Vought V-141
| V-141 / V-143 | |
|---|---|
| Role | Fighter aircraft |
| National origin | United States of America |
| Manufacturer | Vought |
| First flight | 29 March 1936 |
| Number built | 1 |
| Developed from | Northrop 3-A |
The Vought V-141 (which was later redesignated V-143 after modification) was a prototype American single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s. It was a development of the unsucessful Northrop 3-A design, but was itself a failure, being rejected by the United States Army Air Corps. The sole prototype was sold to the Japanese Army in 1937, but no production followed, with the type proving to be inferior to existing Japanese fighters.
Design and development
In 1935, Northrop had flown the Northrop 3A, a single-engined, single-seat monoplane with a retractable undercarriage, to meet a United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) requirement for a single-seat fighter. This was a development of Northrop's XFT prototype carrier fighter, and shared the XFT's instability and tendency to enter spins. The sole Northrop 3A prototype disappeared during a test flight over the Pacific on 30 July 1935, and Northrop decided to abandon further development of the 3A.[1][2]
The Air Corps' requirement for a new fighter was still outstanding however, with final evaluation being delayed several times.[3] Despite the warnings of his engineers, Eugene Wright, President of Vought, decided to buy the 3A project from Northrop with the hope of winning orders from the Air Corps, the purchase being agreed early in 1936.[4][2]
Vought's design team had little time to work on the new fighter if it was to compete in the Air Corps compettion, and changes made to the designh purchased from Northrop were relatively small, with an enlarged rudder being fitted in a bid to solve the handling problems of the XFT and 3A, while the undercarriage and engine cowling were also modified.[5] In this form, the prototype fighter, designated Vought V-141 by the manufacturer, made its maiden flight on 29 March 1936, piloted by Paul S Baker.[6] Like the 3A, the V-141 was a low-wing monoplane with a retractable tailwheel undercarriage and an enclosed cockpit. It was powered by a 750 hp (560 kW) Pratt & Whitney Thwin Wasp Junior radial engine, a slightly more powerful version of the engine that powered the 3A.[7][8]
Specifications (V-143)
Data from The American Fighter[9]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 26 ft 0 in (7.92 m)
- Wingspan: 33 ft 6 in (10.21 m)
- Height: 9 ft 4 in (2.84 m)
- Wing area: 187 sq ft (17.4 m2)
- Empty weight: 3,940 lb (1,787 kg)
- Gross weight: 4,370 lb (1,982 kg)
- Fuel capacity: 112 US Gallon, 424 L
- Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney R-1535-SB4G air-cooled radial engine, 825 hp (615 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 292 mph (470 km/h, 254 kn) at 11,485 ft (3,500 m)
- Cruise speed: 221 mph (356 km/h, 192 kn)
- Range: 808 mi (1,300 km, 702 nmi) at 18,045 ft (5,500 m) (55% power)[2]
- Service ceiling: 30,600 ft (9,300 m)
- Time to altitude: 3 min 6 sec to 10,000 ft (3,050 m)
Armament
- Guns: 2 × .30 in (7.62 mm) machine guns
- Bombs: 300 lb (140 kg) bombs
Notes
- ^ Angelucci and Bowers 1987, p. 361.
- ^ a b c Air Enthusiast October 1972, pp. 199–200.
- ^ Green and Swanborough 1979, pp. 10–11.
- ^ Angelucci and Bowers 1987, pp. 434–435.
- ^ Angelucci and Bowers 1987, p. 435.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
AI Oct 72was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Angelucci and Bowers 1987, pp. 435–436.
- ^ Green and Swanborough 1994, p. 585.
- ^ Angelucci and Bowers 1987, p. 436.
References
- Angelucci, Enzo and Peter M. Bowers. The American Fighter. Sparkford, UK: Haynes Publishing, 1987. ISBN 0-85429-635-2.
- Green, William and Gordon Swanborough. "The end of the beginning...The Seversky P35". Air Enthusiast. Ten, July–September 1979. pp. 8–21.
- Green, William and Gordon Swanborough. The Complete Book of Fighters. New York: Smithmark, 1994. ISBN 0-8317-3939-8.
- "Plane Facts: Zero-sen ancestry". Air Enthusiast. October 1973, Vol 3 No 4. pp. 199–200.
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