Fokker XB-8

Infobox Aircraft
name=XB-8


caption=Atlantic (Fokker) XB-8 (S/N 29-328) at Teterboro Field, N.J.
type=Light bomber
manufacturer=Fokker
designer=
first flight=
introduced=
retired=
status=
primary user=United States Army Air Corps
more users=
produced=
number built=7 (1 XB-8 + 2 YB-8 + 4 Y1B-8), all as Y1O-27
program cost=
unit cost=
developed from=Fokker O-27
variants with their own articles=The Fokker XB-8 was a bomber built for the United States Army Air Corps in the 1920s, derived from the high-speed Fokker O-27 observation aircraft.

Design and development

During assembly, the second prototype XO-27 was converted to a bomber prototype, dubbed the XB-8. While the XB-8 was much faster than existing biplane bombers, it did not have the bomb capacity to be considered for production. Two YB-8s and 4 Y1B-8s were ordered, but these were changed mid-production to Y1O-27 configuration.

The wing of the XB-8 and XO-27 was built entirely from wood, though the fuselage was constructed of steel tubes covered with fabric. They featured the first retractable landing gear ever fitted to an Army Air Corps bomber or observation craft.

It competed against a design submitted by Douglas Aircraft Company, the Y1B-7/XO-36. Both promised to greatly exceed the performance of the large biplane bombers then used by the Army Air Corps. However, the Douglas XB-7 was markedly better in performance than the XB-8, and no further versions of Fokker's craft were built.

Operators

;flag|United States|1912
*United States Army Air Corps

pecifications (XB-8)

aircraft specifications
plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop
crew=4
length main=47 ft
length alt=14 m
span main=64 ft
span alt=20 m
height main=11 ft 6 in
height alt=3.5 m
area main=619 ft²
area alt=57.5 m²
empty weight main=6,861 lb
empty weight alt=3,112 kg
loaded weight main=10,545 lb
loaded weight alt=4,783
max takeoff weight main= lb
max takeoff weight alt= kg
number of props=2
engine (prop)=Curtiss V-1570-23
type of prop="Conqueror" V12 engines
power main=600 hp
power alt=450 kW
max speed main=160 mph
max speed alt=140 kt, 260 km/h
range main= mi
range alt= nm, km
ceiling main= ft
ceiling alt= m
loading main=17.0 lb/ft²
loading alt=83.2 kg/m²
power/mass main=0.114 hp/lb
power/mass alt=190 W/kg

External links

*cite book|author=Wagner, Ray|year=1982|title=American Combat Planes|location=New York | publisher=Doubleday|id=ISBN 0-930083-17-2
*cite web|title=Atlantic O-27 USAAS|work=1000 Aircraft Photos|accessmonthday=November 17 |accessyear=2005|url=http://1000aircraftphotos.com/APS/3514.htm
*cite web|title=Atlantic XB-8|work=USAF Museum|accessmonthday=August 1 |accessyear=2004|url=http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/research/bombers/b1-52.htm
*cite web|title=Fokker XB-8|work=Encyclopedia of American Aircraft|accessmonthday=March 18 |accessyear=2005|url=http://home.att.net/~jbaugher2/b8.html

ee also

aircontent
related=
* Fokker YO-27
similar aircraft=
* Douglas Y1B-7
sequence=
* B-5 - B-6 - Y1B-7 - XB-8 - Y1B-9 - B-10 - YB-11
lists=
* List of bomber aircraft
* List of military aircraft of the United States