Douglas XFD

XFD
Role	Fighter
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Douglas Aircraft Company
Designer	James H. Kindelberger, Arthur Emmons Raymond
First flight	January Template:Avyear
Status	Abandoned project
Number built	1

The Douglas XFD was a carrier-based biplane fighter aircraft, the first fighter to be built by Douglas Aircraft Company.

Development

The XFD was designed to the Bureau of Aeronautics Specification No. 311, requesting a carrier-based two-seat biplane fighter. On June 30, 1932, the Navy ordered the XFD, Vought XF3U, and Curtiss XF12C for testing. The XFD was all metal except for its fabric covering. The crew sat in tandem in a single bay, enclosed by a long canopy. It was fixed gear with a tailwheel. Powered by a Pratt & Whitney Wasp, it first flew in January 1933, and was evaluated by the Navy between June 18, 1933 and August 14, 1934. The XFD performed well, but the Navy had stopped using two-seat fighters; therefore, no orders were received.

Specifications

Data from Angelucci, 1987. pp. 182-183

General characteristics

• Crew: 2

Performance

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

• Vought XF3U

References

Bibliography

• Angelucci, Enzo (1987). The American Fighter from 1917 to the present. New York: Orion Books.

External links

Media related to Douglas XFD at Wikimedia Commons