- Packard-Le Peré LUSAC-11
The LUSAC-11 (Le Peré United States Army Combat) was an early American Army
fighter aircraft .When the U.S. entered
World War One , the Signal Corps had just 55 aircraft, [Fitzsimons, Bernard, ed. "Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare" (London: Phoebus, 1978), Volume 16, p.1782, "LUSAC-11, Packard-Le Peré".] none fit for combat. TheAmerican Expeditionary Force was equipped with French types, [Fitzsimons, p.1782.] and the LUSAC was part of a plan to build French designs in the U.S.The creation of a "Capitaine" Le Peré, [Fitzsimons, Volume 16, p.1783, "LUSAC-11, Packard-Le Peré".] it was a two seat
biplane of equal span with forward stagger. It was powered by a 425 hp (317 kW)Liberty L-12 engine.Proving fast, and armed with two .30 (7.62mm) Lewis
machinegun s (one on the cowl, on on a flexible mount for the observer) 3525 were ordered. Only thirty were completed by theArmistice , the rest being cancelled.Three additional aircraft were completed with 420 hp (317 kW)
Bugatti 16 engines as LUSAC-21s. These were delivered in August 1919.In addition, three strafer aircraft were built, as LUSAGH (Le Peré United States Army Ground Harassment), two with Bugatti engines (LUSAGH-21), one a Liberty (LUSAGH-11).
One LUSAC-11, fitted with a turbocharged Liberty, was flown to a record height of 34,507' (10,518 m) on
28 September 1921 byLieutenant James Macready. The record held two years.There was also an experimental LUSAC-11
triplane , the LUSAO-11 (Le Pere United States Army Observation), which used two Liberty L-12As.pecifications (LUSAC-11)
aircraft specifications
plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=propcrew=2 (pilot & observer/gunner)
length main=24 ft 4 in
length alt=7.42 m
span main=41 ft 7 in
span alt=12.67 m
height main=
height alt=2.89 m
area main=
area alt=
empty weight main=
empty weight alt=
loaded weight main=
loaded weight alt=
max takeoff weight main=3,746 lb
max takeoff weight alt=1,699 kgengine (prop)=Liberty
type of prop=liquid-cooledV12 engine
number of props=1
power main=425 hp
power alt=317 kWmax speed main=118 knots
max speed alt=136 mph, 219 km/h
max speed more=
range main=
range alt=
ceiling main=
ceiling alt=
climb rate main=
climb rate alt=
loading main=
loading alt=
power/mass main=
power/mass alt=guns=
**1×.30 (7.62mm) Lewismachinegun on the upper fuselage
**1×.30 (7.62mm) Lewis gun in the observer's cockpit
bombs=References
* Fitzsimons, Bernard, ed. "Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare". Volume 16, p.1782-3, "LUSAC-11, Packard-Le Peré". London: Phoebus, 1978.
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