| Lockheed XFM-2 | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Type | Heavy fighter/bomber destroyer |
| Manufacturer | Lockheed Corporation |
| Status | Cancelled in 1936 |
| Primary user | United States Army Air Corps |
| Number built | 0 |
TheLockheed XPB-3, later designatedXFM-2 (PB – pursuit, biplace / FM – fighter, multi-seat), was a proposedAmerican heavyfighter aircraft, developed by theLockheed Corporation during the mid-1930s. Intended as a heavy fighter and bomber destroyer for operation by theUnited States Army Air Corps, it failed to win a contract for construction of a prototype, theBell YFM-1 Airacuda being preferred.
Given the Lockheed designationModel 11,[1] the XFM-2 was developed in response to a United States Army Air Corps requirement for a heavy, twin-engined "bomber destroyer". Originally designated XPB-3 in the "pursuit, biplace" category, it was redesignated "XFM-2", for "fighter, multiplace" early in development. Intended to be powered by twoAllison V-1710supercharged engines, the aircraft was designed for an armament of two 37 mm cannons: one mounted in a nose turret and the other in a dorsal turret behind the cockpit.[2]
The XFM-2 featured atricycle landing gear configuration and was a mid-wingmonoplane of nearlymedium bomber size. Theempennage featured a twin-tail arrangement.[3] Although the XFM-2 design was evaluated favorably by the Air Corps, the Bell YFM-1 Airacuda was selected to fill the bomber destroyer requirement, and further work on the XFM-2 was abandoned.[4]
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