Fighter, Fighterbomber

Hawker Tempest V (Matchbox)

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TYPE: Low- and medium-altitude fighter, fighter bomber

ACCOMMODATION: Pilot only

POWER PLANT: One Napier Sabre IIB liquid-cooled engine, rated at 2,200 hp

PERFORMANCE: 435 mph at 17,000 ft

COMMENT: The Tempest V preceded the Tempest II into production and squadron service, and was, in fact, the only variant of the Tempest series of fighters to be employed operationally during WW II. The Tempest V employed the well-tried Napier Sabre II engine of the Typhoon yet, despite its close family resemblance to the earlier fighter and the use of the same engine, it possessed a markedly superior performance, being an object lesson in aerodynamic refinement. The first production tempest V flew on June 1943 and the type entered service in April 1944. Within a couple of months the Tempest V was the fastest low-medium altitude fighter available to the RAF and had become the mainstay of Britain’s fighter defence against the German Fieseler Fi 103 Flying bomb (V 1). In total 801 Tempest V had been built. A further development of this famous fighter was the Tempest VI (Ref.: 12)

 

 

Fighter

Curtiss XP-55 Ascender (MPM)

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TYPE: Interceptor fighter

ACCOMMODATION: Pilot only

POWER PLANT: One Allison V-1710-95 liquid-cooled engine, rated at 1,250 hp

PERFORMANCE: 390 mph at 19,300 ft

COMMENT: One of the most radical fighter designs to fly during WW II, the Curtiss XP-55 was evolved as a result of Circular Proposals R-40C which called for a fighter powered by the Pratt & Whitney X-1800-A3G engine which, by employing an conventional design, offered enhanced pilot visibility and armament installation, and a considerable reduction in overall drag by comparison with similar powered single-seaters of conventional configuration. An US Army Air Corps specification issued on November 1939 set forth performance requirements and, in addition to Curtiss-Wright, the Vultee and Northrop companies submitted design proposals, these eventually appearing as Vultee XP-54 and Northrop XP-56 and also employing unorthodox configurations. On July 1943 a contract was issued for three XP-55 fighters powered by the Allison V-1710, which engine was selected in preference to the Pratt &N Whitney X-1800 on the basis of reliability and availability. The first XP-55 was completed on July 1943, and flight testing began immediately. This aircraft was destroyed on November 1943 during stall tests. While the second prototype began flight test on January 1944 under restricted conditions, extensive modifications were incorporated in the third XP-55 that began flight test on September 1944. The results of these trials indicated that, in general, the handling characteristics of the XP-55 were satisfactory. A serious handicap was engine cooling which was critical during all phases of operation. The XP-55 attained a maximum speed of 377.5 mph at 16,900 ft. The official conclusions were that the performance did not compare favourably with standard production fighters and further development was abandoned (Ref.: 13)

Fighter, Fighterbomber, Projects

Blohm & Voss Bv P. 204 with Blohm & Voss Bv 246 “Hagelkorn” (Hailstone) (Airmodel, Vacu formed)

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TYPE: Ground attack aircraft, dive bomber. Project.

ACCOMMODATION: Pilot only

POWER PLANT: One BMW 301D radial engine, rated at 1,870 hp and one BMW 003A-1 turbojet engine, rated at 900 kp

PERFORMANCE: 472 mph

COMMENT: This asymmetric mixed-propulsion ground attack aircraft and dive bomber was designed by Dr. Richard Vogt, Chief engineer of the Blohm & Voss Aircraft Company. The wing was of an unswept, rectangular shape with taper and dihedral on the outer wing panels. The fuselage was slightly offset to the starboard side, to balance the BMW 003A or Heinkel He S 011 turbojet that was slung beneath the port wing. A BMW 801 D radial engine also provided power, this being located in the nose of the fuselage. The tail plane was located forward of the vertical tail on a stepped section of the fin. A conventional landing gear design was chosen for the BV P.204, with the tailwheel retracting backwards into the rear fuselage, while the mail wheels retracted outwards into the wing. Armament consisted of two MG 151/20 20mm cannon with 250 rounds of ammunition located ahead of the cockpit firing through the propeller and two MG 151/20 20mm cannon mounted in the wings firing outside of the propeller arc. There was a provision to mount two MK 103 30mm cannon with 70 rounds of ammunition beneath the wings also. For highly defended targets a Blohm & Voss Bv 246 “Hagelkorn” (“Hailstone”) missile, an automatic guided glide bomb, could be carried externally under the fuselage (Ref.: 16).

