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American Combat Planes of the 20th Century is an incredible reference for anyone who is interested in any American Combat Plane History. There are 758 pages and 1700 b/w photos in this substantial labor of love by Ray Wagner, who has been passionately researching and writing about aircraft for over 50 years. Whether you are already familiar with his past works, or just discovering this accomplished author for the first time... This is the book that you've been waiting for!

If you'd like to see the book's Table of Contents ... Click here. You can also browse the entire Index Section to get an idea of the extensive amount of information that is covered within this book.

Search our site for other combat planes. A- 1 Eaton A- 4 Skyhawk A- 6 & A- 7 Air Weapons AV- 8 to A- 10 A- 20 Havoc A- 22 Martin Maryland A- 23 Martin Baltimore A- 24 Douglas A- 26 Douglas Invader Attack Planes B- 2A, F-111, F-117 Stealth B- 17 Flying Fortress B- 24 Liberator B- 25 North American B- 26 Marauder B- 29 Superfortress B- 32 Dominator B- 35 Flying Wing B- 36 B- 47 Stratojet B- 50 Boeing B- 52 Stratofortress B- 57 Canberra B- 58 Hustler Biplanes Biplanes, Army Pursuits Bombers, B- 70 to Stealth Bombers, First Big Curtiss Falcon CO- 1 DH- 4 De Havilland F3D- Douglas Skyknight F3H- McDonnell Demon F4D- 1 Skyray F4F Grumman Wildcats F- 4U Corsair F6F Grumman F7F Grumman F7U Vought F9F G. Cougar F9F G. Panther F- 16 Fighting Falcon F- 84 F- 86 Sabre F- 89 to F-94 F- 100 to F-108 First Fighters Flying Boats GAX Iraq to Afghanistan Martin Bombers Missile Era Fighters Navy Fighers Navy Flying Boats O- 2 Douglas P- 35 Seversky P- 36 to 42 Curtiss P- 38 Lightning P- 39 Airacobra P- 40 Line P- 47 Thunderbolt P- 51 Mustang Fighter P- 61 Black Widow P- 63 Kingcobra P- 79 to P-81 P- 82 Twin Mustang SB2C Helldiver TBF-TBM Avenger Thomas-Morse Torpedo Planes V- 11 Vultee XB -28 XP -48 / 77

F-89 to F-94

Page 3 LOCKHEED XF-90

After Schoch made seven free flights, the test program terminated on October 24, and a service test contract was forgotten. The parasite fighter concept, first seen in the Navy’s Sparrowhawks, was tried again with the RF-84F FICON system, but did not earn the Air Force’s confidence as feasible for actual combat.

A more practical approach to the escort fighter was the Air Force request in August 1945 for penetration fighter designs with two engines, a 2,000-mile range, and 630-mph top speed. This requirement resulted in the XF-88 and XP-90, built with two Westinghouse J34 jets buried within the fuselage, large fuel tanks, 35-degree swept wings, and six 20-mm guns.

McDonnell’s Model 36 design begun April 1, 1946, received a letter of intent May 7, and won a contract approved February 14, 1947, for two prototypes. The first XF-88 flew October 20, 1948, at Muroc with 3,000-pound thrust XJ34-WE-13s. A second, the XF-88A, flew April 26, 1949, with 3,600-pound thrust XJ34-WE-15s that added short afterburners to boost thrust to 4,825 pounds, and mounted the six 20-mm M-24 guns. Top speed increased from 641 t0 718 mph, but even without the two planned 350-gallon drop tanks, which proved unsafe, or a bomb load, weight was too high.

After 265 test flights, both aircraft were retired in August 1950, but the XF-88 was later reworked for NACA as a unarmed test bed for the Allison XT38 turboprop engine. Known as the XF-88B, it flew in that three-engine configuration from April 24, 1953, to January 1958.

Lockheed’s XF-90, first ordered June 20, 1946, and flown June 6, 1949, was distinguished by a needle-nose, jet exhausts running back to the tail, and wings flush with fuselage bottom. The six 20-mm guns were mounted under the air intakes, and a pair of 1,000-pound bombs under the wings, or a 220-gallon drop tank could be carried on each wingtip.

NORTH AMERICAN YF-93

Westinghouse XJ34-WE-11s on early flights were replaced by the XJ34-WE-15 with an afterburner on both prototypes, which then became the XF-90A in 1950. During the test flights at Edwards AFB, Tony LeVier reached Mach 1.12 in a dive. Using stronger 75ST aluminum made Lockheed’s design so much heavier than the XF-88, that the F-90s were soon discarded.

A third penetration fighter was begun at North American on December 17, 1947, as the NA-157. As a Sabre development, it was first called the F-86C, and while 120 scheduled in June 1948 were canceled in January 1949 to provide more funds for bombers, two were ordered by the Air Force as the YF-93A on February 25, 1949.

First flown January 25, 1950, the YF-93A was larger than the Sabres, and had a long solid nose, side intakes, wider fuselage for the centrifugal-flow J48 with afterburner, and dual main wheels. Automatic wing slots were provided and the armament included six 20-mm guns and two 1,000-pound bombs when desired. After Air Force tests, both prototypes went to the NACA for study of various intake arrangements.

Shortages of funds, and improvement of the F-84 series prevented procurement of one of these penetration fighters, even the XF-88, seen as the best in comparative tests. Strategic Air Command had six F-84G Strategic Fighter wings attached by 1953, but they were reequipped with swept wing F-84Fs (ex F-96s). CONVAIR XF-92A

Interceptors
The Air Force developed a requirement in December 1945 for a bomber interceptor that could climb to 47,500 feet in 2.5 minutes, cruise for 15 minutes, fight for three minutes at supersonic (792 mph) speeds and descend to land in five minutes. Partly inspired by the rocket-powered Messerschmitt Me 163, this interceptor would need a power plant allowing rapid acceleration for a short range.

Republic presented its AP-31 design, the first fighter designed for supersonic speeds, and a contract for two XP-91 interceptors was made May 29, 1946, but engineering and government paperwork took so long that final contract approval was delayed to January 27, 1949. REPUBLIC XF-91

To avoid tip stalls at low speeds, the XP-91 had unique inverse tapered wings that were wider at the tips than at the roots. Swept back 35°, they had variable incidence to provide a low angle of attack for flight and a higher angle for extra lift on takeoff and landings. A pair of tandem main wheels was kept small enough to fit in the thin wings.

The intended power plant was a General Electric J47 with afterburner supplemented by a 90-second blast from four Curtiss-Wright XLR-27 rocket units in the tail. Liquid oxygen (LOX) fuel, cooled by water/alcohol (WALC), was expected to add 2,100-pound thrust from each unit.

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