FM-1 Airacuda

[KJ_Lesnick]

It was a certifiably insane design: A fighter with a crew of five (pilot, copilot/navigator, radio-operator/gunner; two gunners), gunners sitting in the engine pods, waist guns to deter attacks from the rear. 

The goal apparently was inspired by a military exercise in 1934.  Some people in the USAAF felt that the key to intercepting bombers was some seriously heavy duty firepower (Even more so than speed and agility) as well as defensive armament (something that seems to only serve to slow the plane down).  You'd think some people in the USAAF with heads on their shoulders would win the day and point out that producing a plane that's supposed to be as large as a bomber to bring down a bomber while being faster than a bomber would be a bad idea.  And you'd be wrong.

Now I was thinking, assuming the regulations at the time allowed for twin-engined fighters to be flown by one pilot and no other crew-members (the XA-14/XA-18 showed it was possible for one pilot to even fly a light bomber; admittedly there was a gunner, but that guy's job is simply to keep the plane from getting shot-down), how would an bomber-destroyer/interceptor fare provided the following

• Just one pilot in the plane
  
• Same engines: V-1710 with turbocharging
  
• No side blisters, turrets or defensive armament
  
• Just 2 x 37mm cannon, 2 x 12.7mm machine guns
  
• No no internal armament
  

I have a feeling it could be a great deal smaller for one...

[kerick]

An American version of the Bf-110 minus the rest of the crew?

[NARSES2]

It may have been insane with the aid of hind sight but it sure looks cool. Got that wonderfull art-deco feel to it  And yes I do have 3 kits in the stash. 2 Valom and one FE Resin  I assume the concept was that the heavy armament gave it the ability to engage outside of the defensive guns range. The bomber stream would not be escorted in this scenario so the Airacuda's could act as a stable gun platform and the gunners could take their time, relatively speaking.

The daftest idea to my mind from the 30's was one the Italian's and French shared (maybe others as well) that of a C&C aircraft. An aircraft designed to fly above the bomber stream and direct the incoming fighters via WT. Now I can understand the idea but surely they realised the C&C aircraft would immediately become a target ? Anyway once the fighters engaged they would have completely ignored C&C. I'm not sure but I think the Italian's tested the concept ?

[KJ_Lesnick]

kerick

An American version of the Bf-110 minus the rest of the crew?

Actually the Bf110 had an internal weapons bay and flex guns...


NARSES2

What information do you have on that C&C aircraft?  That sounds pretty interesting...

[andrewj]

You need to read " P51 Mustang, development of the long range escort fighter " by Paul A Ludwig, for the story of America's escort fighters . Some of the aircraft and schemes will seem almost unbelievable to our eyes , the Airacuda, a heavy, multi seat version of the P38, and the Fisher P75 being but a few.
Some senior officers in the US Army were determined to have any aircraft, but the Mustang . A bit of a "not invented here" mentality in some cases , the Mustang being designed to a British specification , not an official US Army one. Even as late as 1944 some officers tried to limit the P 51B's use to low level tactical support roles, the first Mustangs with the US forces iin Europe being assigned to Ninth Air Force not Eight Air Force where they were desperately  needed.

Andrew

[KJ_Lesnick]

Andrew J

You need to read " P51 Mustang, development of the long range escort fighter " by Paul A Ludwig

I think I should get it

Some of the aircraft and schemes will seem almost unbelievable to our eyes , the Airacuda, a heavy, multi seat version of the P38, and the Fisher P75 being but a few.

I've seen pictures of those...


Everybody

I thought of something just whacky enough to have worked: A Zwilling!

The design could achieve very good range and a respectable speed as well due to the following facts

1 Despite it looking like two aircraft, it is not actually two aircraft
2 It has two fuselages, two tails, two tail-draggers, and two engines, but only three wings, one tail, one cockpit, two landing-gear legs
3 While the main landing gear would be heavier than one for a normal aircraft, it could potentially be lighter than than two normal landing-gears
4 The center wing produces more lift than one would expect due to it not having any taper and being physically thick; the fuselages also serve to act like an endplate
5 The center tailplane would also produce more downforce for it's size for similar reasons
6 The center-wing being of considerable thickness compared to the rest of the wing could be fairly strong for its size; it could also carry a considerable amount of fuel
7 The fuselages would counter some wing-flex
8 The second fuselage doesn't require a cockpit and can carry extra fuel

Armament, engine, and cockpit could be based around the FM-1 and P-39 concepts

1 The FM-1 had engines behind the gunner
2 The P-39 had an engine behind the cockpit with a shaft running through the pilots legs
3 This aircraft (if doable) could have the engine amidships in configuration with the pilot in front of one of the engines on one fuselage side with each 37mm cannon firing through the spinner

[PR19_Kit]

I think you just invented the Twin Mustang........... 

[KJ_Lesnick]

I think you just invented the Twin Mustang........... 

Nah, the twin mustang has two cockpits

[jcf]

The Airacuda was 30mph slower than the B-17B and the 37mm guns could be fired by
the radio/navigator using the central control firing system, the two nacelle gunners were
actually superfluous. The aircraft was banned from Immelmans, loops and rolls because
of poor control response. It was an all around turd and no level of redesign would have
rescued it from turd status.

[rickshaw]

Weren't the gunners in the nacelles there to reload the guns and only took control and aimed them when they were being used independently?

[tahsin]

Actually the Bf110 had an internal weapons bay and flex guns...

People would love to see that, you know...

[PR19_Kit]

I think you just invented the Twin Mustang........... 

Nah, the twin mustang has two cockpits

A mere bagatelle in the scheme of things.

And as for the Me110, I think you're thinking of the 210, or 410 perhaps?

[NARSES2]

NARSES2

What information do you have on that C&C aircraft?  That sounds pretty interesting...

It's something I've read somewhere Kendra. Can't remember where, sorry. I'll try and find it in one of my books

[NARSES2]

The Airacuda was 30mph slower than the B-17B and the 37mm guns could be fired by
the radio/navigator using the central control firing system, the two nacelle gunners were
actually superfluous. The aircraft was banned from Immelmans, loops and rolls because
of poor control response. It was an all around turd and no level of redesign would have
rescued it from turd status.

Thanks Jon, I was aware of some of that, but not all. 

I sometimes have this mad idea of a Airacuda being used in the ground attack role with those twin 37 mm's 

[KJ_Lesnick]

PR19_Kit

A mere bagatelle in the scheme of things.

True, but there are so many differences in the two designs even if then
- The cockpit is mounted ahead of the engine which is of course inspired by both the FM-1 gunner position and the P-39
- Each 37mm fires through the hub like the P-39