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Packard-Le Pere LUSAC-11 (Lepere United States Army Combat Model 11)

1918 WORLD WAR 1

History

French Captain Georges LePere was employed by the United States Army Air Corps (USAAS) in 1917 while he was designing a new two-seat general-purpose biplane. This design stemmed from the need for Americans to develop a homegrown, multifaceted service platform during World War I (1914-1918) and the growing US involvement in the conflict.

In its current form, the aircraft was intended to be used as a fighter, fighter escort, reconnaissance and light bomber, and its layout and structure were very traditional for the time - as needed to get the aircraft up and into the war effort as quickly as possible.

As the United States entered World War I in 1917, the U.S. Air Force felt the need for more modern aircraft of all types. They have access to many foreign-designed aircraft, including many French fighter jets and light bombers, but supplies are largely sluggish for overseas needs. One way to address this requirement is to bring in French aeronautical engineers and designers for local development and manufacturing.

U.S. factories can now supply American Airlines with inventory as needed without foreign interference, and LePere is part of a French engineering team partnering with Detroit, Michigan-based Packard Motors to do just that. Work in 1917 culminated in the production of the 1918 prototype, which proved so promising in testing that even Army officials were convinced of its merits and ordered 3,525 of them, designated "LUSAC-11" ("LePere"). US Army Combat 11").

Production will be handled through Packard and Fisher Body Corporation for faster delivery to the front line. The first flight was recorded on May 15, 1918.

When completed, the aircraft was in an equi-span biplane configuration for a two-axis approach. The wing elements are located in front of the crew position, which includes the pilot in the forward cockpit and the observer in the rear cockpit - both outside.

A 400 hp Liberty 12 series engine is paired to the front and drives a two-bladed propeller. The landing gear rolls on the main legs (mounted under the main mass of the aircraft), and the tail carriage pulls the rear up. Performance specs include a top speed of 136 mph, a cruising speed of 118 mph and a ceiling of up to 20,200 feet.

Armament consists of 2 x .30 caliber Marlin machine guns in the forward fuselage (operated by the pilot and firing synchronously via rotating propeller blades) paired with 2 x .30 caliber Lewis machine guns mounted on a trainable mount (Scarff ring). in the observer cockpit.

Despite the growing momentum, the war in Europe was drawing to a close, until the armistice was officially ended in November 1918. By the end of the battle, only 7 completed LUSAC 11 aircraft were available, further production brought the total to 28, and then thousands of Army contracts were cancelled. The service took over a limited inventory of these aircraft and operated them for a while in the 1920s, some for testing purposes (strafing platforms, triplanes, etc.) and others for altitude records (modified LUSAC 11 turbo and climb) 39,700 feet above sea level).

Two LUSAC-11 aircraft were evaluated by the U.S. Army in France before the end of the war, but were found to be insufficient as combat aircraft. At least one was also rated by the French but not adopted. The Waterman 3-L-400 is a further development of the LUSAC-11.