Lockheed P-38 Lightning Competitors

Im sorry, I lost track of this subject :eek:
Some great work guys!

Thank you!!

Regards
Pioneer
 
In this competition,

Boeing model-339 ?
Consolidated ???
Curtiss Model-80
Hughes D-2
Lockheed model 22 (XP-38)
Vultee XP-1015
 
For Consolidated,I think it was developed from PB-2,with twin engine ?.
 
hesham said:
For Consolidated,I think it was developed from PB-2,with twin engine ?.
Click to expand...

I rather doubt that. A tricycle undercarriage was preferred for X-608. Besides, the conceptual design of the 'taildragger' PB-2 dates back to 1927. (And, ironically in the X-608 context, to a Detroit Lockheed design.)

Pure speculation but I wonder if the Consolidated submission might not have been related to a design posted by toura. That huge concept was described (in French) as being "[a]mong several preliminary projects that the Consolidated design office studied around 1937".
-- https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/th...dels-first-numbering-system.1732/#post-332957

BTW, Joe Baugher says that "Lockheed was invited along with Boeing, Consolidated, Curtiss, Douglas, and Vultee to take part in a USAAC design competition X-608". However, the 1947 US Congress Investigation of the National Defense Program: Aircraft contracts (Hughes. Aircraft Co. and Kaiser-Hughes Corp.) says that USAAC X-608 submission invitation letters were sent to Chance-Vought, Consolidated, Hughes, Lockheed, and Vultee. There is no mention of Boeing, Curtiss, or Douglas.

If Boeing, Curtiss, or Douglas responded to X-608, then these were strictly unsolicited responses. Actually, Hughes had already proposed a twin-engined intercepter to Wright Field back in May 1936.

So, the solicited submissions to Specification X-608 were:

Consolidated (??)
Chance Vought (??)
Hughes H-1
Hughes H-2
Lockheed Model 22
Vultee XP-1015 and Model 46 (XP-46-2)
 
Hello.

Is there any clear dimensions of the Hughes H-2 / X-608 contender? I downloaded the photo as a reference but the numbers are way to blurry...

Thanks.
 
Apophenia said:
Not according to then-USAAF reports quoted in the above-mentioned 1947 Congressional report.

Do you have a primary source to the contrary?
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I am sure Boeing was in,and I will remember the source,and then tell you.
 
Apophenia said:
Not according to then-USAAF reports quoted in the above-mentioned 1947 Congressional report.

Do you have a primary source to the contrary?
Click to expand...
Over on the Boeing Designations topic there's a multipage list of Boeing model numbers from a Boeing document.
Model 339 is listed as "2 Engine Pursuit" but there's no info linking it to any service, unlike many numbers on the
list that do explicitly reference a service. The assumption that it was intended as a competitor with the Lockheed
Model 22 is on shaky ground, especially as the Model 338 is listed as "Single Engine Pursuit" and the Model 340 is "3 Engine Pursuit". It seems more likely that these were just exploratory studies.

Screen Shot 2023-09-05 at 12.24.43.png
 
jcf said:
Over on the Boeing Designations topic there's a multipage list of Boeing model numbers from a Boeing document.
Model 339 is listed as "2 Engine Pursuit" but there's no info linking it to any service, unlike many numbers on the
list that do explicitly reference a service. The assumption that it was intended as a competitor with the Lockheed
Model 22 is on shaky ground, especially as the Model 338 is listed as "Single Engine Pursuit" and the Model 340 is "3 Engine Pursuit". It seems more likely that these were just exploratory studies.

View attachment 707257
Click to expand...

Thanks Jon. Exploratory studies make sense. Had Boeing not been formally invited to submit to specification X-608, they would be unlikely to invest too much energy in design work.

Now that Model 340 is something that I'd like to see. "3 Engine Pursuit" aircraft are certainly rarae aves!
 
Apophenia said:
Thanks Jon. Exploratory studies make sense. Had Boeing not been formally invited to submit to specification X-608, they would be unlikely to invest too much energy in design work.

Now that Model 340 is something that I'd like to see. "3 Engine Pursuit" aircraft are certainly rarae aves!
Click to expand...
Yeah, classic three tractor trimotor?, twin boom two tractor - one pusher?, tailless three pusher?,
radial or V?, if V upright or inverted?, buried Hyper engines?, etc. etc. Such a torrent of possibilities
that one feels like they're Hedley Lamarr.
 

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