(Bell) P-59 Airacomet @·AIRCRAFTUBE

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    Bell XP-59 Airacomet
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    Bell P-59 Airacomet
  • Bell YP-59A Bell YP-59A
    Bell YP-59A
  • Bell P-59 Airacomet - P-63 Bell P-59 Airacomet - P-63
    Bell P-59 Airacomet - P-63
  • Bell P-59A Airacomet Bell P-59A Airacomet
    Bell P-59A Airacomet
  • P-59B Airacomet - USAF P-59B Airacomet - USAF
    P-59B Airacomet - USAF
  • Bell XP-59 Airacomet Bell XP-59 Airacomet
    Bell XP-59 Airacomet

Bell P-59 Airacomet

The P-59 was the first American jet aircraft. Although it never saw combat and was used for training and operative evaluations, it prepared the ground for America's first "true" jet fighter - the Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star.

The project for the Airacomet started in 1941, after the U.S. government had been given the plans of the Whittle W.2B turbojet (the new engine being produced by the British). The programme went forward with great secrecy and was given the code XP-59A, identical to the one which had already been given to a propeller powered plane which Bell was producing at the time.

The aircraft was flown for the first time on 1 October 1942.The plane was a single-seater middle wing monoplane with forward tricycle landing gear. It was powered by a pair of General Electric I-A engines, each with a thrust of 657 kg (or 1,250 lb). During initial evaluation tests, the aircraft did not seem to have any particular weaknesses, although the engines did have some "teething problems", the main one being their lack of sufficient power. The 13 pre-series aircraft were used to test the engines, with the first one of these making it's debut flight on 18 August 1943.

The P-59 was never an outstanding aircraft, hampered by lack of power and lack of manoeuvreability at low speeds. Nevertheless, the USAAF issued a preliminary order for 100 P-59As in March 1944. The development of the P-80 and the course of the war led to drastic cuts in the ordering of further Airacomets. A P-59B version was developed which was fitted with more powerful engines, two General Electric J31-GE-5's, each with a thrust of 907 kg (or 2,976 lb).

Variants

  • XP-59 : Unrelated piston engine powered pusher propeller design developed from the Bell XP-52. Not built.
  • XP-59A : Prototype of the jet engine powered version, three built, serial numbers 42-108784/108786.
  • YP-59A : Series of test aircraft, 13 built, serial numbers 42-108771/108783.
  • YF2L-1 : Two YP-59A (42-108778/108779) delivered to the US Navy for carrier evaluation as Bu63960/63961.
  • P-59A : First production version, 20 built, serial numbers 44-22609/22628.
  • P-59B : Improved P-59A. 80 aircraft ordered but only 30 built, serial numbers 44-22629/22658, further 50 (44-2659/22708) canceled.

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Specifications

  • Length : 11.84 m (38 ft 11 in).
  • Height : 3.66 m (or 12 ft).
  • Wing Span : 13.87 m (45 ft 7 in).
  • Wing area : 386 sq ft (35.86 m²)
  • Take-Off weight : 5,897 kg (or 19,400 lb).
  • Maximum Speed : 665 km/h (or 412 mph).
  • Ceiling : 14,082 m (or 46,300 ft).
  • Range : 604 km (or 375 miles).
  • Engine : Two General Electric J-31-GE-3 turbojets.
  • Thrust : 1,650 lbf (or 748 kg).
  • Armament : One 37 mm cannon or three machine guns or 907 kg (2,002 lb) of bombs.

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This text stays momentarily aircraftube.com©´s property, before its full or partial integration to Wikipedia.
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