Grumman XP-50

P-50
275px
Type	Fighter
Manufacturer	Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation
Maiden flight	1941-05-14
Status	Cancelled
Number built	1

The Grumman XP-50 was a land based development of a fighter interceptor aircraft for the U.S. Army Air Corps that paralleled the shipboard XF5F-1 fighter. It was assigned the model number G-46 by the builder, Grumman Aircraft Engineering Company. The Army Air Corps placed an order for a prototype on November 25, 1939 designating it XP-50. The XP-50 design was similar to that of the XF5F-1 with modifications to the fuselage nose to house the nose-wheel of the tricycle landing gear and provisions for self-sealing fuel tanks and pilot armor. The planned armament was two 20 mm cannon and two .50 caliber (12.7 mm) machine guns. The XP-50 placed second to the XP-38 in the A.A.C. competition for a twin-engine interceptor.

The first and last flight of the XP-50 was on May 14, 1941, falling victim to a turbo-supercharger explosion that destroyed the aircraft.

Based upon experience with the XF5F-1 and the XP-50, Grumman had begun work on a more advanced fighter, designated model G-51. Thus, the A.A.C. decided to replace the XP-50 with the newer design and recommended procurement of two G-51s, designated XP-65, using the original XP-50 expenditure order to cover the development. Consideration was given to combining the Air Corps and Navy requirements into a common design, but the weight and performance penalties inherent in conflicting requirements were considered great enough that separate designs would be needed. But, since the Navy considered Grumman one of its major production sources and that producing two different model aircraft by Grumman would impede manufacture of Navy needed aircraft, it was decided that development of the XF7F-1 would continued, and the XP-65 as a parallel development was abandoned.

Specifications (XP-50, estimated)

General characteristics

• Crew: One
• Length: 31 ft 11 in (9.73 m)
• Wingspan: 42 ft (12.80 m)
• Height: 12 ft (3.66 m)
• Wing area: 304 ft² (28.24 m²)
• Empty weight: 8,310 lb (3,770 kg)
• Loaded weight: 10,560 lb (4,790 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 13,060 lb (5,925 kg)
• Powerplant: 2× Wright R-1820-67/69 9-cylinder air-cooled radial engines, 1,200 hp (895 kW) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 424 mph km/h (680 km/h) at 25,000 ft (7,620 m)
• Range: 1,250 mi (2,010 km)
• Service ceiling: 40,000 ft (12,190 m)
• Rate of climb: ft/min (m/s)
• Wing loading: lb/ft² (kg/m²)

Armament

• Two 20 mm cannons
• Two 0.5 in (12.7 mm) machine guns
• Two 100 lb (45 kg) bombs

References

• William Green (1961). War Planes of the Second World War - Fighters, (Vol 4). London: MacDonald