didn't seem large enough, or advanced enough to meet the attack requirement.
Likewise with the fighter requirement that we now know it was designed to meet. If the NAA VF I says 'Hawker P.1081', the the D-565 says 'Supermarine Attacker', it just doesn't seem advanced enough, aerodynamically. If this design was placed third in the competition, what was the last placed proposal like....?
cheers,
Robin.
The P-538 and P-551 were actually submitted to the US Navy's OS-112 requirement for a four-seat long-range escort fighter. The P-538 had two Allison T40 turboprops, while the P-551 was powered by four Westinghouse J46 turbojets housed paired in two wing nacelles. The RD.1544 was submitted to the OS-113 competition for a carrier-based interceptor (won by the Douglas F4D Skyray). More info about the P-538 and P-551 is found on pages 117 and 118 of the book Early US Jet Fighters by Tony Buttler.Also from the Spangenberg Index, courtesy of RyanCrierie;
the Curtiss-Wright proposal was P.538,and there is
P.551 may be for the same Specification,and North
American RD.1544.
The book Early US Jet Fighters by Tony Buttler notes that the Curtiss submissions to the OS-105 requirement were called VF-I and VF-II (pp. 108-109), whereas the North American proposal was dubbed RD-1386 (pp. 113-114). There is no mention of the Boeing Models 454 and 459 in this volume, and even though these designs were proposed in late 1945, the OS-105 requirement was issued December 28, 1945.USN Carrier Based Day Fighter requirement from 1946 generated 12 submissions:
Douglas D-565
Martin Model 235
McDonnell Model 40 and 40A
Chance Vought V-346A to D
Boeing Model 454
Boeing Model 459
Curtiss Wright unknown design
North American unknown design
The winner was Model V-346A which was produced as F7U Cutlass