Lockheed XP-58 « Chain Lightning »

[Steve Pace]

You're right on that - I found the issue in my collection and that color image wasn't in it - just B&W stuff.

 

[fightingirish]

Here the pictures at the SDASM Archives.
Link: http://www.flickr.com/search/?ss=2&w=49487266%40N07&q=XP-58&m=text

 

[luedo34]

A great color three-view of the Chain Lightning by French illustrator Vincent Bourguignon... Yummy!

Well, to be precise, he ist not French but Belgian.
http://ww2drawings.jexiste.fr/index.htm

Have worked with him on several of my books.
Nice guy and and excellent work!

 

[Steve Pace]

Here's the OOAK I did for the June 2010 issue of Flight Journal magazine.

The photo was gratiously supplied to me by Stephane.

Steve Pace

 

[luedo34]

Thanks Steve, great article!

 

[Stargazer]

Cool page, Steve! Glad to have contributed in my own, small way!

 

[saturncanuck]

Here's the OOAK I did for the June 2010 issue of Flight Journal magazine.

The photo was gratiously supplied to me by Stephane.

Steve Pace

Great article.

I wrote about the XP-58 as well, in my book "Thunderbolt and Lightning", which was published in March 2009. I hope to include this as well in the up-and-coming "Clipped Wings 2", which (fingers crossed) should be out this fall.

Here is an attachment of the XP-58 chapter. Hope you all enjoy....

 

[Steve Pace]

Very well done Mr. Townend!

SP

 

[saturncanuck]

Very well done Mr. Townend!

SP

High praise from you indeed, Mr Pace.

 

[Triton]

From Code One magazine:

The Lockheed XP-49 (Model 522) was an advancement on the P-38 Lightning for a fighter in response to U.S. Army Air Corps proposal 39-775. Intended to use the new twenty-four cylinder Pratt & Whitney X-1800 engine, this proposal, which was for an aircraft substantially similar to the P-38. One aircraft was built and it first flew on 1 June 1944.

Sources:
http://www.codeonemagazine.com/gallery_slideshow.html?item_id=19

http://www.codeonemagazine.com/gallery_slideshow.html?item_id=19

 

[Johnbr]

Found this on the net info said taken 1946.

 

[Stargazer]

Pics of the XP-58 which I don't remember seeing in this topic:

 

[hesham]

Hi,


I read that,the Lockheed RP-58 was a recce version project of the P-58 Chain Lightning fighter,it
was planned but never built,is that right ?.


Sources; Air Power May 2005 and Le Fana de l'Aviation August 2005

 

[ACResearcher]

Re: Lockheed XP-58 Recon Version

Hesham,
Yes, there was a proposed recon version. I have the top and side view drawings but have not yet gotten around to redrawing them due to other commitments.
When I get them done I'll post them here.
AlanG

 

[hesham]

Thank you AlanG.

 

[ACResearcher]

Just to show that the XP-58R actually existed - at least on paper - here is a redraw of the FRONT view of the XP-58 (dotted line) overlaid on the shape of the XP-58R. Note the gray area is the glass on the XP-58R.
I'm writing an article about this proposed version for which I am redrawing the plans I copied, but I wanted to "tease" you all a bit with this information.
AlanG

 

[Stargazer]

Great stuff, looking forward to the rest...

When you wrote "XP-58R" and not "RP-58", does it mean they planned to modify the existing XP-58 prototype?

 

[ACResearcher]

Good questions!

First, the reconnaissance version was to be a conversion of the existing aircraft, it being considered "...an expeditious means of obtaining such an airplane in a minimum of time and with the minimum diversion of critical facilities."

I fear the "XP-58R" moniker may be mine for ID purposes when I was scanning the stuff a number of years ago. I'll go back through the documents and see if there was any reference to either title.

AlanG

 

[hesham]

Thank you AlanG.

 

[Steve Pace]

If a photographic reconnaissance version of the P-58 would have materialized in that era its designation would most likely have been an F-something since the prefix F stood for Photo (more often said Foto for Foto Joe aircraft). Just sayin'... -SP

 

[Stargazer]

If a photographic reconnaissance version of the P-58 would have materialized in that era its designation would most likely have been an F-something since the prefix F stood for Photo (more often said Foto for Foto Joe aircraft). Just sayin'... -SP

You are quite right, Steve, thanks for the reminder! At that time, the letter "R" was not used at all by the Air Force at the time. It has been used in the 1920s for racing aircraft, but no more heard of until used totally out-of-sequence suffix for the P-80R "racer"... Only in 1948 did the it replace the "F" as a main type prefix for photo-Reconnaissance (while said "F" now replaced the "P" for Fighter instead of Pursuit...).

