Lockheed XP-49

infobox Aircraft
name =P-49
type =Fighter
manufacturer =Lockheed



caption =
designer =Clarence Johnson
first flight =1942-11-11
introduced =
retired =
status =Cancelled
primary user =
more users =
produced =
number built =1
unit cost =
variants with their own articles =

The Lockheed XP-49 (company Model 522) was an advancement on the P-38 Lightning for a fighter in response to U.S. Army Air Corps proposal 39-775. Intended to use the new twenty-four cylinder Pratt & Whitney X-1800 engine, this proposal, which was for an aircraft substantially similar to the P-38, was assigned the designation XP-49, while the competing Grumman Model G-46 was awarded second place and designated XP-50.

History

Ordered in October 1939 and approved on January 8, 1940, the X-1800-powered XP-49 would feature a pressurized cockpit and armament of two 20 mm cannon and four 0.5 inch (12.7 mm) machine guns. However, after two months into the contract a decision was made to substitute the Continental XI-1430-1 (or IV-1430) twelve cylinder liquid-cooled inverted vee engines for the X-1800. The XP-49 first flew on November 11, 1942. A crash landing in early January 1943 occurred when the port landing gear failed to lock down due to a combined hydraulic and electric failure, and the XP-49 flew again on February 16, 1943 after repairs were made. The preliminary flight data showed that performance of the XP-49 was not sufficiently better than the production P-38, and with a questionable future for the XI-1430 engine, to warrant disruption of the production line to introduce the new model aircraft. Consideration of quantity production was therefore abandoned.

The aircraft was flown to Wright Field, and after various problems further work on the XP-49 was halted.

pecifications (XP-49)

Aircraft specification

plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop
crew=One
length main=40 ft 1 in
length alt=12.2 m
span main=52 ft
span alt=15.8 m
height main=9 ft 10 in
height alt=3.0 m
area main=327.5 ft²
area alt=30 m²
empty weight main=15,410 lb
empty weight alt=6990 kg
loaded weight main=18,750 lb
loaded weight alt=8505 kg
max takeoff weight main=
max takeoff weight alt=
more general=
engine (prop)=Continental XI-1430-1
type of prop=inverted V-12s
number of props=2
power main=1,600 hp
power alt=1,193 kW
max speed main=406 mph
max speed alt=653 km/h
max speed more=15,000 ft (4,570 m)
range main=679 mi
range alt=1,093 km
ceiling main=
ceiling alt=
climb rate main=3,300 ft/min
climb rate alt=16.8 m/s
loading main=
loading alt=
power/mass main=
power/mass alt=
more performance=
armament=
* 2x 20 mm cannon
* 4x 0.5 in (12.7 mm) machine guns

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Green, William. "War Planes of the Second World War, Volume Four: Fighters". London: MacDonald & Co. (Publishers) Ltd., 1961 (Sixth impression 1969). ISBN 0-356-01448-7.
* Green, William and Swanborough, Gordon. "WW2 Aircraft Fact Files: US Army Air Force Fighters, Part 2". London: Macdonald and Jane's Publishers Ltd., 1978. ISBN 0-354-01072-7.

ee also

aircontent
related=
*P-38 Lightning

similar aircraft=

sequence=
XP-46 -
P-47 -
XP-48 -XP-49 -
XP-50 -
P-51 -
XP-52

see also=

lists=
* List of Lockheed aircraft