Contest with no prize: two airplanes to indentify

[Skybolt]

Actually they are three, but number 2 has already a name: it is the Curtiss-Wright XA-43 attack aircraft. All three are from 1946-1947 and are American. SInce they come from an early-1947 Italian magazine ("L'ala") that used extensively foreign publications (US and British) w/o unknowledging, it is very probable that the three small 3-views had been published in late-46, early-47 in The Aeroplane or less likely Aviation. I checked Flight but didn't find anything similar (Flight used German wartime project to illustrate probable future aircraft shapes, funny thing that Luft '46 mania was already raging... in 1946). Anyway, behold the mistery projects. Only additional info is that n.1 is an high speed fighter and n.3 is a long range fighter with two internal turbojets and a fuel reservoir of 4500 Kgs. N.3 could be one of the competitors to the long-range fighter contest of 1945. Only Bell's and Goodyear's proposal for that competition are not documented yet. Or it could be a wartime early jet project not linked to any post-war contest (the straight wing could be a hint).

 

[lark]

This will be a very hard nut to crack...

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

I reckon they are all Curtiss designs.

The third one has some similarity with other curtiss designs

 

[MIRAGE 4000]

;D ;DThe Mirage 7000!!! ;D ;D : ;D

 

[Skybolt]

Ahah, great find Paul Overscan, but, what is the Curtiss design represented by the model (I guess a company's one) ?

 

[starviking]

Hmmm...

3 seems to have a bit of a 'Supermarine look to it', maybe it was on the evolution path to the Type 508?

http://www.vickerssupermarine.org.uk/508.html

Starviking

 

[archipeppe]

The second one is, for sure, the Curtiss XP 87 "Blackhawk", it was the last of Curtiss fighters and it was a looser (against Northrop XP 89 "Scorpion") in the two-seats, radar, interceptor of very early '50s (considering that, at that times, the worst soviet threat was the Tupolev Tu 4 "Bull" in NATO code, that was a merely copy of the Boeing B 29).

 

[Antonio]

The second one is, for sure, the Curtiss XP 87 "Blackhawk",

The XP-87 was an XA-43 derivative.

Drawing Number 3, in my opinion, has a family reminiscence to Vought's long range USN fighter design competition submission (see American Secret Projects: Fighters)

 

[Skybolt]

To: Peppe

but number 2 has already a name: it is the Curtiss-Wright XA-43 attack aircraft.

Starviking: I'm sure they are US. Thanks the same.
Pome: interesting.

 

[archipeppe]

The XP-87 was an XA-43 derivative.

Aha...this make sense, I really didn't know.

But it is not the first time, nor the last for sure, that a project is "recycled" in something else, an interceptor in this particular case.
Thanks for the note.

 

[starviking]

Starviking: I'm sure they are US. Thanks the same.

Apologies, I've been channelling Homer Simpson of late...

Starviking

 

[Skybolt]

 

[hesham]

Hi,


the N.1 aircraft was the same as 069 and the N.3 was also the same as 067,of this
topic;
http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,16328.msg156924.html#msg156924

 

[lark]

A sharp observation !

 

[hesham]

A sharp observation !

Thank you my dear Lark,


may be the answer will appear in Mr. Tony Butler's newest book.

 

[hesham]

Here is the article about it;

with addition two Projects;

http://www.avia-it.com/act/biblioteca/periodici/PDF%20Riviste/Ala/L'Ala%201947%2003.pdf

 

[XP67_Moonbat]

That 4-engine, v-tailed bomber is pretty good-looking! Still no yet on the identity?

 

[hesham]

That 4-engine, v-tailed bomber is pretty good-looking! Still no yet on the identity?

My dear XP67_Moonbat,

I think they were a hypothetical designs,but there is also a small possibility for
a real one ?.

 

[sienar]

same designs are in this thread

http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,16328.0.html

 

[hesham]

same designs are in this thread

http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,16328.0.html

Of course I remember those Projects,so I thought they just a hypothetical aircraft.