Bell XP-83

Bell XP-83
Bell XP-83
Type:	Long-range experimental fighter aircraft
Design country:	United States
Manufacturer:	Bell Aircraft Corporation
First flight:	February 25, 1945
Commissioning:	Never put into service
Production time:	Was never mass-produced
Number of pieces:	2

The Bell XP-83 was a fighter aircraft with jet propulsion of Bell Aircraft , which first flew in 1945, but not on the prototype was developed status also.

history

The early jet aircraft were characterized by high fuel consumption and short range. In March 1944, the USAAF made a request to Bell for a jet fighter with a longer range. On July 31, 1944, a contract was signed for the delivery of two prototypes.

Bell had been working on the design of its Model 40 , a long-range escort fighter based on the Bell P-59 Airacomet , since 1943 .

The first flight took place on February 25, 1945 with Bell's chief pilot Jack Woolams. He found that the aircraft was underpowered and unstable. The second prototype flew on October 19, 1945. Aside from the range, the XP-83 was far inferior to the Lockheed P-80 and the project was canceled.

The first prototype served as a test vehicle for Ramjet engines in 1946 . On September 14, 1946, one of the ramjet engines caught fire and the test pilot Chalmers Goodlin and his engineer Charles Fay had to parachute themselves. The second prototype was scrapped in 1947.

construction

The XP-83 had two General Electric J33 GE-5 turbojet engines positioned under the wings close to the fuselage. For example, additional fuel tanks and weapons could be installed under the wings. The aircraft could carry 4,350 liters of fuel in the fuselage and 950 liters in drop-off tanks. The cabin was pressurized and the cockpit glazing was kept relatively small. Six 12.7 mm machine guns in the aircraft nose served as armament.

Technical specifications

Parameter	Data
crew	1
length	13.5 m
span	16.16 m
height	4.66 m
Wing area	40 m²
Empty mass	10,936 kg
Takeoff mass	12,485 kg
drive	2 × Allison J33 -GE-5 turbojet engines with 1800 kg thrust each
Top speed	840 km / h
Service ceiling	13,700 m
Range	2,760 km
Armament	six 12.7 mm machine guns

literature

• William Green: War Planes of the Second World War - Fighters . tape 4 . MacDonald, London 1961.

Web links

Commons : Bell XP-83  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Joe Baughers XP-83 side (English)
• Warbirds Resource Group page image (English)
• Bell XF-83. In: US Air Force Fact Sheet. National Museum of the United States Air Force , November 9, 2015, archived from the original on July 10, 2011 ; accessed on July 8, 2019 .