Fisher P-75
| Fisher P-75 | |
|---|---|
 Fisher P-75A Eagle |
|
| Type: | Fighter plane |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
November 17, 1943 |
| Number of pieces: |
14th |
The Fisher P-75A Eagle ( English for " eagle ") is a single-seat US American high-performance fighter aircraft from 1944 with two counter-rotating coaxial propellers. The Eagle had its first flight on November 17, 1943, in a redesigned form in September 1944. It was characterized by high speed and extreme climbing performance . Since there were a few accidents during testing, the USAAF reduced the number of new fighters and simpler models such as the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt or North American P-51 Mustang now also had long ranges, and extreme climbing performance faded into the background the P-75 was not put into series production. The last machines built were then only used for test purposes.
history
The USAAF sent a request to General Motors (GM) in September 1942 to develop a fighter with high speed and extreme climbing power. The aircraft was to have the most powerful liquid-cooled aircraft engine currently available , an Allison V-3420-19 with 24 cylinders and an output of 2,637 hp (1,939 kW ).
During this time General Motors was busy with various aircraft production such as the torpedo bomber Grumman TBM Avenger for the US Navy . Some sources even claim that General Motors only accepted the XP-75 project to avoid the lavish production of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress . The very high priority of the XP-75 made this possible.
In October 1942, a contract for two XP-75 prototypes was signed by GM's Fisher Body Division . The aircraft was assembled from various other aircraft components. The wings came from the North American P-51 Mustang , the stern from the Douglas A-24 (SBD), and the fuselage from the Chance Vought F4U Corsair . The aircraft got a mid-engine which, similar to the Bell P-39 Airacobra, drove the propeller via a long-distance shaft. Later the P-51 wings were replaced by those of the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk . The P-75 was also characterized by an exceptionally heavy armament of ten 12.7 mm machine guns , six (as in the P-51) in the wings and four in the fuselage. It was also possible to transport two 227 kg (500 lb) bombs under the wings , making the Eagle usable as a fighter-bomber .
In mid-1943, the need for long-range escort fighters became more and more urgent and the rate of climb became less important, so six more XP-75 machines were converted into long-range fighters. An order for 2,500 machines was planned if the XP-75 proved successful.
The first XP-75 flew on November 17, 1943 and the second a short time later. In the spring of 1944, all six machines were tested, but various malfunctions occurred. There were engine failures, the cooling performance was inadequate and high lateral steering forces at high speeds were observed. The aircraft had to be redesigned. It also got a new rear, a new cabin roof and a new, even more powerful Allison V-3420-23 engine with an output of 2925 hp (2151 kW). These changes fixed most of the problems and these new P-75A machines went into testing in September 1944.
At this time the USAAF reduced the number of new fighter types. Machines like the P-47 Thunderbolt and P-51 Mustang already showed excellent ranges. Production of the P-75A was given up on November 8, 1944 after three aircraft accidents had occurred. Five machines were built for test purposes and served until some time after the end of the war.
A total of 14 machines were made of the P-75 Eagle .
Preserved machines
Today an XP-75 still exists in the USAF Museum in Dayton, Ohio . However, it has not yet been restored.
variants
- XP-75-GM : two copies, first prototypes (GM: manufactured in the "General Motors - Fisher Body" plant in Detroit )
- XP-75-GC : six copies, new prototype series (GC: "General Motors - Fisher Body" Cleveland plant )
- P-75A : six specimens, final escort fighter
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| crew | 1 |
| length | 12.32 m |
| span | 15.05 m |
| height | 4.72 m |
| Wing area | 32.24 m² |
| Empty mass | 5214 kg |
| Takeoff mass | 6263 kg |
| Max. Takeoff mass | 8260 kg |
| drive | 1 × Allison V-3420 -23 water-cooled 24-cylinder 2,885 hp (approx. 2,100 kW ) |
| Top speed | 697 km / h at an altitude of 6100 m |
| Service ceiling | 6160 m |
| Range | 3300 km |
| Armament | six 12.7 mm machine guns in the wings, four 12.7 mm machine guns in the fuselage, two 227 kg bombs |
See also
literature
- William Green, War Planes of the Second World War - Fighters (Vol 4) , MacDonald, London, 1961
Web links
