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Consolidated Vultee XP-81

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Prototype fighter aircraft

XP-81

General information
Type	Escort fighter
Manufacturer	Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation
Status	Canceled
Primary user	United States Army Air Forces
Number built	2
History
First flight	11 February 1945

TheConsolidated Vultee XP-81 (later redesignatedZXF-81) is a development of theConsolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation to build a single seat, long range escort fighter that combined use of bothturbojet andturboprop engines. Although promising, the lack of suitable engines combined with the end ofWorld War II doomed the project.

Design and development

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Two prototype aircraft were ordered on 11 February 1944 that were designated XP-81. The engine selection was an attempt to couple the high-speed capability of thejet engine with the endurance offered by thepropeller engine. The XP-81 was designed to use theGeneral Electric TG-100 turboprop engine (later designated XT31 by the US military) in the nose driving a four-bladed propeller and aGE J33 turbojet in the rear fuselage. The turboprop would be used for normal flight and cruising and the turbojet added for high-speed flight.

Operational history

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The original Merlin engine installation in the XP-81

The first XP-81 (serial 44-91000) was completed in January 1945 but because of developmental problems the turboprop engine was not ready for installation. A decision was then made to mount a completeV-1650-7 engine package from aP-51D aircraft in place of the turboprop for initial flight tests. This was done in a week and the Merlin-powered XP-81 was sent to theMuroc airbase where it flew for the first time on 11 February 1945. During 10 flight test hours, the XP-81 displayed good handling characteristics except for inadequate directional stability due to the longer forward portion of the fuselage (this was rectified by enlarging thevertical tail).^[1]

While 13YP-81 pre-production aircraft had been ordered, the capture ofGuam andSaipan obviated the need for long-range, high-speed escort fighters and then, just beforeVJ Day the contract was cancelled, after 85% of the engineering was completed. The YP-81 was to be essentially the same as the prototype but with a lighter and more powerful GE TG-110 (XT41) turboprop engine, the wing moved aft 10 inches (0.25 m), and armament of either six .50 cal (12.7 mm) machine guns or six 20 mm cannon.

After the XP-81 was returned to Vultee Field, the TG-100 turboprop was installed and flight testing resumed, including the first flight by an American turboprop-powered aircraft on 21 December 1945. However, the turboprop engine was not able to produce its designed power; producing only the same output as the Merlin (1,490 hp or 1112 kW) with the resultant performance limited to that of the Merlin-engined version.

With the termination of hostilities, the two prototypes continued to be tested until 1947 when they were both consigned to a bombing range as photography targets.^[2]^[3]

Surviving aircraft

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Both prototypes are in storage at theNational Museum of the United States Air Force nearDayton, Ohio.^[4]

Operators

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United States

United States Army Air Forces (testing only)

Specifications (XP-81)

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Note: Performance is estimated with "full powered" TG-100. Armament is projected only.

Data from Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1947;^[5] General Dynamics Aircraft and Their Predecessors^[6]

General characteristics

Crew: 1
Length: 44 ft 8 in (13.61 m)
Wingspan: 50 ft 6 in (15.39 m)
Height: 13 ft 6 in (4.11 m)
Wing area: 425 sq ft (39.5 m²)
Empty weight: 12,979 lb (5,887 kg)
Gross weight: 24,650 lb (11,181 kg)
Powerplant: 1 ×General Electric T31-GE-3 turboprop engine, 2,300 shp (1,700 kW) plus 600 lbf (2.7 kN) residual thrust (estimated power of production engine)
Powerplant: 1 ×General Electric J33-GE-5 centrifugal flow turbojet, 3,750 lbf (16.7 kN) thrust (planned engine for production aircraft)
Propellers: 4-bladed constant-speed propeller, 12 ft (3.7 m) diameter

Performance

Maximum speed: 478 mph (769 km/h, 415 kn) at sea level; 507 mph (816 km/h) at 30,000 ft (9,100 m)
Cruise speed: 275 mph (443 km/h, 239 kn) at 30,000 ft (9,100 m)
Range: 2,500 mi (4,000 km, 2,200 nmi)
Service ceiling: 47,000 ft (14,000 m)
Rate of climb: 5,300 ft/min (27 m/s)
Wing loading: 106 lb/sq ft (520 kg/m²)

Armament

Guns: 6 ×20 mm (0.8 in)cannon or 6 × .50 cal (12.7 mm) machine guns
Bombs: 2,000 lb (910 kg) of bombs

Notes

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^Green, p. 34
^Winchester, p. 74
^Ginter, pp. 22–23
^"Convair XP-81".National Museum of the United States Air Force. Retrieved6 December 2017.
^Bridgman, p. 203c
^Wegg, pp. 179–180

Bibliography

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Wikimedia Commons has media related toConvair XP-81.

