Curtiss-Wright XP-55 Ascender

Curtiss-Wright XP-55 Ascender
Pays	Usa
Rôle	Combattant
Produit	Le 19 juillet 1943
Construit	3

Lla Curtiss-Wright XP-55 Ascender (désignation de l’entreprise CW-24) est un prototype d’avion de chasse américain des années 1940 construit par Curtiss-Wright. Avec le Vultee XP-54 et le Northrop XP-56, il résultait de la proposition R-40C du Corps aérien de l’armée de terre des États-Unis publiée le 27 novembre 1939 pour les aéronefs ayant une meilleure performance, armement et visibilité des pilotes par rapport aux chasseurs existants; il permettait spécifiquement des conceptions d’aéronefs non conventionnelles. Un design très inhabituel pour son temps, il avait une configuration canard, un moteur monté à l’arrière, ailes balayées, et deux queues verticales. En raison de sa conception pusher, il a été sarcastiquement appelé le « Ass-ender (Ass-ender) ». Comme le XP-54, l’Ascender a été initialement conçu pour le moteur Pratt & Whitney X-1800 et a dû être redessiné lorsque ce projet de moteur a été annulé. Il a également été le premier avion de chasse Curtiss à utiliser le train d’atterrissage tricycle.

Source: Curtiss-Wright XP-55 Ascender sur Wikipedia

XP-55 Ascender Walk Around
Photographe	Michael Benolkin
Localisation	Inconnu
Photos	39

XP-55 Bloqueur 01

XP-55 Bloqueur 02

XP-55 Bloqueur 03

XP-55 Bloqueur 05

XP-55 Bloqueur 04

XP-55 Bloqueur 06

XP-55 Bloqueur 07

XP-55 Bloqueur 08

XP-55 Bloqueur 09

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General Characteristics and Role

The Curtiss XP-55 Ascender (Curtiss-Sperry Model 24) was an experimental fighter prototype developed for the U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF) during World War II. It was the product of the 1940 « R-40C » proposal for unconventional aircraft designs, alongside the Northrop XP-56 Black Bullet and Vultee XP-54 Swoose Goose. The Ascender featured a highly radical and futuristic design for its time: a tailless canard configuration with the engine mounted at the rear, driving a pusher propeller. This layout was intended to improve aerodynamics and provide an unobstructed forward field of fire. Despite the design’s potential, the XP-55 suffered from stability issues, poor low-speed performance, and did not live up to performance expectations, leading to its cancellation after three prototypes were built.

Property	Typical Value (XP-55)
Rôle	Experimental Fighter Prototype
National Origin	États-Unis
Fabricant	Curtiss-Wright Corporation
First Flight	13 July 1943
Numéro construit	3
Crew	1 (Pilot)
Length	9.0 m (29 ft 6 in)
Envergure	12.4 m (40 ft 8 in)
Height	3.45 m (11 ft 4 in)
Empty Weight	2,884 kg (6,358 lb)
Max Takeoff Weight	3,792 kg (8,360 lb)

Powerplant and Design

Engine: One Allison V-1710-95 (F23R) liquid-cooled V12 engine.
Power Output: 954 kW (1,275 hp).
Propulsion: 3-bladed propeller in a pusher configuration (at the rear).
Maximum Speed: 628 km/h (390 mph; 339 kn) at 5,800 m (19,000 ft).
Range: 1,040 km (650 mi; 560 nmi).
Design Layout: Canard (small horizontal surface in the nose) and a mid-set wing with twin tail booms supporting the rudders. The main wings were swept back slightly.
Pilot Safety: Due to the rear-mounted propeller, the pilot was equipped with a system to jettison the propeller assembly before bailing out in an emergency.

Armament (Intended) and Service

Intended Armament: 2 x 20 mm cannon and 2 x .50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns, all mounted in the nose. (Prototypes often flew with reduced or no armament).
Service History: The first prototype crashed due to a stall/spin in a test flight. Despite modifications to the second and third prototypes, they were ultimately outclassed by conventional and early jet fighters.
Legacy: The XP-55’s radical configuration helped advance research into canard aerodynamics, a concept later successfully used in aircraft like the Saab Viggen and Eurofighter Typhoon.