Boeing P-26
| Boeing P-26 peashooter | |
|---|---|
 Boeing P-26 "Peashooter" in flight |
|
| Type: | Fighter plane |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
March 20, 1932 |
| Number of pieces: |
151 |
The Boeing P-26 Peashooter (Model 266) was the first all-metal fighter aircraft used by the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). The first prototype of the low-wing aircraft flew for the first time on March 20, 1932 and was used in the Philippines at the beginning of the Pacific War .
history
development
The aircraft was based on the Boeing Project Model 248 from September 1931. It had an open cockpit and fixed landing gear. The USAAC ordered three prototypes as XP-936 were referred. The first flight took place on March 20, 1932.
Then Boeing received an order for 111 series machines of the type Model 266 , which were given the USAAC designation P-26A . This version had improved wings and was equipped with radio equipment. The P-26A first flew on January 10, 1934. Two machines with Pratt & Whitney R-1340-33 engines, designated as P-26B , followed. The version P-26C received some changes to the carburetor and fuel system, of which 23 machines were built.
Twelve other Model 281 machines (export version of the P-26C ) were built for China (11) and Spain (1).
commitment
The first combat missions were carried out in China in 1936. On August 20, 1937 met at the Second Sino-Japanese War eight P-26 to six Japanese bombers of type Mitsubishi G3M2 and shot it off without loss. The 6th Fighter Squadron of the new Philippine Air Force received some P-26C . However, they were already inferior to the Japanese Mitsubishi Zero at the beginning of the Pacific War in late 1941 and had to be withdrawn in early 1942.
- Countries of operation
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China
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Guatemala
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Panama
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Philippines
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Spain (one plane only) -
United States Army Air Corps
The Guatemalan Air Force flew the P-26 until 1957.
Whereabouts
There are only two original P-26s left in US museums. The first is in the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum and the other is in the Planes of Fame Museum in Chino, California . A replica of a P-26 is in the USAF Museum in Dayton, Ohio .
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Boeing P-26A data |
|---|---|
| crew | 1 |
| length | 7.19 m |
| span | 8.52 m |
| Wing area | 13.89 m² |
| height | 3.06 m |
| drive | an air-cooled 9-cylinder radial engine Pratt & Whitney Wasp R-1340-27 , 372 kW (507 hp) |
| Top speed | 377 km / h at an altitude of 1829 m |
| Range | 580 km |
| Service ceiling | 8350 m |
| Empty mass | 987 kg |
| Max. Takeoff mass | 1340 kg |
| Armament | two 7.62 mm MG Browning M1919s , one 91 kg bomb |
See also
literature
- Frank B. Mormillo: America's first all-metal hunter . In: Flugzeug Classic . No. 8 , 2006, ISSN 1617-0725 , p. 20-22 .
Web links
- Boeing P-26A peashooter. In: Collections Database. Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, accessed June 23, 2009 .