Bell XP-76

Bell XP-76
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The Bell XP-76 was an improved variant of the P-39 Airacobra, shown here.
Type	Fighter aircraft
Manufacturer	Bell Aircraft Corporation
Maiden flight	1942
Introduced	n/a
Status	Did not enter mass-production
Primary user	United States Air Force
Number built	3

Bell XP-76 was a single-engine American fighter aircraft prototype of World War II.

Background

Bell XP-76 was proposed to address the poor high-altitude performance of the P-39 Airacobra by adding a laminar flow wing and a more powerful engine. XP-76 origins lie in the 1941 project to equip three P-39D (41-19501, 41-19502 and 42-7164) with the Continental I-1430-1 liquid-cooled supercharged engine. The resultant XP-39E had a laminar flow wing with square wingtips, an elongated fuselage to accommodate the larger engine, and revised air intakes and radiators. The three prototypes each had a different tailfin. Since the Continental engine was not available at rollout, the prototypes flew with Allison V-1710-47 engines. In 1942, the XP-39E was redesignated XP-76. Although 4,000 aircraft were initially ordered, the order was cancelled to permit the Bell factory to manufacture Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers. Many of the lessons learned in the XP-76 were implemented in P-63 Kingcobra.

Specifications (XP-76)

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 31 ft 11 in (9.7 m)
• Wingspan: 35 ft 10 in (10.9 m)
• Height: ft in (m)
• Wing area: 236 ft² (21.9 m²)
• Empty weight: 6,936 lb (3,150 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 8,918 lb (4,050 kg)
• Powerplant: 1× Continental I-1430-1, 2,100 hp (1,600 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 386 mph (335 knots, 620 km/h) at 21,680 ft (6,600 m)
• Rate of climb: 2,150 ft/min (11 m/s)

Armament

• Guns:
  
  • 1× 37 mm (1.46 in) Oldsmobile T9 cannon, 30 rounds
  • 2× 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns, 200 rounds per gun
  • 4× 0.30 in (7.62 mm) M2 machine guns, 1,000 rounds per gun
• Bombs: 500 lb (227 kg) externally

Related content

Related development

• P-63 Kingcobra

Comparable aircraft

• P-39 Airacobra
• P-63 Kingcobra

Designation sequence

• XP-72 - P-73 - P-75 - Bell XP-76 - XP-77 - XP-78 - XP-79