Douglas XP-48

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

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

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]

## Contents

* 1 Inspiration
* 2 Design and cancellation
* 3 Specifications (XP-48)
* 4 See also
* 5 References
* 5.1 Citations
* 5.2 Bibliography
* 6 External links

## 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.

## See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

* Ambrosini SAI.207
* Bell XP-77
* Caudron C.714
* Roussel R-30
* Miles M.20
* Tucker XP-57

Related lists

* List of fighter aircraft
* List of military aircraft of the United States

## References

### Citations

1. ↑ "Douglas XP-48" . National Museum of the United States Air Force. Accessed May 9, 2010.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Norton 2008, p. 156
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
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Angelucci 1987, p. 183.
6. ↑ Adcock 1991, p. 45
7. ↑ Brown et al. 1961, p. 64
8. ↑ 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

* v
* t
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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-111B

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

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