Bridgman, Leonard, ed. (1947).Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1947. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Co.
Ginter, Steve (2006).Consolidated Vultee XP-81. Air Force Legends. Vol. 214 (First ed.). Simi Valley, California: Ginter Books.ISBN 0-942612-87-6.
Green, William (1961).War Planes of the Second World War, Volume Four: Fighters. [S.l.]: Macdonald & Co.ISBN 0-356-01448-7.{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
Green, William; Swanborough, Gordon (1978).US Army Air Force Fighters: Part 2. London: Macdonald and Jane's.ISBN 0-354-01072-7.
Jenkins, Dennis R.; Landis, Tony R. (2008).Experimental & Prototype U.S. Air Force Jet Fighters. North Branch, Minnesota: Specialty Press.ISBN 978-1-58007-111-6.
Knaack, Marcelle Size (1978).Encyclopedia of US Air Force Aircraft and Missile Systems. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History, US Air Force.ISBN 0-912799-59-5.
"Propjet and Plain".Flight:217–218. 28 February 1946. Retrieved6 December 2017.
Thompson, Jonathan (1992).Vultee Aircraft 1932-1947. Santa Ana, California: Narkiewicz/Thompson.ISBN 0-913322-02-4.
Wegg, John (1990).General Dynamics Aircraft and Their Predecessors. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press.ISBN 0-87021-233-8.
Winchester, Jim (2005).The World's Worst Aircraft: From Pioneering Failures to Multimillion Dollar Disasters. London: Amber Books.ISBN 1-904687-34-2.

v t e Convair andGeneral Dynamics aircraft
Manufacturer designations	(numbering continued fromVultee):100 101 102 103 104 105 106 108 109 110 111 112 115 116 117 118 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8/8-24 9 11 21 22 23 24 27 30 31 44 48 200 240 300 340 440 540 580 600 640
Bombers	B-36 (variants) XA-44 XB-46 XB-53 B-58 YB-60
Fighters and attack aircraft	XP-81 XF-92 F2Y F-102 XFY F-106 200 Charger
Civilian transports	37 58-9 110 240 300 340 440 540 580 600 640 880 990 5800
Military transports	XC-99 C-131 / R4Y / T-29 R3Y
Experimental aircraft	Kingfish NB-36H X-6
General Dynamics	RB-57F F-111 F-111B F-111C F-111K EF-111A AFTI/F-111A F-16 F-16XL Model 100 Model 1600 X-62 VISTA YF-22
See also:Consolidated aircraft Vultee aircraft

USAAS/USAAC/USAAF/USAF fighter designations 1924–1962, andTri-Service post-1962 systems

1924 sequences
(1924–1962)

Pursuit (1924–1948)	P-1 P-2 P-3 P-4³ Curtiss P-4 Boeing P-4 P-5 P-6 P-7 P-8 P-9 P-10 P-11 P-12 P-13 P-14 P-15 P-16 P-17 P-18 P-19 P-20 P-21 P-22 P-23 P-24 P-25 P-26 P-27 P-28 P-29 P-30 P-31 P-32 P-33 P-34 P-35 P-36 P-37 P-38 P-39 P-39E P-40 P-41 P-42 P-43 P-44 P-45 P-46 P-47 P-48 P-49 P-50 P-51 P-52 P-53 P-54 P-55 P-56 P-57 P-58 P-59³ XP-59 P-59 P-60 P-61 P-62 P-63 P-64 P-65 P-66 P-67 P-68 P-69 P-70 P-71 P-72 P-73² P-74¹ P-75 P-76 P-77 P-78 P-79 P-80 P-81 P-82 P-83 P-84 P-85 P-86 P-87 P-88 P-89 P-90 P-91 P-92
Fighter (1948–1962)	F-38 F-39 F-40 F-47 F-51 F-59 F-61 RF-61C F-63 F-80 F-81 F-82 F-83 F-84 F-84F/J F-84H F-85 F-86 F-86C F-86D/G/K/L F-87 F-88 F-89 F-90 F-91 F-92 F-93 F-94 F-95 F-96 F-97 F-98 F-99 F-100 F-100B F-101 F-102 F-102B F-103 F-104 XF-104 F-104S NF-104A F-105 F-106³ XF-106 F-106 F-107 F-108 F-109² F-110 F-111 F-111B F-111C F-111K AFTI/F-111A EF-111A
Pursuit, biplace	PB-1 PB-2 PB-3
Fighter, multiplace	FM-1 FM-2
Non-sequential	F-24 P-322 P-400

Tri-service sequence
(1962–present)

Main sequence	F-1 F-1C/D F-1E/F F-2 F-3 F-4 F-4J(UK)/K/M F-5 F-5G F-6 F-7 F-8 F-8E(FN) F-9 F-9F–J F-10 F-11 F-12 F-12C² F-13¹ F-14 F-15 F-15E F-15EX F-15J F-15 STOL/MTD F-16 F-16XL NF-16D F-17 F/A-18 F/A-18E/F EA-18G F-19¹ F-20 F-21 F-22 YF-22 FB-22 F-23
Non-sequential	F-35 F-47 F-117

Covert designations

Related designations

¹ Not assigned • ² Unofficial • ³ Assigned to multiple types
See also: "F-19" • X-32 • X-35 • 1919–1924 sequence

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