Chu X-PO

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Chu (AFAMF) X-PO
f2
Type: Fighter plane
Design country:

Republic of China 1912-1949Republic of China 1912-1949 Republic of China

Manufacturer:

AFAMF - Air Force Aircraft Manufacturing Factory

First flight:

1943

Number of pieces:

1

The Chu X-PO was a fighter aircraft made by the Chinese manufacturer AFAMF .

history

The Curtiss Model 68 Hawk III biplanes used in China were obsolete in 1937, and a successor should be sought. After long negotiations with Curtiss and the purchase of two Hawk 75H demonstration machines , the decision was made to order 30 Hawk 75M machines. These were delivered between May and August 1938.

A planned license building at CAMCO in Loi-wing did not materialize, as there was meanwhile interest in the more powerful Hawk 75A-5. This now had a retractable landing gear. Around 40 machines were assembled at CAMCO.

In 1941 the Hawk 75 proved to be completely inferior to the Japanese hunters. In addition, the US showed no interest in supporting China against Japan. Major General Zhu Jiaren, the head of the technical design office of the Chinese Air Force, therefore began designing his own fighter aircraft at the AFAMF aircraft factory.

The prototype was not completed in Yangling until early 1943 . The series production should then take place at AFAMF No.1 in Kunming . After the successful first flight in Yangling, the pilot landed the machine too quickly and was so damaged that it had to be written off. When the USA entered the war against Japan, the USA had a greater interest in tying up Japanese forces in China and the USA supplied Curtiss P-40s to China. Further work on the X-PO was therefore stopped.

construction

The construction was very similar to the Hawk 75A. The monoplane had a retractable rear wheel landing gear and a closed cabin. As much as possible local and therefore available raw materials should be used. Therefore, it was decided to use a composite construction. The wing was made of wood and was supported by three spars. The tail unit was made of wood. The hull was a tubular steel construction. The planking was made entirely of plywood, while the rudder surfaces were covered with fabric.

The engine was the 1200 hp 14-cylinder double radial engine Pratt & Whitney R-1830 -S1C3-G Twin Wasp.

The X-PO was to be armed with four 20 mm Hispano-Suiza automatic cannons in under-wing fairings. For use as a dive bomber , a bomb carrier was provided under the fuselage. However, the armament was never installed.

Technical specifications

Parameter Data
crew 1
length 8.80 m
span 11.40 m
height 3.70 m
Wing area 22.0 m²
Wing extension 5.91
Takeoff mass 2815 kg to 2990 kg
Cruising speed 450 km / h
Top speed 486 km / h near the ground,
450 km / h at an altitude of 4000 m,
504 km / h at an altitude of 5000 m
Service ceiling 9850 m
Range 920 km, maximum 1400 km
Engine a Pratt & Whitney R-1830 -S1C3-G Twin Wasp, 1,200 PS (883 kW)

See also

literature

  • William Green, Gordon Swanborough: Fighter Planes of the World. Motorbuchverlag Stuttgart, 1996, p. 113, ISBN 3-7276-7126-2

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b William Green and Gordon Swanborough: Fighter aircraft of the world. P. 113, Motorbuchverlag Stuttgart, 1996, ISBN 3-7276-7126-2
  2. ↑ a b http://www.fliegerweb.com/geschichte/flugzeuge/lexikon.php?show=lexikon-447