Fighter, Fighterbomber

Hawker Tempest II (Matchbox)

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TYPE: Interceptor, fighter bomber

ACCOMMODATION: Pilot only

POWER PLANT: One Bristol Centaurus V radial engine, rated at 2,520 hp

PERFORMANCE: 440 mph at 15,900 ft

COMMENT: The Tempest II was developed in parallel with the Tempest I and Tempest V, and owed much to experience gained with the Centaurus-powered Tornado prototype. The first Tempest II prototype flew initially on June 1943, being followed on September 1943 by the second prototype, but production priority was given to the Tempest V, and deliveries of the Tempest II did not commence until October 1944. The Tempest II was the most powerful fighter powered by a single piston engine to see service with the R.A.F. and was intended primarily for operations against the Japanese in Far East where its excellent range would undoubtedly have proved most useful. It was proposed that a wing of fifty Tempest IIs be sent to the Pacific in May 1945, but in the event, hostilities terminated before the fighter had been issued to the squadrons. A total of 462 Tempest II had been built (Ref.: 12).

Torpedobomber, Reconnaissance

Fairey Swordfish Mk.III (Matchbox)

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TYPE: Torpedo bomber, anti-submarine aircraft, trainer

ACCOMMODATION: Crew of three

POWER PLANT: One Bristol Pegasus III M3 radial engine, rated at 690 hp

PERFORMANCE: 143 mph at 5.000 ft

COMMENT: The Fairey Swordfish was a biplane torpedo bomber designed by the Fairey Aviation company, used by the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm during World War II. Originating in the 1930s, the Swordfish, nicknamed “Stringbag”, was an outdated design by the start of the war in 1939, but remained in front-line service until the end of the hostilities in Europe outliving several types intended to replace it, e.g. the Fairey Albacore. It was initially operated primarily as a fleet attack aircraft. During its later years the aircraft was equipped with racks under the lower wings to enable the mounting of rockets and a large centrimetric radar in a fairing under the fuselage. It was used as an anti-submarine and training aircraft. When the production was halted in August 1944 a total 2,391 have been built (Ref.:23).

Fighter

Northrop XP-56 Black Bullet (MPM)

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TYPE: Interceptor fighter

ACCOMMODATION: Pilot only

POWER PLANT: One Pratt & Whitney R-2800-29 radial engine, rated at 2,000 hp

PERFORMANCE: 465 mph at 25,000 ft (estimated)

COMMENT: After the accident of the first XP-56 prototype it was decided to re-balance the second prototype and move the center of gravity forward. Other changes included a major increase in the size of the upper vertical surface, and the incorporation of a novel form of rudder control which made use of air bellows to operate wingtip split flaps for directional control. The control of the bellows was achieved by valving air to or from the bellows by means of wingtip venturis. On March 1944 the second XP-56 was flows for the first time. Nose heaviness, relative low speeds, high fuel consumption and control instability led the N.A.C.A. to test the aircraft in the wind tunnel at Moffett field. Meanwhile, some more flight test have been performed but proved not satisfactory. It was decided that further flight test were too hazardous and after the project had been inactive for more than a year the decision was taken to abandon the project (Ref.: 13).

Fighter, Fighterbomber

Hawker Tempest Mk. VI with two 40 mm cannon (Matchbox)

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TYPE: Low- and medium-altitude interceptor fighter, fighter-bomber

ACCOMMODATION: Pilot only

POWER PLANT: One Napier Sabre VA liquid-cooled engine, rated 2,340 hp

PERFORMANCE: 435 mph at 17,000 ft

COMMENT: The Tempest VI was derived from the Tempest Mk. V and was powered by a Napier Sabre VA engine. The prototype flew for the first time on May 1944. It showed an excellent performance and exceeded those of the Tempest V. Consequently, orders were placed, but the Tempest VI was too late to see operational service. It was the last piston-engine fighter of the RAF entering series production before the end of WW II and 142 Tempest VI were delivered. (Ref.: 13)

Fighter

Northrop XP-56 (MPM)

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TYPE: Interceptor fighter

ACCOMMODATION: Pilot only

POWER PLANT: One Pratt & Whitney R-2800-29 radial engine, rated at 2,000 hp

PERFORMANCE: 465 mph at 25,000 ft (estimated)

