Huff-Daland LB-1

History of the Huff-Dahlan LB-1

Huff-Daland produced many aircraft for the U.S. agricultural and military services, starting with the HD-1B and ending with the experimental XLB-3 triplane bomber (Curtiss-Wright trademark) in 1930, though his legacy remains Leaving behind the number of early bombers in service with the United States Army Air Service (USAAS) in the 1920s. During the First World War (1914-1918), American pilots largely cut down on foreign bomber types, and in the postwar years, a domestic light bomber platform was needed, for which Huff-Dahland developed the "XLB-1" "" Prototype.

So far USAAS has identified the Martin MB-2 (NBS-1) bomber, but the service liked what they saw in the Huff-Daland prototype and gave ten "LB-1" (The name is derived from the word "light bomber" and reflects the aircraft's primary service category). Tested using an aircraft with a three-crew crew and an 800-horsepower Packard 1A-2500 engine (nose-driven two-bladed propeller), the example justifies the design. The design consisted of a tubular steel frame covered with a fabric skin, while the biplane wing layout with parallel struts and a single duct configuration was still typical of aviation of that period.

The landing gear ("Tail Dragger" type) was rolled and fastened to the main legs. In testing, the aircraft outperformed the current MB-2 certainly faster than the competition.

The overall design has a top speed of 120 mph, a cruising speed of 105 mph, a range of up to 430 miles, and a service ceiling of 11,150 feet. Climb speed of 530 feet per minute.

By comparison, the MB-2 has a top speed of 99 mph, a cruising speed of 92 mph, a range of up to 400 miles, a service ceiling of up to 7,700 feet, and a rate of climb of 390 feet per minute.

As the final form of the LB-1, the bomber was equipped with an 800 hp Packard 2A-2500 engine. The crew also increased from three to four, and the bomb load reached 2,750 pounds. The defensive weapon is a 5x network. 303 Lewis machine gun mounted on a trainable mount.

Despite improved performance, Army authorities did not believe in the benefits of operating single-engine bombers over long distances and over hostile terrain. This ended the opportunity for the LB-1 to be widely produced and serviced for attention, before switching to a twin-engine form - the 1927 XLB-3.

However, as attention turned back to the more promising models, only one of those models was ever made under the brand - the XLB-5 - with 36 of these made under the Keystone name.

Specification

Basic

Production

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Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes