Boeing XF8B

Boeing XF8B-1
First prototype XF8B-1 , BuNo 57984 in test by USAAF, 1945
Type	Fighter
Manufacturer	Boeing Aircraft Ltd
Designed by	R. (Dick) Stith
Maiden flight	27 November 1944
Retired	Cancelled
Status	Scrapped 1950 (third prototype)
Primary users	U.S. Navy U.S. Army Air Forces U.S. Air Force
Number built	3

The Boeing F8B (Model 400) was a single-engine aircraft developed by Boeing during World War II to provide the U.S. Navy a long-range shipboard fighter aircraft. The F8B was intended for operation against the Japanese home islands from aircraft carriers outside the range of Japanese land-based aircraft. Designed for various roles including interceptor, long-range escort fighter, dive-bomber and torpedo bomber, the final design embodied a number of innovative features in order to accomplish the various roles. Despite its formidable capabilities, the XP8B-1 was fated to never enter series production.

Design and development

The XF8B-1 was, at the time, the largest and heaviest single-seat, single-engine fighter developed in the United States. Boeing optimistically called the XF8B-1 the "five-in-one fighter" (fighter, interceptor, dive bomber, torpedo bomber, or level bomber). It was powered by a single 3,000 hp (2200 kW) Pratt & Whitney XR-4360-10 four-row 28-cylinder radial engine, driving two three-bladed contra-rotating propellors. It would be the largest single-seat piston fighter to fly in the U.S. to date. The large wings featured outer sections which could fold vertically, while the fuselage incorporated an internal bomb bay and large fuel tanks; more fuel could be carried externally. The proposed armament included six 0.50 inch (12.7 mm) machine guns or six 20 mm wing-mounted cannons, and a 6,400 lb (2,900 kg) bomb load or two 2,000 lb (900 kg) torpedoes. The final configuration was a large but streamlined design, featuring a bubble canopy, sturdy main undercarriage that folded into the wings, and topped by a variation on the B-29 vertical tail.

The contract for three prototypes (BuNos 57984–57986) was awarded 4 May 1943, although only one was completed before the war ended. It first flew in November 1944. The two remaining prototypes were completed after the war, with the third (BuNo 57986) evaluated at Eglin Air Force Base by the U.S. Army Air Force.

Testing

File:XF8B-I (US Navy).jpg

XF8B-I BuNo 57986 wearing overall Glossy Sea Blue livery, photographed 12 December 1946.

To expedite testing and evaluation, a second cockpit was fitted to the first two prototypes to allow a flight engineer to help monitor the test flights. The second seat was easily accommodated in the roomy cockpit.

Although testing of the promising XF8B-I concept continued into 1946 by the USAAF and 1947 by the US Navy, the end of the war in the Pacific and changing postwar strategy required that Boeing concentrate on building large land-based bombers and transports. The advent of jet fighters led to the cancellation of many wartime piston-engined projects; consequently, since the USAF lost interest in pursuing the project and the U.S. Navy was only prepared to offer a small contract, Boeing chose to wind down the XF8B program. As the test program was concluded, the prototypes were scrapped one by one, with 57986 lingering on into 1950.

Specifications (Boeing XF8B-1)

Data from {name of first source}

General characteristics

• Crew: one, pilot
• Length: 43 ft 3 in (13.1 m)
• Wingspan: 54 ft (16.5 m)
• Height: 16 ft 3 in (5.0 m)
• Wing area: 489 ft² (45.4 m²)
• Empty weight: 13,519 lb (6,132 kg)
• Loaded weight: 20,508 lb (9,302 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 21,691 lb (9,839 kg)
• Powerplant: 2× Pratt & Whitney XR-4360-10 28-cylinder four-row radial engine, 3,000 hp (2,240 kW) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 376 knots (432 mph, 695 km/h)
• Cruise speed: 165 kt (190 mph, 306 km/h)
• Range: 2,435 NM (2,800 miles, 4,500 km)
• Service ceiling: 37,500 ft (11,400 m)
• Rate of climb: 2,800 ft/min (850 m/min)
• Power/mass: 0.15 hp/lb (0.24 kW/kg)

Armament

• 6 × 0.50 in (12.7 mm) or 6 × 20 mm wing mounted guns
• 2,200 lb (1415 kg) bomb load or 1 × 2,000 lb (900 kg) torpedo

See also

Comparable aircraft

• Blackburn Firebrand
• A-1 Skyraider
• Martin AM Mauler

Related lists

• List of fighter aircraft
• List of aircraft of the U.S. military, World War II

References

Bibliography

• Allen, Francis. "Last of the Line: Boeing's XF8B-1 Multi-purpose Fighter." Air Enthusiast No. 55, Autumn 1994.
• Donald, David, ed. "Boeing Model 400 (XF8B)".Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. Etobicoke, ON: Prospero Books, 1997. ISBN 1-85605-375-X.
• Green, William. "Boeing XF8B-1". War Planes of the Second World War, Volume Four: Fighters. London: Macdonald & Co.(Publishers) Ltd., 1961 (6th impression 1969), p. 26-27. ISBN 0-356-01448-7.
• Green, William and Swanborough, Gordon. "Boeing XF8B-1". WW2 Aircraft Fact Files: US Navy and Marine Corps Fighters. London: Macdonald and Jane's Publishers Ltd., 1976, p.4. ISBN 0-356-08222-9.
• Koehnen, Richard C. Boeing XF8B-1 Five-in-One Fighter, Naval Fighters Number 65. Simi Valley, CA: Steve Ginter Publishing, 2005. ISBN 0-94261-265-5.
• Koehnen, Richard C. "XF8B-1... Last of the Breed: Boeing's Five-in-One Fighter." Airpower, Vol. 5, no. 4, July 1975.
• Pedigree of Champions: Boeing Since 1916, Third Edition. Seattle, WA: The Boeing Company, 1969.
• Zichek, Jared A. The Boeing XF8B-1 Fighter: Last of the Line. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing, 2007. ISBN 0-76432-587-6.

External links

• Boeing XF8B-1
• XF8B-1 Fighter-Bomber

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