 

[ACResearcher]

Yes, it is quite true that USAAF reconnaissance aircraft received the designator “F”. However, the PR version of the XP-58 never received a designation. The documents refer to it only as a “photographic conversion”. I labeled it XP-58R for my own use and easy identification for searching my computer files. I shall continue to call it that until I find some other official designator.

The saga of the XP-58 continues to expand. If we count the Lockheed L-134 as a variant, that makes at least four separate versions. There are probably more.

In order to list the four variants it is necessary to correct a long-standing error that seems to have started with Bodie’s book on the P-38. This particular error – a typo perhaps? – is shown on the first page of this string in Justo Miranda’s entry on Feb 22, 2009{Escanear0004.jpg} of the 3-view of the early XP-58. The error is found in the caption, specifically in the reference to being powered by the R-2600. This error is actually shown in several areas: 1) The R-2600 was a radial engine with a completely different air intake/cooling system. 2) The exhaust system shown on the side of the engines is entirely inappropriate for the R-2600 – or any radial, for that matter.

But perhaps the most important clue is found on the factory drawing of the XP-58R fuselage layout. It reads: “TRACED FROM LOCKHEED DWG. (illegible) WITH R-2160 ENGINES BECAUSE NO DWG’S AVAILABLE OF XP-58 WITH V-3420 ENGINES. PERFORMANCE IN REFERENCE M.R. BASED ON V-3420 ENGINES.”

The R-2160 was a 7-bank, 42-cylinder inline engine designed by Curtiss and called the Tornado. As with all of those U.S. experimental engines that could be loosely placed in the “hyper-engine” category, it was a failure. An informative entry for this engine can be found on Wikipedia as well as a reference to Kim McCutcheon’s excellent book on the subject, “Tornado: Wright Aero's Last Liquid-cooled Piston Engine” ISBN 978-0-9710847-0-4 I have this book and it is well worth the price.

Thus we get back to the four known potential variants of the XP-58: 1) R-2160-powered version with no rear upper or lower turrets; 2) The well-known V-3420-powered, turret-armed version; 3) XP-58R or whatever one wishes to call it, and; 4) Lockheed L-134. It is entirely possible that there are other, currently-unknown variants. I will continue to dig around in an attempt to find such gems.

I hope the above is of interest.

 

[hesham]

Hi,


here is the early drawing to Lockheed XP-58 and final design.

 

[Jugman]

ACResearcher that 3-view has Pratt & Whitney XH-2600. Not Wright R-2600. This was the engine in the +2000 hp range preferred by the Army in 1940.

 

[SlickDriver]

If a photographic reconnaissance version of the P-58 would have materialized in that era its designation would most likely have been an F-something since the prefix F stood for Photo (more often said Foto for Foto Joe aircraft). Just sayin'... -SP

You are quite right, Steve, thanks for the reminder! At that time, the letter "R" was not used at all by the Air Force at the time. It has been used in the 1920s for racing aircraft, but no more heard of until used totally out-of-sequence suffix for the P-80R "racer"... Only in 1948 did the it replace the "F" as a main type prefix for photo-Reconnaissance (while said "F" now replaced the "P" for Fighter instead of Pursuit...).

R was used by the Army Air Forces for Rotor craft. The Sikorsky R-4 came out in 1942.

 

[sienar]

http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc62502/m1/?page=1
http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc61228/m1/

 

[Boxman]

Brief USAAF film about the XP-58 posted by AVhistorybuff at YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQMDLFkvyBM

 

[hesham]

Hi,


here is the drawings from Airpower 5/2005,about Lockheed XP-58 aircraft,wrote
by my dear Jared Zichek.

 

[hesham]

And;

 

[sienar]

Amazing, thanks for posting!

 

[Justo Miranda]

Some additional info here

 

[Justo Miranda]

Post-2

 

[Justo Miranda]

Post-3