Vought VS-302

Water VS-302 History

The Vought VS-302 was designed to meet the 1939 United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) requirements for a medium twin-engine bomber capable of flying at about 300 miles per hour, with a maximum range of 2,000 miles and a war load of up to 3,000 pounds . The XC-213 requirements were eventually met by two classic American wartime designs - the North American B-25 "Mitchell" and the Martin B-26 "Marauder". Chance Vought VS-302 was thus set aside and largely forgotten today.

Like the other mid-size twins, the VS-302 is used to carry shoulder-mounted main aircraft, with engine nacelles under each aircraft. There is plenty of glass in the bow area and the cockpit (which also has glass) is stepped for optimal visibility. The ventral edge of the trunk is deep and square, while the topline is relatively smooth and rounded.

The air cannons are positioned at the waist for defense, and additional defense will come from cannons mounted in the nose and ventral positions - to provide all-round coverage. The bomb bay faces the nose and can hold 2,000 to 2,200 lb guns. "Trailing" landing gear will provide the necessary ground walking capability - however, it is worth noting that the tail wheel is located at the rearmost end of the fuselage.

To round out the physical qualities of the proposed aircraft, double fins were used.

The main plane on the nacelle remains straight at the leading and trailing edges, while the outboard portion tapers towards the wingtip, giving the plane a very distinctive shape when viewed from top to bottom. Each engine will drive a three-bladed propeller unit powered by 2 x Wright R-2600 air-cooled Meridian or 2 x Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Meridian.

Vought used the VS-302A to cover the former and the VS-302B to cover the latter.

When completed, the VS-302 will have an overall length of 51.9 feet and a wingspan of 75 feet. Weight is listed as 26,000 to 27,000 lbs, depending on internal load (including fuel storage). Top speed is estimated to be between 290 and 350 mph, with service capped at between 30,000 and 35,000 feet.

In any case, this Vought submission was ignored by the competition and ended its days as a "paper airplane".

Specification

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Performance

Performance

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