| YP-24 Y1A-9 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Fighter Ground attack |
| Manufacturer | Detroit Lockheed |
| Designer | |
| Status | Prototype |
| Primary user | United States Army Air Corps |
| Number built | 1 |
| History | |
| First flight | 1931 |
| Variants | Consolidated P-30 |
TheLockheed-Detroit YP-24 was a 1930s prototype two-seatfighter aircraft produced byDetroit Lockheed. An attack version called theA-9 was also proposed. The YP-24 is most notable for being the first fighter aircraft to bear the Lockheed name.
In 1930,Detroit Aircraft Corporation undertook a private venture to develop a new fighter ("pursuit aircraft" in contemporary terminology) forUS Army Air Corps based on the successfulLockheed Altair transport plane. Designed by Robert J. Woods, the aircraft was completed in 1931 with Detroit Aircraft fabricating the metal fuselage and Lockheed providing the wooden wings, essentially identical to the Altair.Wright Field assigned the prototype the designationXP-900.Vance Breese was hired to be the chief test pilot for the project.[1] The aircraft was purchased by USAAC in September 1931 and redesignatedYP-24, serial number32-320. Early testing was sufficiently impressive to generate an order for five Y1P-24 fighters and four Y1A-9 attack aircraft intended to replace theBerliner-Joyce P-16. The A-9 differed in having four forward-firing machine guns, underwing racks for bombs, and a V-1570-27 engine better low-altitude performance.[2]
On 19 October 1931, the sole aircraft crashed. The aircraft had a partially stuck landing gear, and Wright Field pilots painted messages on the side of theirP-12D andO-25C aircraft, indicating to test pilot Lt. Harrison Crocker to bail out.[3]
Shortly after, in October 1931, events in theGreat Depression forcedDetroit Aircraft intobankruptcy with Lockheed following suit in June 1932.[2] Although Lockheed was resuscitated by a group of investors only five days after it closed doors, the financial hardships had taken their toll and the P-24/A-9 project was cancelled with no aircraft built beyond the original prototype. Four pre-production Y1P-24s,32-321/324, were cancelled.[4] However, after Robert Woods left Detroit Aircraft forConsolidated Aircraft, he continued to develop the YP-24/A-9 concept into theConsolidated Y1P-25/Y1A-11 which eventually entered service as theConsolidated P-30.[5]
Data from Lockheed Aircraft since 1913[6]
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
Related development
Related lists
