Hughes XR-11 / XF-11

History

Although the XF-11 was only a prototype, it was one of the favorite designs of the famous American pilot Howard Hughes. The two-armed XF-11 looks a lot like an oversized Lockheed P-38, designed to meet the U.S. military's requirements for a long-range camera reconnaissance aircraft.

The project had enormous potential until the catastrophic accident of Prototype 1 in the suburbs of Beverly Hills (nearly killing Hughes) led to the cancellation of the entire project. The XF-11 would go head-to-head with the XF-12 "Rainbow" provided by the Republic, only to find out that at the end of the project, neither design had been chosen.

The XF-11 has a traditional dual-arm design and has become popular in other forms, such as the Northrop P-61 Black Widow and the aforementioned Lockheed P-38 Lightning. The first of two prototypes featured a counter-rotating propeller system on each engine, offering enormous power and performance potential at the expense of increased maintenance and production time. The X-11 was equipped with a powered tricycle landing gear system that proved successful in other designs during World War II. The fuselage is made of all-metal, with two crew members - pilot and radio operator - in a cabin in the middle of the fuselage, with full cabin pressurization to provide altitude capability.

Pratt & Whitney branded engines were selected to power the design, and these powerplants will turn two four-blade propeller systems with variable pitch settings. Since the Beverly Hills accident was traced to engine failure, the second XF-11 prototype was designed with a conventional non-contra-rotating propeller blade system.

The XF-11 performed admirably in every way, as the project suffered a series of dramatic setbacks. Stability and control are particularly noticeable at high speeds, although there are exceptions to the system's improved low-altitude stability and performance.

Compared to other aircraft of its type, the XF-11 is a complex aircraft, but it is a capable design in many ways.

Compared to the Republic XF-12, the XF-11 was considered too costly to maintain and produce, and the inherent complexity of the system design. Despite the XF-12's advantages, the Air Force ultimately chose the Boeing-produced RB-50 reconnaissance aircraft, citing its considerable range and reconnaissance capabilities to match both XF offerings and a lower price.

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes