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Convair A-44
Artist's conception of the Convair A-44 in flight. Design as of June 18, 1946.
XA-44, later became XB-53
From http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil
Convair A-44
Artist's conception of the Convair A-44 in flight. Design as of June 18, 1946.
XP67_Moonbat said:Does anyone know if this an XB-53 variant?
lark said:Could it be that the XA-44 attack aircraft had a less swept wing
compared with the later XB-53 bomber ?
Clioman said:lark said:Could it be that the XA-44 attack aircraft had a less swept wing
compared with the later XB-53 bomber ?
Lark is correct. The XA-44 design had a forward sweep of about 12 degrees and a dihedral of 3 degrees. The XB-53 had a forward sweep of 30 degrees and a dehidral of 8 degrees. More details to follow.
XP67_Moonbat said:Does anyone know if this an XB-53 variant? I found it looking for something else.
Moonbat
Stargazer2006 said:NACA Langley archives once again provide much help in understanding the differences between A-44 and B-53. Here are two sets of photos of Models 61 and 74 as tested in Langley's 12-foot Low Speed Tunnel in 1945 and 1947, respectively.
http://crgis.ndc.nasa.gov/historic/Additional_Photos_for_12-Foot_Low_Speed_Tunnel_3#Model_.2361
1. The XB-53 is the outgrowth of the XA-44, which was previously changed from the XB-46. The original XB-46 contract, written in March of 1945, called for the procurement of four aircraft. Three were to be flight articles and one a static test article. The static test article was cancelled in June of 1945 leaving the three flight articles on contract at an estimated cost of $10,418,642.19.Brief Outline of the Background of the XB-53 Light Bomber Project.
Convair XB-53 turret drawings at SDASM flickr archives.[...]
Armament two retractable turrets ,5400 kg bombs and 40 HVAR rockets
Yowza! That will leave a mark in something!XA-44 designed for 20 .50-cal. machine guns
What did Convair know about gunners’ periscopes that Avro did not?Convair XB-53 turret drawings at SDASM flickr archives.
View: https://flic.kr/p/2o2T4wk
View: https://flic.kr/p/2o2T4tz
Was probably based on the B-29's remote sighting system, which was complex but supposedly worked really well.What did a on air know about gunners’ periscopes that Avro did not. Early in the production run (early 1940s) Avro tried installing belly turrets controlled through periscopes on early Lancaster heavy bombers. When they proved ineffective, they were deleted.