Aeromarine PG-1

The Aeromarine PG-1 was a single-seat Pursuit and Ground Attack (PG) biplane developed by the Engineering Division of the United States Army and manufactured by the Aeromarine Plane and Motor Co. of Keyport, New Jersey.

The PG-1 was intended to fulfil both ground strafing and aerial defence roles, and was armed with a single 0.5 in (12.7 mm) machine gun as well as a 37 mm Baldwin cannon firing through the propeller hub; the cockpit had ¼-in (6.3 mm) armour. The wings were dissimilar, with a narrow-chord lower plane lacking the ailerons present on the wider top surface. The upper wing was mounted close to the top of the fuselage with a cut-away forward section to accommodate the cockpit, and attached to the lower plane via V-type struts.

Power was to have been provided by the eight-cylinder, water-cooled 330 hp Wright K-2 engine but the first two prototypes were fitted with 346 hp Packard 1A-1116s due to delays in clearing the K-2 for flight testing. A third prototype was also built and testing was eventually carried out using both the K-2 and Packard's 1A-1237 at McCook Field. Prototype aircraft suffered disappointing performance, high levels of vibration, and poor visibility, and development was abandoned in 1922.

References

• Green, W. & Swanborough, G. (1994). The Complete Book of Fighters. London: Salamander Books. ISBN 1-85833-777-1

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