Seversky P-35

Seversky P-35
Country	USA
Role	Fighter
First fly	15 August 1935
Built	196

The Seversky P-35 was an American fighter aircraft built by the Seversky Aircraft Company in the late 1930s. A contemporary of the Hawker Hurricane and Messerschmitt Bf 109, the P-35 was the first single-seat fighter in United States Army Air Corps to feature all-metal construction, retractable landing gear, and an enclosed cockpit.

Source: Seversky P-35 on Wikipedia

Seversky AT-12 (2PA, P-35) Walk Around
Photographer	Cees Hendriks
Localisation	Unknow
Photos	64

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Severski P-35 Walk Around
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Seversky P-35

A Revolutionary Milestone

The Seversky P-35 was a landmark in American aviation history. When it won the 1936 Army Air Corps fighter competition, it signaled the end of the biplane era. It was the first pursuit aircraft for the U.S. Army to feature the “holy trinity” of modern fighter design: an all-metal stressed-skin construction, a closed cockpit, and retractable landing gear. Though it was quickly outclassed by faster European designs like the Bf 109, it provided the direct DNA for the legendary P-47 Thunderbolt.

Attribute	Technical Specification (P-35)
Role	Fighter / Pursuit Aircraft
Crew	1 (Pilot)
First Flight	August 15, 1935 (SEV-1XP)
Powerplant	1 × Pratt & Whitney R-1830-9 Twin Wasp radial
Horsepower	850 hp (634 kW)
Maximum Speed	281 mph (452 km/h)
Service Ceiling	30,600 feet (9,327 m)
Armament	1 × .50 cal machine gun; 1 × .30 cal machine gun (Nose mounted)

Design Innovations & Quirks

The Elliptical Wing: The P-35 featured beautiful, semi-elliptical wings that tapered to rounded tips. This design was aerodynamically efficient but difficult to manufacture.
Semi-Retractable Gear: Unlike later fighters where the wheels disappeared completely into the wing, the P-35’s gear retracted rearward into large, aerodynamic fairings (or “tubs”) on the underside of the wing.
Wet Wing Technology: The P-35 was a pioneer in using integral fuel tanks—where the wing structure itself is sealed to hold fuel—rather than separate metal tanks. This saved weight and increased fuel capacity.
The “Rear Passenger” Space: Behind the pilot’s seat was a small baggage compartment. In emergencies, a second person could crawl in there, a feat famously performed during the Japanese invasion of the Philippines.

Trial by Fire in the Pacific

Battle of the Philippines: By December 1941, the P-35 was hopelessly obsolete. Most American P-35s were stationed in the Philippines. They were decimated on the ground and in the air by the much faster Japanese Zeros and Oscars, though they fought bravely in ground-attack roles.
Swedish Service (J 9): Ironically, the most successful version was the export EP-1. Sweden ordered 120 of them (designated J 9), and they served as the backbone of the Swedish Air Force during the early war years.
The Alexander Kartveli Connection: The P-35 was designed by Alexander Kartveli, who would go on to design the P-47 Thunderbolt. If you look at a P-35 and a P-47 side-by-side, the evolution of the fuselage and tail shape is unmistakable.
Survivors: Only a handful remain. The most significant is a P-35A displayed at the National Museum of the United States Air Force, painted in the markings of the 17th Pursuit Squadron.