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U. S.
Military Aircraft XB-43 Photo By Coil B. Thouanel |
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In March 1944, when the US Army Air Force decided on the elopement of a pure jet bomber they instructed Douglas to produce it as an evolutionary development of the XB-42 with a conventional rather than cruciform tail unit. The rear fuselage was revised to accommodate two TG-180 turbojets with lateral air inlets below and behind the side by side cockpits that give type its distinctive insect like appearance. To save time, the XB-42 static test airframe was converted as the first of two XB-43 prototype. The program was beset by a seemingly interminable succession of delays caused by engine problems and the end of the Second World War. It was May 1946 before the first XB-43 flew. By this time the USAAF was more concerned with more advanced jet bombers, and no production was considered. The first prototype was therefore used for flight test, and the second became an engine test bed between 1947 and 1953. |
TECHNICAL DATA
| Description | Specifications |
| Manufacturer: Douglas | Length: 51 ft. 2 in. |
| First Flight: May 1946 | Height: 24 ft. 3 in. |
| Model: | Wing Span: 71 ft. 2 in. |
| Crew: Two | Wing Area: 563.0 sq. ft. |
| Nickname: | Empty Weight: 21,775 lb. |
| Basic Role: Light Bomber | Max. Weight: 39,533 lb. |
| Other Versions: XB-43 ( prototype). | Armament: Proposed: Two 0.5-in 12.7-mm machine guns in a tail barrette and (bomber version) up to 6,000 lb of bombs or (Attack version) sixteen 0.5-in 12.7-mm fixed machine guns and sixteen 5-in (127-mm) rockets. |
| Principal User: U. S. A. |
Propulsion |
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Performance |
Power Plant: General Electric J35-GE-3 turbojet. |
| Range: 1,100 miles | Horsepower: 3,750-lb thrust. |
| Max. Speed: 515 mph. | No. Of Engines: Two |
| Ceiling: 38,500 ft. | |
| Climb Rate: |