Little-known Vought projects from World War II

[Antonio]

Vought mistery fighters: no drawings from that designs


VS-322 1941 X-Wasp engine USN
VS-334 1942 Wasp Major engine USN (I think this could be a mistake from the book and that designation is that from F4U-4)
V-337 1943 tailess USAAF
V-338 1944 single seat/twin engine USN - carrier
V-339 1944 single seat/twin engine USN
V-341 1944 XF5U-1 derivative with special engines
V-343 1945 twin seat high performance night fighter
V-347 1945 high performance fighter USN


Source: Les Avions Vought. Bernard Millot. Docavia

 

[Bill S]

Just an FYI the V-343 was not a piston engined design
It came in several versions basically the V-343-A was a three
Westinghouse 24C-4 engined aircraft with straight or swept wings.
The V-343-b-1/2/3 was a twin General Electric T6-100 powered
turboprop aircraft with straight wings.


As I get the scans cleaned up I can post them.


bill

Vought mistery fighters: no drawings from that designs


V-343 1945 twin seat high performance night fighter

Source: Les Avions Vought. Bernard Millot. Docavia

 

[Antonio]

As I get the scans cleaned up I can post them.

I'll love to see it. Many thanks Bill!

 

[hesham]

Hi,

please,I want a drawings to those Vought naval projects,which was designed
during the WW2;

VS-301 twin engined patrol maritime aircraft
VS-307 torpedo bomber aircraft
VS-308 maritime liaison aircraft

 

[Pioneer]

Sound interesting!!I can't say I've heard of these designs Do you have anything in the way of manufactures artist impressions of these designs? As it might jog someone's data base!! Good luck RegardsPioneer

 

[hesham]

Sorry my dear Pioneer,


I have no idea about what they are look like or their artist impressions,but may someone
helps from Vought Archive.

 

[Tailspin Turtle]

From the Vought Aircraft Historical Foundation via Bill Spidle

 

[hesham]

Wow,marvelous my dear Tailspin,


Very Very Great Thanks to you.

 

[Stargazer]

Splendid!!!

At first glance I would say that the VS-301C looks unconfortably similar to a Short Sunderland...

 

[CliffyB]

Thanks for sharing those man! Really sharp looking designs.

 

[Apteryx]

Beautiful planes, all. Would the VS-307A, despite its Helldiver-ish lines, have been a competitor against Grumman's Avenger?


--Ian

 

[Tailspin Turtle]

Beautiful planes, all. Would the VS-307A, despite its Helldiver-ish lines, have been a competitor against Grumman's Avenger?
--Ian

The date on the drawing is 16 September 1939, which ties into the competition that resulted in the Grumman TBF and the backup program, the Vought TBU. So in effect, it became the competitor.

 

[Apteryx]

The date on the drawing is 16 September 1939, which ties into the competition that resulted in the Grumman TBF and the backup program, the Vought TBU. So in effect, it became the competitor.

Thank you. I was always fuzzy on the TBU/TBY.

 

[Bill S]

Sorry I missed this request, thanks Tommy for posting the drawings.


bill

 

[hesham]

My dear Tailspin,


do you have a drawings to those projects, VS-318,VS-319 and VS-322 ?.

 

[Stargazer]

Topics merged.

 

[Bill S]

My dear Tailspin,
do you have a drawings to those projects, VS-318,VS-319 and VS-322 ?.

I'm not Tailspin but will look and see if I have found what you seek.


Bill

 

[hesham]

Thank you Bill very much.

 

[Bill S]

Certainly not the best drawing, but here is a general arrangement of the VS-322
Courtesy of a photocopy from VAHF


bill

 

[Antonio]

Many thanks for sharing that treasure. US WWII unbuilt designs knowledge is really scarce when compared with other nations.

 

[Stargazer]

Many thanks for sharing that treasure. US WWII unbuilt designs knowledge is really scarce when compared with other nations.

Perhaps it's just that the US probably designed 10 times more aircraft at least that any other nation over that period... :

 

[lark]

Or that they dumped ten times more in the dustbin
compared with other aircraft building nations...

 

[Stargazer]

Or that they dumped ten times more in the dustbin
compared with other aircraft building nations...

... which really amounts to the same, doesn't it?

 

[hesham]

Certainly not the best drawing, but here is a general arrangement of the VS-322
Courtesy of a photocopy from VAHF


bill

Many many great thanks for your respond Bill,


and amazing project,nice work.

 

[Steve Pace]

Certainly not the best drawing, but here is a general arrangement of the VS-322
Courtesy of a photocopy from VAHF


bill

Interesting for sure. Reminds me of the Douglas Skyshark - though very minor. -SP

 

[robunos]

...or the P-75 Eagle...
Is there any more info available, in particular engine type? I'm thinking BIG radial, but would the R-3350 or R-4360 be available? Or would the R-2800 be powerful enough?

cheers,
Robin.

 

[famvburg]

VS-322 1941 X-Wasp engine USN

Isn't the X Wasp the R-4360?

 

[robunos]

I believe so...

cheers,
Robin.

 

[Bill S]

A little more VS-322 information:


It is a single-seat, single-engine fighter airplane.
It has a single Pratt and Whitney 28-cylinder air-cooled X-Wasp engine.
It has a contra-rotating eight-blade tractor propeller assembly driven by an extension shaft.
It will use spot-welding, flush riveting and Goodyear "Cycleweld C" process to reduce skin friction.
For weight reduction it will use plastic-treaded plywood for non-structural panels and fabric movable control surfaces.
Armed with four 20mm cannon in the wings outside the propeller arc.


In Normal condition it would Vm at sea level was 334mph and Vm at critical altitude (33,500) was 464mph


bill

 

[famvburg]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the V-322's similarity to the Japanese Yokosuka R2Y.

 

[Stargazer]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the V-322's similarity to the Japanese Yokosuka R2Y.

Now you have!!! And it's true that somehow we automatically thought of U.S. types displaying some vague similarities while missing out the most similar design, the Japanese one! Thanks for the reminder.

 

[robunos]

From the AEHS website, here :-

http://www.enginehistory.org/P&W/R-4360/Image31.jpg

A P&W R-4360 with an extension shaft, in this case for the XB-35. I would assume that the VS-322 installation would be similar, with the addition of a contraprop gearbox.

cheers,
Robin.

 

[famvburg]

Or even the same gearbox set-up used on the XB-35 maybe.

 

[hesham]

do you have a drawings to those projects, VS-318,VS-319 and VS-322 ?.

Is that any hope to get VS-318 and VS-319 ?.

 

[Bill S]

*

 

[hesham]

Thank you Bill very much,


and I am not hurry,may be you can find them someday.

 

[Bill S]

I will keep an eye out.


bill

 

[hesham]

Bill,thanks.

 

[patvig]

In Aero Journal HS8, I found that XF6U-1 designation was first used by Vought for a 2 engine fighter like Grumman F7F. Navu Bureau of Aeronautics chnaged is mind and asked for jet engine fighter, so project was changed to XF6U-1 Pirate.

 

[Stargazer]

In Aero Journal HS8, I found that XF6U-1 designation was first used by Vought for a 2 engine fighter like Grumman F7F. Navu Bureau of Aeronautics chnaged is mind and asked for jet engine fighter, so project was changed to XF6U-1 Pirate.

That's very interesting, Patrick! I don't have HS #8 (HS stands for "Hors-Série", which means "Special"), thanks for this info.