Vultee XP-68 Tornado (Swoose Goose)

History

Vultee aircraft produced few striking designs during World War II (1939-1945), but one of the most intriguing designs was the XP-54 "Swoose Goose" (detailed elsewhere on this site). The two-armed fighter made significant progress in the development phase and first flew in January 1943. However, only two prototypes were eventually completed and the project was ultimately shelved.

The XP-54 was originally intended to be further developed by the company as part of the XP-68 "Tornado" program - an effort that also failed.

The XP-68 will be based on an experimental engine mounted on a Wright R-2160-3 "Tornado" with a total of 42 cylinders and an estimated output of 2,350 hp (2,500 hp with turbocharger installed). The engine came to the attention of the U.S.

Army as early as June 1939, and it was decided to fund the project through a formal contract.

Vultee showed a design based on his XP-54 mounted Tornado engine, as Army officials were interested in attaching the experimental engine to an equally experimental aircraft. Swoose Goose seemed to be the right theme, and so the "Type 78" was born (the Army development code changed to "XP-68").

The XP-68 was designed to have a wingspan of 46 feet, an overall length of 48 feet, and a weight of 8,500 pounds. The proposed weapon is a 6 x .50 caliber heavy Browning machine gun, all placed in the nose (original drawings had a maximum of 9 machine guns installed).

The aircraft more or less retained the form and function of its predecessor, the XP-54.

Work on the XP-68 had begun as early as 1941, but on November 22 of that year, the aircraft (and its proposed Tornado engine) were shelved in favor of continuing the less risky XP-54 and other Vultee plane promises war. The design of the XP-54 itself was completed, with the potential to combine it with a Tornado engine at a later date, and its maiden flight took place on January 15, 1943.

However, even the program has faltered due to delays and has performed disappointingly. Subsequently, only two prototypes were completed for testing.

The performance figures on this page are the authors' estimates.

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes