Douglas XP-48

XP-48
Role	Fighter aircraft
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Douglas Aircraft Company
Status	Cancelled 1940
Primary user	United States Army Air Corps
Number built	None

Short description: Light fighter project for U.S. Air Force, cancelled 1940

The Douglas XP-48 was a small, lightweight fighter aircraft, designed by Douglas Aircraft in 1939 for evaluation by the U.S. Army Air Corps. Intended to be powered by a small inline piston engine, the contract was cancelled before a prototype could be constructed, due to the Army's concerns about the projected performance of the aircraft.^[1]

Inspiration

In the years before the outbreak of World War II, a number of countries became intrigued by the idea of developing a very light fighter aircraft,^[2] with these proposals often being derived from the design of racing aircraft. Following the consideration of a modified French Caudron racer by the U.S. Army Air Corps, a proposition that was considered uneconomical,^[2] Douglas Aircraft made an unsolicited proposal to the Army Air Corps of their Model 312 design in 1939.^[2]

Design and cancellation

Intended to be powered by a Ranger XV-770 inverted V-12 engine equipped with a supercharger, Douglas' proposal was considered worth pursuing by the Army Air Corps, and on 5 August 1939 a single prototype was ordered. The Model 312 was given the Army designation XP-48, the 48th aircraft type in the Pursuit category.^[3]

Closely resembling the later Bell XP-77,^[4] the design of the XP-48 featured a wing of remarkably high aspect ratio, and was equipped with a pair of synchronized machine guns for armament,^[3] Douglas touted the XP-48 as offering outstanding performance, with a top speed of at least 350 miles per hour (560 km/h),^[3] and, according to Douglas' estimates, possibly as high as 525 miles per hour (845 km/h).^[5]

However, this very aspect of its design was regarded with suspicion by the Army Air Corps.^[3] The Ranger engine was suffering from development difficulties and delays and would never prove truly reliable.^[6] At the same time, Douglas' performance estimates became increasingly regarded as being over-optimistic.^[7] Accordingly, in February 1940 the Army cancelled the XP-48 contract,^[3] and without government funding Douglas ceased development of the aircraft.^[5]

Specifications (XP-48)

Data from ^[5]^[8]

General characteristics

Crew: one (pilot)
Length: 21 ft 9 in (6.63 m)
Wingspan: 32 ft (9.8 m)
Height: 9 ft (2.7 m)
Wing area: 92 sq ft (8.5 m²)
Empty weight: 2,675 lb (1,213 kg)
Gross weight: 3,400 lb (1,542 kg)
Fuel capacity: 50 US gallons (190 l; 42 imp gal)
Powerplant: 1 × Ranger SGV-770 inverted V-12 liquid-cooled piston engine, 525 hp (391 kW)
Propellers: 3-bladed, 9.5 ft (2.9 m) diameter

Performance

Maximum speed: 350 mph (560 km/h, 300 kn)

Armament

Guns: 1 .30 in (7.62 mm) and 1 .50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns.

References

Citations

↑ "Douglas XP-48" . National Museum of the United States Air Force. Accessed May 9, 2010.
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 Norton 2008, p. 156
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 ^3.3 ^3.4 Norton 2008, p. 157
↑ AAHS Journal, Volume 28, Number 2. Summer 1983. American Aviation Historical Society
↑ ^5.0 ^5.1 ^5.2 Angelucci 1987, p. 183.
↑ Adcock 1991, p. 45
↑ Brown et al. 1961, p. 64
↑ Francillon 1979

Bibliography

Adcock, Al. OS2U Kingfisher in action. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications, 1991. ISBN:0-89747-270-5.
Angelucci, Enzo. The American Fighter from 1917 to the present. New York: Orion, 1987. ISBN:0-517-56588-9.
Brown, Kimbrough et al. U.S. Army and Air Force Fighters, 1916-1961. Letchworth, UK: Harleyford Publications, 1961. ASIN B001YTWMPC
Francillon, René J. McDonnell Douglas Aircraft since 1920. London: Putnam & Company Ltd., 1979. ISBN:0-370-00050-1.
Norton, Bill. U.S. Experimental & Prototype Aircraft Projects: Fighters 1939–1945. North Branch, Minnesota: Specialty Press, 2008. ISBN:978-1-58007-109-3.

External links

Douglas XP-48

0.00

(0 votes)

Original source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas XP-48. Read more

[USAF-1] "Douglas XP-48" . National Museum of the United States Air Force. Accessed May 9, 2010.

[Norton1-2] 2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 Norton 2008, p. 156

[Norton2-3] 3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 ^3.3 ^3.4 Norton 2008, p. 157

[4] AAHS Journal, Volume 28, Number 2. Summer 1983. American Aviation Historical Society

[Angel-5] 5.0 ^5.1 ^5.2 Angelucci 1987, p. 183.

[6] Adcock 1991, p. 45

[Brown-7] Brown et al. 1961, p. 64

[8] Francillon 1979

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

v t e USAAS/USAAC/USAAF/USAF fighter designations 1924–1962, and Tri-Service post-1962 systems
Pursuit (1924-1948) Fighter (post-1948)	P-1 P-2 P-3 P-4 P-5 P-6 P-7 P-8 P-9 P-10 P-11 P-12 P-13 P-14 P-15 P-16 P-17 P-18 P-19 P-20 P-21 P-22 P-23 P-24 P-25 P-26 P-27 P-28 P-29 P-30 P-31 P-32 P-33 P-34 P-35 P-36 P-37 P-38 P-39 P-40 P-41 P-42 P-43 P-44 P-45 P-46 P-47 P-48 P-49 P-50 P-51 P-52 P-53 P-54 P-55 P-56 P-57 P-58 XP-59 P-59 P-60 P-61/C P-62 P-63 P-64 P-65 P-66 P-67 P-68 P-69 P-70 P-71 P-72 P-73 P-74¹ P-75 P-76 P-77 P-78 P-79 P-80 P-81 F-82 P-83 F-84/F F-85 F-86/D F-87 F-88 F-89 F-90 F-91 F-92 F-93 F-94 F-95 F-96 F-97 F-98 F-99 F-100 F-101 F-102 F-103 XF-104/F-104 F-105 F-106 F-107 F-108 F-109 F-110 F-111 B
Pursuit, Biplace	PB-1 PB-2 PB-3
Fighter, Multiplace	FM-1 FM-2
Tri-service sequence (1962-present)	F-1C/F-1E F-2 F-3 F-4 F-5 F-6 F-7 F-8 F-9 F-10 F-11 F-12 F-13¹ F-14 F-15/E F-16 F-17 F-18 A/B/C/D E/F F-19¹ F-20 F-21 F-22A YF-22 FB-22 F-23 F-24 to F-34¹ F-35
Non-sequential designations	F-24 F-117 P-322 P-400
¹ Not assigned See also: "F-19" • 1919-1924 sequence