What protoype do you wish had seen service in WW2?

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

I would have liked to have seen the Ta-183 and the Messerschmitt Me P.1011 see service. From the allies I would have liked to have seen the Republic XP-72 and the Northrop XP-56.

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

I would have liked to have seen the Ta-183 and the Messerschmitt Me P.1011 see service. From the allies I would have liked to have seen the Republic XP-72 and the Northrop XP-56.

[Gnomey]

Not sure what I would of wanted to see fly but there were a lot of cool planes in the pipline that I would of liked to of seen many of which I have seen mentioned here. My choices would properly be many of the late war jet prototypes many of which have already been mentioned and also some of the late war highly advanced piston engined fighters.

[P38 Pilot]

I would've also liked to have seen the XP-56 also. Looking at pictures of it it seemed like a cool looking aircraft.

[P38 Pilot]

Heres one i wished had seen sevice: The P-75A Eagle. Pretty cool aircraft. The only info i have on it is that only 5 of these were made before the contract was cancelled.

[Gnomey]

Information on the P-75 Eagle.

In 1942 the USAAF asked for designs for a high performance fighter with an unprecedented rate of climb, to intercept Japanese bombers in the Pacific theater. The Fisher Body Division of General Motors submitted a design for an aircraft that would use the most powerful inline engine then available, as well as "off-the-shelf" major assemblies (which would shorten development times). The P-75 airframe used the outer wing panels of the Curtiss P-40, the tail unit of the Douglas A-24/Dauntless, and landing gear of the Vought F4U Corsair. The engine was located in the fuselage behind the pilot, similar to the layout of the Bell P-39. Eight prototypes were ordered by the USAAF, but problems were found during testing. By the time the problems were fixed, other capable fighters (like the P-51 Mustang) were available, and the production contract was cancelled.

For more data on this aircraft from Joe Baugher's webpage - http://home.att.net/~jbaugher1/p75.html
USAF archives on this aircraft:http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/research/pursuit.htm

Fisher (General Motors) P-75 Eagle

Type: single-seat fighter
Crew: 1
Armament: six .50 inch machine guns in the wings
four .50 inch machine guns in the fuselage
optional 2 600 lb. bombs

Specifications:
Length: 40' 5" (12.32 m)
Height: 15' 6" (4.72 m)
Wingspan: 49' 4" (15.04 m)
Wing area: 347 sq. ft (32.24 sq. m)
Empty Weight: 11,495 lb (5214 kg)
Max Weight: 18,210 lb (8260 kg) max at takeoff

Propulsion:
No. of Engines: 1
Powerplant: Allison V-3420-23 inline
Horsepower: 2885 hp

Performance:
Range: 2000 miles (3219 km)
Cruise Speed: 310 mph ( 499 km/h)
Max Speed: 420 mph ( 676 km/h) at 20,000 ft
Ceiling: 36,000 ft (10,970 m)

From http://www.daveswarbirds.com/usplanes/american.htm

[FLYBOYJ]

I'm sorry guys the P-75, especially the first one built and while it was on the ground looked like an abortion that lived. It was in our ugly ww2 aircraft thread. The shot you posted P-38 is probably on the the better ones....

[Gnomey]

Originally Posted by FLYBOYJ

I'm sorry guys the P-75, especially the first one built and while it was on the ground looked like an abortion that lived. It was in our ugly ww2 aircraft thread. The shot you posted P-38 is probably on the the better ones....

I never said I liked it I just posted some info. In my opinion it is ugly and agree with you that the shot P-38 has is one of the better ones.

[P38 Pilot]

Well, it looks better than some aircraft i have seen in that forum.

Heres another pic of it.

[P38 Pilot]

Here's another one: P-82 Twin Mustang:

The P-82 came about as a result of a USAAF requirement for a very long range escort fighter for operations in the Pacific, especially to escort the B-29s all the way to Japan and back. The purpose of having two pilots was as a relief against fatigue on the long overwater missions. Only 20 of the 500 ordered had been built before the war's end brought a cancellation to the contracts, but 250 more were built in 1946. Part of this order was for a night fighter version (with a radar operator instead of a second pilot) which was made to replace the Northrop P-61 Black Widow. The P-82 was renamed the F-82 in 1948, and a U.S. F-82 shot down the first enemy aircraft of the Korean War.
For more data on this aircraft, click here for Joe Baugher's webpage.
USAF archives on this aircraft, click here.

North American P-82 Twin Mustang

Type: Fighter
Crew: 2, Pilot, co-pilot/radar operator
Armament: six.50 cal machine guns

Specifications:
Length: 42' 5" (12.93 m)
Height: 13' 10" (4.22 m)
Wing span: 51' 3" (15.62 m)
Wing area: 408 sq. ft (37.90 sq. m)
Empty Weight: 15,997 lbs (7256 kg)
Takeoff Weight: 25,591 lbs (11,608 kg) maximum

Propulsion:
No. of Engines: 2
Powerplant: Allison V-1710-143/145 inline
Horsepower: 1600 hp each

Performance:
Range: 2240 miles (3605 km)
Cruise Speed: 286 mph (460 km/hr)
Max Speed: 461 mph (762 km/hr) at 21,000 ft.
Ceiling: 38,900 ft (11,855 m)

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

I think the Twin Mustang would have been interesting but probably no better than a P-38 so not needed.

[Lunatic]

Originally Posted by P38 Pilot

Ive wished the XF4U-B "Flying Pancake" had seen more service. They did fly in WWII but they were not fully used.

Only the V-173 wooden prototype flew, the XF5U never did due to stupidity. This plane was certainly an oddity. Very short takeoff requirements, top speed over 500 mph...

http://www.daveswarbirds.com/usplane...t/flapjack.htm





But I really have to wonder if it could function sucessfully as a fighter, I just cannot see good roll performance in this design. As a heavy bomber interceptor or a larger version designed as a bomber it might have been exceptional.

=S=

Lunatic

[Lunatic]

Originally Posted by DerAdlerIstGelandet

I think the Twin Mustang would have been interesting but probably no better than a P-38 so not needed.

It was intended for extreme range escort missions felt beyond the endurance of a single pilot. It also may have done well as a night fighter.

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

I think it would have been a great aircraft but it was not needed. It would have been a waster of recourses and time.

[P38 Pilot]

Well, here is a pretty cool fact. It was the Twin Mustang that shot down the first Korean Aircraft in the Korean War!

That is pretty cool.