Douglas XFD
{{short description|Experimental two-seat naval biplane fighter}}
{{Distinguish|text = XFD-1, the 1945 jet fighter prototype of McDonnell FH Phantom}}
| {{Infobox Aircraft Begin
|name= XFD |image= File:Douglas XFD-1.jpg |caption= }}{{Infobox Aircraft Type |type= Fighter |national origin= United States |manufacturer= Douglas Aircraft Company |first flight= January 1933 |primary user= United States Navy |number built=1 }} |
The Douglas XFD was a carrier-based biplane fighter aircraft designed for the United States Navy, and the first fighter to be built by the Douglas Aircraft Company. A victim of changing requirements, no production was undertaken.
Design and development
The XFD was designed to the U.S. Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer) Specification No. 311, requesting a carrier-based two-seater biplane fighter.Yenne 1985, p. 64. On June 30, 1932, the Navy ordered the XFD, Vought XF3U, and Curtiss XF12C for testing.Angelucci, 1987. pp. 182-183.
The first naval fighter designed by Douglas Aircraft,Pattillo 2001, p. 111. the XFD was constructed of metal, with a fabric outer covering. The crew sat in tandem in a single bay, enclosed by a long canopy. The aircraft had fixed conventional landing gear, and was designed to be armed with two {{convert|.30|in|abbr=on}} machine guns, one fixed in the cowling and the other on a flexible mount for the observer. A {{convert|500|lb|adj=on}} bomb load could be carried.Johnson 2011, p. 84. Powered was supplied by a Pratt & Whitney R-1535 Twin Wasp Junior radial engine.
Operational history
The XFD-1{{#tag:ref|The XFD-1 designation was later reused by the U.S. Navy for the prototype of the McDonnell FH Phantom jet fighter.|group=N}} prototype first flew in January 1933; it was delivered to the U.S. Navy for trials at Naval Air Station Anacostia in June 1933, within four days of the delivery of the Vought XF3U-1; evaluations of the types were undertaken between June 18, 1933 and August 14, 1934. While the XFD-1's performance was considered to be acceptable, the U.S. Navy's operational requirements were already changing to see the two-seat fighter concept falling out of favor, the scout bomber being considered more useful for the Navy's needs, and accordingly after the end of the XFD-1's flight trials no further orders were placed for the type.
Specifications
File:Douglas XFD-1 running up on 26 June 1933.jpg
{{Aircraft specs
|ref=Angelucci 1987, Johnson 2011
|prime units?=imp
|crew=Two (pilot and observer)
|capacity=
|length m=
|length ft=25
|length in=4
|length note=
|span m=
|span ft=31
|span in=6
|span note=
|height m=
|height ft=25
|height in=4
|height note=
|wing area sqm=
|wing area sqft=295
|wing area note=
|aspect ratio=
|airfoil=
|empty weight kg=
|empty weight lb=3227
|empty weight note=
|gross weight kg=
|gross weight lb=5000
|gross weight note=
|max takeoff weight kg=
|max takeoff weight lb=
|max takeoff weight note=
|fuel capacity=
|more general=
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=Pratt & Whitney R-1535-64
|eng1 type=14-cylinder air-cooled radial engine
|eng1 kw=
|eng1 hp=700
|eng1 note=
|power original=
|more power=
|prop blade number=2
|prop name=Hamilton Standard
|prop dia m=
|prop dia ft=
|prop dia in=
|prop note=
|max speed kmh=
|max speed mph=204
|max speed kts=
|max speed note=
|max speed mach=
|cruise speed kmh=
|cruise speed mph=170
|cruise speed kts=
|cruise speed note=
|stall speed kmh=
|stall speed mph=
|stall speed kts=
|stall speed note=
|never exceed speed kmh=
|never exceed speed mph=
|never exceed speed kts=
|never exceed speed note=
|range km=
|range miles=
|range nmi=
|range note=
|combat range km=
|combat range miles=576
|combat range nmi=
|combat range note=
|ferry range km=
|ferry range miles=
|ferry range nmi=
|ferry range note=
|endurance=
|ceiling m=
|ceiling ft=23700
|ceiling note=
|g limits=
|roll rate=
|glide ratio=
|climb rate ms=
|climb rate ftmin=1670
|climb rate note=
|time to altitude=
|lift to drag=
|wing loading kg/m2=
|wing loading lb/sqft=
|wing loading note=
|disk loading kg/m2=
|disk loading lb/sqft=
|disk loading note=
|fuel consumption kg/km=
|fuel consumption lb/mi=
|power/mass=
|thrust/weight=
|more performance=
|guns=1 x .30-caliber machine gun, fixed forwards-firing cowl mounting
1 x .30-caliber machine gun, flexible mounting in rear cockpit
|bombs={{convert|500|lb}} external
|rockets=
|missiles=
|hardpoints=
|hardpoint capacity=
|hardpoint rockets=
|hardpoint missiles=
|hardpoint bombs=
|hardpoint other=
}}
See also
{{commonscat|Douglas XFD}}
{{aircontent
|see also=
|related=
|similar aircraft=
|lists=
}}
References
=Notes=
{{Reflist|group=N}}
=Citations=
{{Reflist}}
=Bibliography=
{{refbegin}}
- {{cite book|last=Angelucci|first=Enzo|title=The American Fighter from 1917 to the present|year=1987|publisher=Orion Books|location=New York}}
- {{cite book|last=Johnson|first=E.R.|title=United States Naval Aviation, 1919-1941|year=2011|publisher=McFarland & Company|location=Jefferson, NC|ISBN=978-0-7864-4550-9}}
- {{cite book|last=Pattillo|first=Donald|title=Pushing the Envelope: The American Aircraft Industry|year=2001|publisher=University of Michigan Press|location=Ann Arbor, MI|isbn=0-472-10869-7}}
- {{cite book|last=Yenne|first=Bill|title=McDonnell Douglas: Tale of Two Giants|year=1985|publisher=Crescent Books|location=New York|ISBN=978-0-5174-4287-6}}
{{refend}}
{{Douglas aircraft}}
{{USN fighters}}
Category:Cancelled military aircraft projects of the United States
Category:1930s United States fighter aircraft
Category:Single-engined tractor aircraft