Boeing XF8B

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_XF8B

The Boeing XF8B (Model 400) was a single-engine aircraft developed by Boeing
during World War II to provide the United States Navy with a long-range
shipboard fighter aircraft. The XF8B was intended for operation against the
Japanese home islands from aircraft carriers outside the range of Japanese
land-based aircraft. Designed for various roles including interceptor,
long-range escort fighter, dive-bomber, and torpedo bomber, the final design
embodied a number of innovative features in order to accomplish the various
roles. Despite its formidable capabilities, the XF8B-1 never entered series
production.

Role
Fighter

Manufacturer
Boeing

First flight
27 November 1944

Status
Canceled

Primary users
United States Navy
United States Army Air Forces

Number built
3

The XF8B-1 was, at the time, the largest and heaviest single-seat, single-engine
fighter developed in the United States. Boeing called the XF8B-1
optimistically, the "five-in-one fighter" (fighter, interceptor, dive bomber,
torpedo bomber, or level bomber). It was powered by a single 3,000 hp (2,200 kW)
Pratt & Whitney XR-4360-10 four-row 28-cylinder radial engine, driving two
three-bladed contra-rotating propellers. It would be the largest single-seat
piston fighter to fly in the U.S. to date. The large wings featured outer
sections which could fold vertically, while the fuselage incorporated an
internal bomb bay and large fuel tanks; more fuel could be carried externally.
The proposed armament included six 0.50 inch (12.7 mm) machine guns or six 20 mm
wing-mounted cannons, and a 6,400 lb (2,900 kg) bomb load or two 2,000 lb (900
kg) torpedoes. The final configuration was a large but streamlined design,
featuring a bubble canopy, sturdy main undercarriage that folded into the wings,
and topped by a variation on the B-29 vertical tail.

The contract for three prototypes (BuNos 57984–57986) was awarded 4 May 1943,
although only one was completed before the war ended. It first flew in November
1944. The two remaining prototypes were completed after the war, with the third
(BuNo 57986) evaluated at Eglin Air Force Base by the United States Army Air
Forces. To expedite testing and evaluation, a second cockpit was fitted to the
first two prototypes to allow a flight engineer to help monitor the test
flights. The second seat was easily accommodated in the roomy cockpit.

Although testing of the promising XF8B concept continued into 1946 by the USAAF
and 1947 by the US Navy, the end of the war in the Pacific and changing postwar
strategy required that Boeing concentrate on building large land-based bombers
and transports. The advent of jet fighters led to the cancellation of many
wartime piston-engined projects; consequently, since the USAF lost interest in
pursuing the project and the U.S. Navy was only prepared to offer a small
contract, Boeing chose to wind down the XF8B program. Tests at Boeing Field were
marred by an accident in which a test pilot accidentally retracted his landing
gear on final approach. Investigation later found this to have been caused by a
faulty micro switch. This occurred just as first shift was ending, and as many
workers watched from the Plant 2 steps, the XF8B-1 bellied onto
the concrete of Boeing Field. As the test program was concluded, the prototypes
were scrapped one by one, with 57986 lingering on into 1950.

Specifications (Boeing XF8B-1)

General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 43 ft 3 in (13.18 m)
Wingspan: 54 ft (16 m)
Height: 16 ft 3 in (4.95 m)
Wing area: 489 sq ft (45.4 m2)
Empty weight: 13,519 lb (6,132 kg)
Gross weight: 20,508 lb (9,302 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 21,691 lb (9,839 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney XR-4360-10 28 cylinder four-row air-cooled
piston engine, 3,000 hp (2,200 kW) for take-off;

(3,600 hp (2,700 kW) war emergency with water injection)
Propellers: 3-bladed 2x Aeroprop, 13 ft 6 in (4.11 m) diameter contra-rotating
co-axial propellers

Performance
Maximum speed: 450 mph (720 km/h, 390 kn) + (with war emergency power and water
injection)
Cruise speed: 190 mph (310 km/h, 170 kn)
Range: 2,800 mi (4,500 km, 2,400 nmi)
Service ceiling: 37,500 ft (11,400 m)
Rate of climb: 2,000 ft/min (10 m/s)
Power/mass: 0.15 hp/lb (0.240 kW/kg)

Armament

Guns:
6x 20 mm (0.787 in) cannon
or6x 0.5 in (12.7 mm) machine guns
Rockets: provision for rockets under the outer wings
Bombs:
6,400 lb (2,900 kg) bombs
or2x 2,000 lb (910 kg) torpedoes




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