Copyright 2008 by Brandon Cope
 
 

Home Page

Back to Vehicles
 
 

Fisher P-75A Eagle fighter

Originating in a 1942 request for a high-speed, high-altitude interceptor with a quick climb rate, the XP-75 was strange looking airplane. In order to speed development, it was decided to take proven parts from existing aircraft and combine them in one airframe. While in theory this was a fine idea, in practice it proved to be less than satisfactory. It also didn't help that the new engine for the aircraft (a 24-cylinder inline made by connecting two 12-cylinder engines) failed to produce the expected horsepower. The engine was located behind the pilot (as on the Bell P-39), using an extension shaft to drive contra-rotating propellors. However, unlike the P-39, the mid-mounted engine on the XP-75 tended to overheat. The project was further hampered, after two prototypes were constructed and flown in 1943, by the plane's role changing from interceptor to long-range escort. Six XP-75A's were built to the new specifications but still were unsatisfactory, partly because the plane's center of gravity had been miscalculated. By mid-1944, six P-75A's were ready, almost new aircraft with a different engine and several other changes, but it still fell short of performance estimates. By that time versions of the P-51 Mustang and P-47 Thunderbolt were in service as long range escorts and no need was seen for a third type. In October 1944, the remainder of the P-75A production order was cancelled.

The numbers -73 and -74 were not assigned to any fighter project. Supposedly, this was at the request of Fisher, who wanted to compare the P-75 to the famous French 75mm gun of WWI as part of a marketing campaign.

The P-75A used 97 gallons of aviation fuel per hour at routine usage.

Subassemblies: Medium Fighter-Bomber chassis +3, Light Fighter-Bomber Wings +2, three retractable wheels +0.
Powertrain: 2,152-kW aerial HP gasoline engine with two 1,076-kW props and 636-gallon self-sealing fuel tanks [Wings and Body].
Occupancy: 1 CS  Cargo: 7.5 Body..
 
Armor F R/L B T U
Body 2/5 2/5 2/5 2/5 2/5
Wings 2/5 2/5 2/5 2/5 2/5
Pilot +0/40 +0/0 +0/40 +0/0 +0/40

Weaponry
4¥Very Long Aircraft HMGs/M-2 [Body:F] (300 rounds each)*
6¥Very Long Aircraft HMGs/M-2 [Wings:F] (235 rounds each)*
2¥1,000-lb bombs [Body:U]
* Link fires all body HMGs or all wing HMGs at once or all ten guns together

Equipment
Body: Medium radio receiver and transmitter, navigation instruments, autopilot.

Statistics
Size: 41'x49'x16' Payload: 3.5 tons Lwt: 9.65 tons
Volume:  448
 Maint.: 29 hours Price: $47,800

HT: 9.
HPs: 420 Body, 240 each Wing, 42 each Wheel.
 
 
aSpeed: 441
 aAccel: 12
 aDecel: 17
 aMR: 4.25
 aSR: 2 Stall: 100 mph

Design Notes
The estimated historical speed has been used (design speed was 394 mph), as well as the actual wing area (347 square feet). However, the plane reached only 404 mph in testing (excluding a short dash of 418 mph once). Chassis and wing HPs, weight and cost were doubled to increase weight closer to historical).

The six wing-mounted HMGs were optional.

Variant
The XP-75A was similar in game terms, but only carried a pair of 500-lb bombs.