Bell model 9 attack bomber

Is there someone of you specialist who knows more
about the Bell model 9 twin engined attack bomber.

This Bell proposal was submitted to the U.S.Army in 1938 in response
to their attack bomber competition.
Prototypes were built by by Martin-model 167,Douglas-DB7
Stearman-Model X-100. Later North American stepped in
with their model NA-40.

As far as I found out , the Bell model 9 should be a derivative
of the YFM-1 Airacuda...

lark said:

Is there someone of you specialist who knows more
about the Bell model 9 twin engined attack bomber.

This Bell proposal was submitted to the U.S.Army in 1938 in response
to their attack bomber competition.
Prototypes were built by by Martin-model 167,Douglas-DB7
Stearman-Model X-100. Later North American stepped in
with their model NA-40.

As far as I found out , the Bell model 9 should be a derivative
of the YFM-1 Airacuda...

Click to expand...

Interesting question Lark!

But sadly I do not have anything either.

Looking forward to someone’s response.

Regards
Pioneer

According to COBRA!: Bell Aircraft Corporation 1934 - 1946, Birch Matthews, Schiffer 1996, the Bell entry in the 1938
dual-purpose attack bomber contest (DB-7, Martin 167, Stearman X-100, NA-40) was the Model 10, the Model 9
being only a proposal for an earlier Army contest.

In this earlier contest Bell and the other firms were invited to build prototypes, at their own expense, and Bell declined,
probably for financial reasons. No production contracts were ever awarded in this competition, so Bell no doubt saved
a lot of money.

To quote Matthews on the Model 9: "Not much is known about this proposal design. There is some reason to believe
it was a derivative of the YFM-1 Airacuda, but reconfigured to use Allison V-1710 tractor engines."

That is all that is said about the Model 9.

Jon

Hi,

the Bell Model 9 was definitely a derivative of YFM-1 Airacuda
fighter,also the Model 10 was development version of Model 9.

Here's a Bell Aircraft cutaway illustration that appears to fit the bill, although I cannot say if it represents the Bell Model 9 or the Bell Model 10. It was recently posted by the San Diego Air & Space Museum (SDASM) on their Flickr Commons site among a series of Bell Airacuda photos belonging to the Jay Miller Collection.

The illustration is entitled "Attack Bomber." It is illustrated with two tractor engines, presumably to demonstrate two power options, one an Allison V-1710, the other a Wright R-2600 (with a notation that the illustration would serve as well for other radial engine options, such as the Wright R-1820, Pratt & Whitney R-1830 and R-2180).
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sdasmarchives/33168550390/

Nice find my dear Boxman,

and it looks like this one;

http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,28394.0.html

Boxman said:

Here's a Bell Aircraft cutaway illustration that appears to fit the bill, although I cannot say if it represents the Bell Model 9 or the Bell Model 10. It was recently posted by the San Diego Air & Space Museum (SDASM) on their Flickr Commons site among a series of Bell Airacuda photos belonging to the Jay Miller Collection.

The illustration is entitled "Attack Bomber." It is illustrated with two tractor engines, presumably to demonstrate two power options, one an Allison V-1710, the other a Wright R-2600 (with a notation that the illustration would serve as well for other radial engine options, such as the Wright R-1820, Pratt & Whitney R-1830 and R-2180).

Click to expand...

cleaned up a bit

hesham said:

and it looks like this one;

Click to expand...

Certainly close but still room for doubt. This one is larger and with a twin tail, possibly a close relative but equally could just be designers with similar ideas.

The illustration shown us by Boxman comes very close to
the description of the Bell model 10

.... Bell entered the next Army twin engine attack bomber competition of July 1938 with their model 10 design
offered with a brace of Allison V-1710s. Alternate model 10 designs used Wright R-1820s Pratt& Whitney R-1830s or R-2180s.
Bell did not win this competition. Still their proposed design was quite interesting...
The forward fuselage profile line was unbroken by the cockpit canopy wich blended from the nose to the major fuselage diameter.
The canopy had a clasic " greenhouse" appearence not unlike the Heinkel He-111 twin engine bomber....
The other interesting feature of Bell s design is the short low aspect ratio wing with a span of 52 feet....

So far the - abridged - description on page 370 - Paper Planes chapter- of " Cobra " by Birch Matthews.

My dear Lark,

so the previous design maybe was Bell Model-9 ?;

http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,28394.0.html

I don't think so Hesham. There are to many differences compared
with the Airacuda (wider fuselage,different wing shape, different tail ) to be
it a direct derivative of this design.

lark said:

I don't think so Hesham. There are to many differences compared
with the Airacuda (wider fuselage,different wing shape, different tail ) to be
it a direct derivative of this design.

Click to expand...

OK my dear Lark,

but I think it was from Bell at least.

Could be...

As I saw , Bell produced a number of idea's arround the multi seat fighter concept all
powered by a choise of engines either in the push or pull mode.

lark said:

Could be...

As I saw , Bell produced a number of idea's arround the multi seat fighter concept all
powered by a choise of engines either in the push or pull mode.

Click to expand...

I agree with that my dear Lark.