COMMENT: One of the most radical American wartime experimental fighters was Northrop’s XP-56, a unique tailless interceptor built entirely of magnesium. It was designed around the projected Pratt & Whitney X-1800 liquid cooled engine which, installed as a pusher, was to drive contra-rotating airscrews. A prototype was ordered on September 1940, but shortly after development began, Pratt & Whitney requested authority to abandon further work on the X-1800 engine. So, on July 1941, it was decided that the Pratt & Whitney R-2800-29 should be installed. In the meantime, flight trials with the Northrop N1M Flying Wing, which had an essentially similar wing of the XP-56 fighter, had confirmed the stability of the radical configuration about all three axis, and, realizing the impracticability of having only one prototype under construction, on February 1942, the U.S.A.A.F. ordered a second XP-56. Taxi trials with the first XP-56 were undertaken in April 1943 but due to many problems with the power plant the first flight was not made until September 1943. Further flights at low altitudes were completed, but during taxiing the port tire blew out and the first XP-56 was destroyed (Ref.:13).

Heavy Bomber, Projects

Blohm & Voss Bv P.188.02 (Unicraft, Resin)

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TYPE: Heavy jet-bomber. Project

ACCOMMODATION: Crew of two

POWER PLANT: Four Junkers Jumo 004C-1 turbojet engines, rated at 1,020 kp thrust each

PERFORMANCE: 509 mph

COMMENT: This Blohm & Voss jet bomber project was designed to carry a great bomb load and enough fuel for long distance operations. There were four different designs, P.188.01 to P.188.04. Common to all was a rather wide fuselage center section – except for the Bv P.188.04 whose fuselage was slender – designed as an armored steel shell and located in the center of gravity. This caused a special arrangement of the landing gear in all projects with twin main wheels in tandem with an auxiliary outrigger landing gear outboard from the wings. Very unusual was the W-type layout of the wings. These had a constant 3 degree dihedral with the inner section swept back to 20 degree and then a 20 degree swept forward outer section. This was calculated to give good performance at both low and high speeds. The only drawback was excessive air pressure on the wing tips, which was to be corrected by a variable incidence system which could be adjusted through 12 degrees. An advantage of this arrangement was the fact that the fuselage was constant horizontal during take-off and landing. The crew sat in a pressured, extensively glazed cockpit. Four Junkers Jumo 004 C-1 turbojets were mounted in four single nacelles, two beneath each wing, again except for the Bv P.188.04 where two engines were combined in one nacelle on each side. Both designs of the Bv P.188.01 and Bv P.188.03 had a single fin and rudder design and an airbrake at the tail, while the Bv P.188.02 and Bv P.188.04 were of a twin fin and rudder design, with a dihedral tail-plane and the extreme tail had a remote-controlled FDL 131 Z twin 13mm machine guns firing to the rear. All these futuristic designs remained on the drawing boards (Ref.: 17).

Fighter

McDonnell XP-67 Moonbat (Anigrand, Resin)

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TYPE: Long-range fighter

ACCOMMODATION: Pilot only

POWER PLANT: Two Continental XI-1430-17/19 liquid-cooled engines, rated at 1,350 hp each

PERFORMANCE: 405 mph at 25,000 ft

COMMENT: In 1939 the McDonnnell Aircraft Corporation submitted the Army Air Corps proposals for a long-range fighter with an unconventional design. The engine, an Allison V-3420-B2 or Pratt and Whitney H-3130, both with two-stage superchargers, was buried in the fuselage aft of the pilot, and driving two pusher airscrews aft of the wings by means of an extension shaft and right-angle gear drives. After further changes in the design studies in 1941 the project received the designation XP-67, and two prototypes were ordered. McDonnell design team attempted to maintain true aerofoil sections throughout the entire fighter, the centre fuselage and the rear portions of the engine nacelles merging to give the aircraft a unique appearance. Power was provided by two Continental XI-1430-1 engines fitted with General ElectricD-2 turbo-superchargers driving four-blade airscrews and using the exhaust to augment thrust. By December 1943 the first XP-67 was completed and ground trials began immediately. The aircraft eventually flew the first time on January 6, 1944, but after a few minutes the flight was terminated in an emergency landing due to difficulties with the experimental engines. Flight trials continued throughout the summer 1944 resulting in several changes in the design and on September 1944 the XP-67 was irreparably damaged by fire resulting in the termination of the development contract (Ref.: 13).