Curtiss-Wright XP-55 Ascender

Curtiss-Wright XP-55 Ascender
Land	Usa
Roll	Fighter
Produceras	19 juli 1943
Byggd	3

Den Curtiss-Wright XP-55 Ascender (företagsbeteckning CW-24) är ett amerikanskt prototypjaktflygplan från 1940-talet byggt av Curtiss-Wright. Tillsammans med Vultee XP-54 och Northrop XP-56 var det resultatet av United States Army Air Corps förslag R-40C utfärdat den 27 november 1939 för flygplan med förbättrad prestanda, beväpning och pilotsynlighet över befintliga krigare; Det tillät specifikt okonventionella flygplanskonstruktioner. En mycket ovanlig design för sin tid, den hade en canard-konfiguration, en bakmonterad motor, svepta vingar och två vertikala svansar. På grund av sin pusher-design kallades den sarkastiskt som "Ass-ender". Liksom XP-54 var Ascender ursprungligen konstruerad för Pratt & Whitney X-1800-motorn och måste omformas när det motorprojektet avbröts. Det var också det första Curtiss stridsflygplanet som använde trehjuligt landningsställ.

Källkod: Curtiss-Wright XP-55 Ascender på Wikipedia

XP-55 Ascender Walk Around
Fotograf	Michael Benolkin
Lokalisering	Unknow
Bilder	39

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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)
Roll	Experimental Fighter Prototype
National Origin	USA
Tillverkare	Curtiss-Wright Corporation
First Flight	13 July 1943
Byggda nummer	3
besättning	1 (Pilot)
längd	9.0 m (29 ft 6 in)
Spännvidd	12.4 m (40 ft 8 in)
höjd	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.