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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 4 CONVAIR XF-92A

But that original power plant was not perfected, and only a J47-GE-3 with 559 gallons of jet fuel (JP) in the fuselage powered the first flight on May 9, 1949. Now called the XF-91 Thunderceptor, it was tested at Muroc by Carl Bellinger. The second XF-91 was flown October 14 with a J47-GE-17, but the proposed armament of four 20-mm guns in the nose was never fitted to the prototypes.

Reaction Motors XLR-11-RM-9 1,500-pound thrust rockets became available in 1952, and fuselage tanks were arranged for 331 JP gallons, 137 gallons of LOX, and 141 gallons of water/alcohol. Two external tanks could be provided under wings, each with 60 gallons of JP, 218 of LOX, and 265 of WALC.

On December 9, 1952, Republic test pilot Russell Roth made the first supersonic rocket-powered flight by an American combat plane, reaching Mach 1.07 at 35,000 feet over Edwards AFB. Republic also planned that a XF-9lA version with a 5,200-pound thrust J47-GE-21 and four XLR-RM-9 rockets totaling 6,000-pounds of thrust would reach 1,126 mph at 50,000 feet, but this configuration was not actually tested. The concept of rocket-powered point defense was not accepted by the Air Force.

The First American delta wing aircraft
When the Air Force announced a design competition in August 1945 for a supersonic interceptor capable of climbing to 50,000 feet in four minutes and reaching 700 mph, Convair submitted a specification on November 15. An Air Force Letter of Intent to purchase dated May 2, 1946, was followed by a contract signed June 28 for two XP-92 rocket-propelled prototypes with wings swept back 45 degrees, a V-tail, and a power plant composed of a ramjet, four 1,500-pound thrust Reaction Motors XLR-11 rocket motors for acceleration, and a Westinghouse turbojet for cruising.

NORTH AMERICAN F-86D-1

After wind tunnel tests indicated a delta wing configuration would be more successful in approaching supersonic flight, Convair engineers met with Dr. Alexander Lippisch in July 1946. Designer of World War II’s fastest fighter, the Me 163 rocket-powered interceptor, Dr. Lippisch’s next step had been to design of a tailless delta-wing fighter, preceded by a delta glider for test work. The preliminary design, glider, and the engineer himself were brought to the U.S. after the war.

A thin delta-shaped wing with a 60° sweepback on the leading edge was chosen, and the contract amended November 7, 1946, to authorize construction of a full-scale flying model with a conventional J33 engine to test the actual flight characteristics of the delta wing.

Development of the XP-92 itself continued with novelties like a high triangular fin, a pressurized cockpit pod within the ramjet intake duct at the front of the barrel-shaped fuselage, and a takeoff trolley. Armament was to be four 20-mm guns, and projected performance was a four-minute climb to 50,000 feet where top speed was to be 1,165 mph.

But the project was delayed by moving from Downey to San Diego in 1947, and because of the undeveloped nature of the power plant and other features the AAF terminated the XF-92 on 5 August 1948. but the full-scale flying model continued as the XF-92A. NORTH AMERICAN YF-86D

Using an Allison J33-A-21, and some parts from other aircraft the XF-92A arrived at Muroc Dry Lake April 9, 1948. During a taxi test on June 9, test pilot E. D. Shannon lifted it a few feet off the ground for a short run, but he made the first official flight of an American delta-wing aircraft September 18, 1948, after a 4,250-pound thrust J33-A-23 had been fitted.

After 47 flights by company pilots proved the XF-92As practical qualities, Major Charles Yeager, who had made the first supersonic flight, began Air Force tests. There wasn’t enough power for supersonic speeds, except in very steep dives, so the XF-92A returned to San Diego in 1950 to get a J33-A-29 with afterburner. Tests resumed July 20, 1951, but the aircraft remained sub-sonic, although 118 research flights did validate the wing design and clear the way for the successful F-102 and B-58 designs. NORTH AMERICAN F-86D-60

Rocket-firing interceptors
Detonation of the first Soviet atomic bomb on August 29, 1949, spurred American interceptor development as the Air Defense Command was directed to prepare a defense against the probability that the long-planned Strategic Air Command attack on the adversary would be matched by a counterstroke from enemy long-range bombers.

There were 293 U.S. facilities defined by a May 1949 JCS study as vital; that is, those whose “loss would mean the elimination of our ability to retaliate with strategic air power...and would delay for several years the development of our war potential to fight offensively in enemy-held territories.” War plan Dropshot projected a Soviet long-range force by 1957 of 1,800 bombers directed against the United Kingdom and the United States. The Air Defense Command had to anticipate that enemy radar development by then would enable all attacks to be made at night, and therefore all U.S. interceptors should have all-weather capability.

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