Naval Aircraft Factory Model A

History of the Type A Naval Aircraft Factory

Before the events that pushed the United States into World War II (1939-1945), the United States Navy (USN) Service had attempted to have an aging hunter Type of modern stables. Well-known and lesser-known suppliers offer a variety of options.

It appears that all designs were considered by the service to match or even exceed the naval and air capabilities of its then competitor, the Imperial Japanese Empire. Before the official start of the American War, the fighters in service were Brewster Buffalo and Grumman F4F Wildcats - detailed elsewhere on this page.

In addition to these two notable entries, there are a number of proposed fighter forms. Even the U.S. Navy's own "Navy Aircraft Factory" (NAF), established in 1918 during America's involvement in World War I (1914-1918), proposed two distinct forms to meet the needs of the U.S.

Navy's fighter jets - i.e. commonly referred to as "Model A" (shown in this article) and "Model B".

Type A has a traditional layout with a single engine mounted in the nose, the cockpit in the midship and a single rudder forming the stern. The engine drives a four-bladed propeller unit with a large spinner in the middle. The main-wing aircraft is an inverted "gull-wing" shape, unlike the outgoing Vought F4U "Corsair" naval fighter, and is mounted low on the side of the fuselage.

The rear wing also uses traditional horizontal planes that are set low and close to the trailing edge of the single fin.

The proposed weapon should be 6 machine guns, most likely 0.50 caliber and air-cooled (the Browning M2 is the prime candidate). Mounted in each wing as a three-piece set, these weapons provide the fighter with an impressive amount of firepower against any threat of the day.

Plans to use a rather forward-looking trike (fully retractable) arrangement for ground operation. With this arrangement and a relatively unobstructed canopy, the Model A will provide its pilots with a relatively good view from the cockpit of a Navy aircraft.

However, despite the good quality of Model A, it was not pursued further. Likewise, the Model B - with significant differences in the twin-engine "push-pull" layout and dual-arm arrangement - was not pursued.

As designed, the Model A has a barrel length of 38.7 feet and a wingspan of 46 feet. Gross weight is rated at 10,685 lbs. Power will come from a Wright R-3350 "Twin Cyclone" supercharged twin-row air-cooled radial piston engine producing 2,200 horsepower, giving the fighter an estimated top speed of 420 mph (at an altitude of 28,000 feet).

Service ceiling is up to 37,200 feet and range is up to 1,080 miles.

Specification

Basic

Years in Service

1941

Origins

United States

Status

Cancel

Development ended.

Crew

1

Production

0

Manufacturer

Naval Aircraft Facility (NAF) - United States

Carrier

United States (removed)

scrolling

air-to-air combat, fighter

The general ability to actively attack other aircraft of similar form and function, usually using guns, missiles and/or airborne missiles.

nautical/navy

Land-based or ship-based capability to operate on water in various maritime roles, supported by Allied Naval Surface Forces.

X-Plane (development, prototype, tech demo)

Aircraft designed for prototyping, technology demonstration, or research/data collection.

Dimensions and Weight

Length

38.7 feet

(11.80m)

Width/span

46. 1 ft

(14.05m)

MTOW

10,692 lbs

(4,850 kg)

Performance

Installed:

1 x Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone 2,200 hp, air-cooled radial piston engine driving a four-bladed propeller unit on the nose.

Maximum speed

419 km/h

(675 km/h | 364 knots)

Maximum

37,205 feet

(11,340 m | 7 km)

Area

1,081 km

(1,740 km | 3,222 nautical miles)

RANGES (MPH) Subsonic: < 614mph | Transonic: 614-921 | Supersonic: 921-3836 | Hypersonic: 3836-7673 | Hi-Hypersonic: 7673-19180 | Reentry: > 19030

ARMAMENT

PROPOSED:6 x 0. 50 caliber (12. 7mm) Browning M2 air-cooled Heavy Machine Guns (HMGs) in wings (three guns to a wing).