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Bell XP-83

1945 COLD WAR WORLD WAR 2 X-PLANE

History of Bell XP-83

In 1942, with World War II in full swing in Europe and the Pacific, the development of turbojets in the United States began to keep pace with developments around the world. This officially became the Bell P-59 "Aircomet," which first flew on October 1, 1942, becoming the first jet in American history.

However, it was considered limited from a performance standpoint, with production only lasting 66 units.

By March 1944, the war was heating up, and jet programs were developing on all frontsespecially in Germany and Great Britain. The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) has once again commissioned Bell, this time to build a new jet-powered aircraft for fighter escort missions. At the time, raids on enemy territory by American bombers were a regular occurrence, and piston-powered mounts were used to protect these bomber formations that were dispatched to enemy targets every day.

If the design can be properly clamped and adjusted to the extreme, escort jets offer technical advantages and unprecedented performance gains. The US Air Force commissioned Bell with two prototypes on July 31, 1944.

The main challenge in the era of turbojet flight is the eager nature of new engine technology. Turbojets certainly enable unprecedented performance gains, but they have proven to be short-lived creatures that severely limit many tactical advantages. Bell took the underperforming P-59 and attempted to introduce a longer operational range as a "Type 40" enterprise product. It is this spin-off company that will be further integrated into the XP-83.

The XP-83 is somewhat reminiscent of the original P-59 design, with various aerodynamic and structural differences that clearly distinguish the types. In general, however, for the discerning student, the origins of the P-59 can be positively identified in the Model 40. The wings remain straight appendages, while the rear wing is covered by a conventional rear wing. The aircraft's structure includes a metal skin that leaves a piece of silver unfinished - in line with many experimental aircraft of the 1940s and 1950s.

The pilot managed to get a pretty good view from his cockpit position under the teardrop canopy at the front of the plane. The design of the XP-83 is credited to Charles Rhodes, and the engines of choice were 2 General Electric J33-GE-5 turbojets, each delivering 4,000 pounds of thrust.

After initial ground tests, the prototype flew for the first time on 25 February 1945. Overall, the flight was a moderate success, but post-mission reports described the design as lackluster, underperforming and requiring a lot of management. A follow-up prototype was unveiled with a new rear wing to address the instability issues encountered by the first. In both cases, the XP-83 underperformed in most respects.

The model survived the end of the war in September 1945 and served as a test bed for ramjet engines until 1946. In 1947, as the war years ended and many production contracts were cut or cancelled altogether, the XP-83 project failed. The U.S. military ended up putting in $4. $2 million for the discontinued program, which produced only two prototypes.

Introduced in 1945, the straight-wing jet Lockheed P-80 Meteor was the primary jet fighter of the U.S. Armed Forces until it was replaced by the North American F-86 Sabre during the Korean War.

All things considered, the XP-83 has a top speed of 522 mph and 1,700 miles on internal fuel, although an external drop tank can be fitted for an extra 2,000 miles. The operating limit is 45,000 feet, which of course requires the use of a pressurized cockpit.

The climb rate is 5,600 feet per minute.

During its short development cycle, the XP-83 should stock various weapon options for the production version. These include the standard 6x12.7mm M2 Browning heavy machine gun. A 15.2mm prototype T17E3 heavy machine gun was considered, along with a 4 x 20mm Hispano cannon.

A 37mm cannon can also be mounted in the nose assembly for a really powerful offensive strike.