TYPE: Night and Bad-weather Fighter
ACCOMMODATION: Crew of four
POWER PLANT: Two Junkers Jumo 213E, rated at 1,725 h.p. each
PERFORMANCE: 402 m.p.h. at 29,800 ft
COMMENT: The Ju 88G-7 was the final version of the Ju 88 night fighter to attain production status. The Ju 88G-7b was equipped with a FuG 218 “Neptun VR” radar and a single-pole “Morgenstern” (Morning Star) aerial array and a FUG 220 “Lichtenstein SN-2” Tail warning radar
TYPE: Night and Bad Weather Fighter
ACCOMMODATION: Crew of three
POWER PLANT: Two Junkers Jumo 211J-2, rated at 1,350 h.p. each
PERFORMANCE: 303 m.p.h. at 19,700 ft
COMMENT: The Junkers Ju 88C-6b was the first radar equipped Junkers night fighter with either FuG 202 “Lichtenstein BC” or FuG 212 “Lichtenstein C-1”. Later variants were equipped with the FuG “Lichtenstein SN-2” radar with “Hirschgeweih Antennen” (Stag’s Antlers)
TYPE: Night and bad weather fighter
ACCOMMODATION: Crew of four
POWER PLANT: Two Junkers Jumo 213A, rated at 1,750 h.p. each
PERFORMANCE: 331 m.p.h. at 19,400 ft
TYPE: Anti-submarine strike aircraft
ACCOMMODATION: Crew of two
POWER PLANT: Pratt & Whitney R-2800-48W Double Wasp, rated at 2,400 h.p.
PERFORMANCE: 350 m.p.h. at 15,000ft
COMMENT: In contrast to the radar equipped AF-2W, the Grumman AF-2S was armed with one torpedo or two bombs or two depth-charges in weapons bay. The AF-2S carried a smaller wing mounted APS-30 radar and a search light. Both, the AF-2W and the AF-2S operated in a “hunter” and “killer” role. A total of 193 AF-2S were produced
TYPE: Anti-submarine search aircraft
ACCOMMODATION: Crew of four
POWER PLANT: Pratt & Whitney R.2800-48W Double Wasp, rated at 2,400 h.p.
PERFORMANCE: 317 m.p.h. at 16,000 ft
COMMENT: Originally designed as a replacement of the highly successful Grumman TBF Avenger anti-submarine search aircraft. In place of defensive armament the new torpedo-bomber had a Westinghouse 19XB turbojet in the tail to give it a high escape speed. Later the the design was revised and a large ventral radar set was built in. In that configuration the aircraft was used as a hunter in cooperation with the Grumman AF-2S as a killer. A total of 153 AF-2W were built.
TYPE: High Altitude Fighter
ACCOMMODATION: Pilot only
POWER PLANT: One Wright R-2160-6 Tornado super-charged liquid-cooled radial engine, rated at 2,500 h.p. and driving 6-bladed Hamilton Standard contra-rotating propellers,
PERFORMANCE: 453 m.p.h.
COMMENT: The Republic XP-69 was an American fighter aircraft proposed by Republic Aviation in 1941 in response to a requirement by the United States Army Air Corps for a high-speed fighter. Manufacturers were encouraged to consider unorthodox designs; although the design was ordered as a prototype it was canceled because of delays with the engine that was to power it.
he United States Army Air Corps began the R40-C fighter competition in February 1940. The competition encouraged manufacturers to propose unorthodox high-speed fighter aircraft that met the requirements of Type Specification XC-622. The specification called for a single-engined high-performance fighter aircraft, with a maximum speed between 425 and 525 mph, armed with both machine guns and cannons, and be capable of landing on a 3,000 ft long grass runway
Republic was one of six companies selected for the competition, and one of the aircraft proposed to the USAAC by Republic was the AP-12 Rocket. As proposed, the AP-12 was to be powered by a 2,500 hp Wright R-2160-3 Tornado 42-cylinder liquid-cooled radial engine mounted in the mid-section of the aircraft’s streamlined, cigar-shaped fuselage, behind the cockpit, which drove a pair of three-bladed contra-rotating propellers. It was to be armed with four nose-mounted machine guns firing through the propeller arc, and a single 20 mm cannon firing through the propeller hub. The AP-12 placed 13th out of 26 contestants, forcing Republic to go back to the drawing board to improve its proposal.
In July 1941, Republic submitted an improved design, the AP-18. The AP-18 had little in common with the AP-12. It retained the original aircraft’s R-2160 engine, which was now mounted in the nose of a completely new small-cross section airframe. The large radiator was to be mounted under the fuselage. The pressurized cockpit was to feature a bubble canopy, and an armament of four .50 in machine guns and two 37 mm cannons mounted in a laminar flow wing was planned.
In December 1941, the United States Army Air Forces (successor to the USAAC) ordered two prototypes of the AP-18 under the designation XP-69. A mockup was built and was inspected by the USAAF in June 1942. Construction of the first prototype began in November of that year. However, due to development troubles and delays with the R-2160 engine, the XP-69 project was canceled in favor of a parallel development, the Republic XP-72, on May, 1943. By that time engineering on the project was 75% complete and the prototype was still in the early stages of construction (Ref.: 24).
TYPE: Close Support Fighter Bomber. Project
ACCOMMODATION: Pilot only
POWER PLANT: Daimler-Benz DB-ZTL 109-007 Bypass turbojet, rated at 1.150 kp each
PERFORMANCE: Not available
COMMENT: Project of a heavily armed jet aircraft from 1941. Pilot’s cockpit, engines and ammunition compartments were heavily armoured from underside. Due to lack of experience with nose landing gear on earth fields a nose skid was planned. Thrust deflecting flaps behind the exhausts allowed short take-off runs
TYPE: Bomber Formation Destroyer (” Pulkzerstörer”) as as pickaback (“Mistel”) combination of a Ta 154 and a Fw 190
ACCOMMODATION: Pilot only in the Fw 190
POWER PLANT: Two Junkers Jumo 213E, rated at 1,750 h.p. (Ta 154) and BMW 801D-2, rated at 1,700 h.p. (Fw 190)
PERFORMANCE: Not available
COMMENT: Six Ta 154 pre-production aircraft should be adapted for the “Huckepack” composite role. The Ta 154 had an explosive charge in the forward fuselage and was piloted by a Focke Wulf Fw 190 . It was proposed that the Mistel combination – reportedly designated “Mistel 7” (“Mistletoe 7”) – should be aimed at the bomber formation, the pilot detached his aircraft from the superstructure and then detonated the charge by radio signal. None combination was realized.
TYPE: Medium Bomber
ACCOMMODATION: Crew of five
POWER PLANT: Two Pratt & Whitney R-2800-27 air-cooled radial turbocharged engines, rated at 2,000 hp each
PERFORMANCE: 372 m.p.h. at 25,000 ft
COMMENT: The North American XB-28 (NA-63) Dragon was an aircraft proposed by North American Aviation to fill a strong need in the United States Army Air Corps for a high-altitude medium bomber. It never entered production, with only two prototypes being built.
The order for a high-altitude medium bomber was put out on 13 February 1940; the XB-28 first flew on 26 April 1942. The XB-28 was based on North American Aviation‘s’s highly successful B-25 Mitchell, but as it evolved it became a completely new design, much more reminiscent of the Martin B-26 Marauder. The overall configuration of the B-25 and XB-28 were fairly similar; the most important distinction was that the twin tail of the B-25 was changed to a single tail on the XB-28. It was among the first combat aircraft with a pressurized cabin.
The XB-28 proved an excellent design, with significantly better performance than that of the B-25, but it was never put into production. High-altitude bombing was hampered significantly by factors such as clouds and wind, which were frequent occurrences in the Pacific. At the same time, medium bombers were becoming much more effective at lower altitudes. The gains in aircraft performance that came with high-altitude flight were not considered sufficient to justify switching from low-altitude bombing.
Even though the Army Air Forces rejected the XB-28 as a bomber, they ordered another prototype. Designated XB-28A, it was meant to explore the possibility of use as a reconnaissance aircraft. The XB-28A crashed into the Pacific Ocean off Southern California after the crew bailed out on 4 August 1943 (Ref.: 24).
TYPE: Fighter-bomber, close support aircraft
ACCOMMODATION: Pilot and observer/radio operator
POWER PLANT: Junkers Jumo 213E, rated at 1,750 h.p. each
PERFORMANCE: 332 m.p.h. at sea level
COMMENT: Projected close support fighter bomber on the basis of the Ta 154A-1. None built
