Bell FM-1

Bell FM-1 Airacuda
A Bell YFM-1 "Airacuda"
Type:	Fighter plane
Design country:	United States
Manufacturer:	Bell Aircraft Corporation
First flight:	September 1, 1937
Commissioning:	1940
Number of pieces:	13

The Bell FM-1 Airacuda was an American twin-engine fighter aircraft developed in the second half of the 1930s, with a crew of five for a fighter aircraft.

construction

The prototype XFM-1 ( USAAC serial number 36-351) was equipped with two Allison V- 1710-13 piston engines, while the following nine YFM-1s had V-1710-23 engines. The engines worked via long-distance waves on pusher propellers , which could be detached so that the two crew members who operated the main armament were not endangered in the event of an emergency exit. This main armament consisted of a 37 mm Madsen automatic cannon and a 7.62 mm MG (the MG were later moved to the sides of the fuselage) and was located with the gunner in a nacelle in front of the respective engine. The navigator in the fuselage also had the option of operating the weapons using a Sperry remote control. There was also a gunner / radio operator in the fuselage who operated one or two 12.7 mm machine guns.

The three YFM-1As finally produced were equipped with a nose wheel landing gear . Three of the YFM-1s were converted to more powerful engines and then designated as YFM-1B. The task identifier “FM” for “Fighter Multiplace” was in use at the USAAC from 1936 to 1941, but was only used for this model.

Overall, the aircraft must be described as a faulty design: too heavy, too slow, extremely unstable about the transverse axis , practically impossible to control in single-engine flight, the engines very prone to overheating. Various attempts have been made to correct these problems, but the pattern was never used in combat.

Technical specifications

The Airacuda prototype XFM-1

Parameter	YFM-1 Airacuda
crew	5
length	14.0 m
span	21.3 m
height	3.90 m
Empty mass	6200 kg
Takeoff mass	8190 kg
drive	two Allison V 1710 13 12-cylinder V-engines with turbochargers and 800 kW (1,088 hp) takeoff power
Top speed	431 km / h
Service ceiling	9300 m
Range	1510 to 2880 km
Armament	two 37mm M4 MK , two 7.62mm machine guns and two 12.7mm machine guns; 20 14 kg bombs

literature

• Wilfried Copenhagen : The large aircraft type book , Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-613-01686-9
• John M. Andrade: US Military Aircraft Designations and Serials , Midland Counties Publications, 1979, p. 117

Web links

Commons : Bell YFM-1 Airacuda  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files