Lockheed XP-90 / XF-90

History of Lockheed XP-90 / XF-90

On August 28, 1945, the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) announced a new requirement for twin-engine swept-wing "penetrating fighters" capable of escorting a new generation of jet bombers over enemy territory and back. Weaponry requires 6 x .50 caliber heavy machine guns or 4 x 15.2 mm (.60 cal) heavy caliber heavy machine guns.

At this point in history, World War II ended in both Europe and the Pacifica conflict that helped create a doctrine for the U.S. Air Force, in which large bomber formations, escorted by nimble long-range fighters, fought against the enemy below. Party targets to wreak havoc will do.

The main enemy of the Cold War has now become the Soviet Union, which is trying to outflank the West with its own jet fighters and bombers.

Several companies responded to the call, including Vultee, Curtiss, Goodyear, Lockheed, McDonnell and Northrop. Lockheed's proposal - the XP-90 - was originally designed around the swept wing, as expected, but briefly altered the full delta plan form in 1947.

A model was built, but the proposed aircraft was deemed too heavy and not required for the character's abilities (drawings for this version of the XP-90 show an aircraft that doesn't look any different from the classic Cold War Avro Vulcan). Consequently, the program was reverted to a more traditional swept wing form, albeit through an entirely new design that appeared in late 1947.

The second prototype ("XF-90A") flew for the first time on April 12, 1950.

The XF-90 competed unsuccessfully with the McDonnell XF-88 and the North American YF-93A (an offshoot of the F-86 Sabre). The XF-88 was selected by the USAF as the winner and was in production until USAF authorities soon abandoned the "penetrating fighter" - now the focus is on confronting the Soviet nuclear bomber threat head-on by developing a dedicated interceptor.

This forced The XF-88 went in other directions, becoming the classic F-101 "Voodoo" supersonic fighter.

After a period of storage, the first prototype was used for structural testing at NACA in 1953, up to the destroyer. The second prototype survived at least three nuclear explosions during post-flight testing.

Its fuselage was then transported to the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.

In its final form, the production-grade F-90A will use a 6 x 20 mm cannon and support 8 x 5 in (127 mm) HVAR missiles as the primary armament for the attack bomber. The cannon will be mounted horizontally below the cannon engine air intakes - three guns per air intake It also has a bomb carrying capacity of up to 2,000 lbs (2 x 1,000 lb bombs on two brackets) Features include a top speed of 665 mph, range For 2,300 miles, it serves ceilings up to 39,000 feet and a climb rate of 5,555 feet per minute.

Empty weight is 18,050 pounds and maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) is 31,060 pounds.

Specification

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Performance

Armor

Changes