The XP-67 was one of the more distinctive fighters to fly during
WWII. It was highly streamlined twin engine fighter, the engine
nacelles blending into the wings and the wings blending into the
fuselage. The XP-67 was designed to a high-altitude fighter
specification originating in 1939, but
didn't fly until early 1944. As an unusual feature to improve speed,
exhaust from the engines was vented rearward as a jet-effect. However,
the piston engines used
in the prototype fell some 300 hp short of their rated output, causing
a
drop of nearly 50 mph from the projected speed (404 vs 448 mph). The
first prototype was
destroyed in a fire in September 1944 and the project was cancelled
despite a second prototype being readied.
No armament was installed in the prototype, but a formidable array
of six 37mm cannons was proposed.
The XP-67 uses 50.4 gallons of aviation fuel per hour at routine
usage.
Subassemblies: Heavy Fighter chassis with Good
streamlining +3, Medium Fighter-Bomber
Wings +3, 2xLarge AFV Engine Pods +3, three retractable wheels +0.
Powertrain: 2x1,007-kW aerial HP supercharged-gasoline
engines [Pods] with 2x1,007-kW props, 2xJet Core and 4x Jet Add-Ons
(1,000-lb thrust combined) [Pods] and
735-gallon self-sealing
fuel tanks [Body and Wings]
Occupancy: 1 CS Cargo: 1 Body, 4 Pods
Armor
All: 2/3
Cockpit: B +0/30, U +0/30
Weaponry
6x37mm Medium AC/M-4 [Body:F] (45 each)
Equipment
Body: Medium radio receiver and transmitter, navigation
instruments,
autopilot.
Statistics
| Size: 42'x55'x12' | Payload: 0.28 tons | Lwt: 11.1 tons |
| Volume: 224 |
Maint.: 21 hours | Price: $88,700 |
HT: 7.
HP: 260 [body], 330 [each wing], 225 [each pod], 24 [each wheel]
| aSpeed: 448 |
aAccel: 15 |
aDecel: 21 |
aMR: 5.25 |
aSR: 2 |
Stall: 99 |
Design Notes
Design speed was 451 mph. The historical speed has been used, as well
as the actual wing area (414 square feet). Loaded weight was increased
5%.
Because the plane was underweight until the end of the design
process, and to represent the extra thrust from the exhaust, a pair of
500-lb thrust jets were installed. Note that these do not consume fuel,
as they augment thrust by using the engine exhaust..
Some sources claim only four 37mm cannons were to be installed.
Variants
The second prototype actually had a pair of 2,300-lb jets installed
along with the piston engines.