The XB-38 Flying Fortress was a single example conversion of a production B-17E Flying Fortress, testing whether the Allison V-1710 V type engine could be substituted for the standard Wright R-1820 radial engine during early World War II.
The XB-38 was the result of a modification project undertaken by Vega (a subsidiary of Lockheed) on a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress to fit it with liquid-cooled Allison V-1710-89 V-12 engines. It was meant as an improved version of the B-17, and a variant that could be used if air-cooled Wright R-1820radial engines became scarce. Completing the modifications took less than a year, and the XB-38 made its first flight on May 19, 1943. Only one prototype was built, and it was developed from an existing B-17 bomber.[1]
While the XB-38 delivered a substantially higher top speed, its service ceiling was lower. After a few flights it had to be grounded due to a problem with engine manifold joints leaking exhaust gases. Following the fixing of this problem, testing continued until the ninth flight on June 16, 1943. During this flight, the third (right inboard) engine caught fire, and the crew was forced to bail out. The XB-38 was destroyed and the project was canceled, in part because the V-1710 engines were needed for other projects such as the Lockheed P-38 Lightning, Bell P-39 Airacobra, Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, North American P-51A Mustang, and Bell P-63 Kingcobrafighters.
Francillon, René J. Lockheed Aircraft since 1913. London:Putnam, 1982. ISBN0-370-30329-6.
Hess, William N. and Jim Winchester. ""Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress:Queen of the Skies". Wings Of Fame. Volume 6. London:Aerospace Publishing, 1997. ISBN1-874023-93-X. ISSN 1361-2034. pp. 38–103.
Jones, Lloyd S. U.S. Bombers, B-1 1928 to B-1 1980s. Fallbrook, CA: Aero Publishers, 1962, second edition 1974. ISBN0-8168-9126-5.
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August 19, 2023
boeing, flying, fortress, flying, fortress, single, example, conversion, production, flying, fortress, testing, whether, allison, 1710, type, engine, could, substituted, standard, wright, 1820, radial, engine, during, early, world, flying, fortressrole, strate. The XB 38 Flying Fortress was a single example conversion of a production B 17E Flying Fortress testing whether the Allison V 1710 V type engine could be substituted for the standard Wright R 1820 radial engine during early World War II XB 38 Flying FortressRole Strategic bomberManufacturer Boeing B 17E aircraft Vega modifications First flight 19 May 1943Retired 16 June 1943Status CancelledPrimary user United States Army Air ForcesNumber built 1Developed from Boeing B 17 Flying Fortress Contents 1 Design and development 2 Operators 3 Specifications XB 38 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksDesign and development EditThe XB 38 was the result of a modification project undertaken by Vega a subsidiary of Lockheed on a Boeing B 17 Flying Fortress to fit it with liquid cooled Allison V 1710 89 V 12 engines It was meant as an improved version of the B 17 and a variant that could be used if air cooled Wright R 1820 radial engines became scarce Completing the modifications took less than a year and the XB 38 made its first flight on May 19 1943 Only one prototype was built and it was developed from an existing B 17 bomber 1 While the XB 38 delivered a substantially higher top speed its service ceiling was lower After a few flights it had to be grounded due to a problem with engine manifold joints leaking exhaust gases Following the fixing of this problem testing continued until the ninth flight on June 16 1943 During this flight the third right inboard engine caught fire and the crew was forced to bail out The XB 38 was destroyed and the project was canceled in part because the V 1710 engines were needed for other projects such as the Lockheed P 38 Lightning Bell P 39 Airacobra Curtiss P 40 Warhawk North American P 51A Mustang and Bell P 63 Kingcobra fighters Operators Edit United StatesUnited States Army Air ForcesSpecifications XB 38 EditData from Lockheed Aircraft since 1913 2 General characteristicsCrew 10 Length 74 ft 0 in 22 56 m Wingspan 103 ft 11 in 31 67 m Height 19 ft 2 in 5 84 m Wing area 1 420 sq ft 131 9 m2 Empty weight 34 750 lb 15 762 kg Gross weight 56 000 lb 25 401 kg Max takeoff weight 64 000 lb 29 030 kg Powerplant 4 Allison V 1710 97 turbosupercharged liquid cooled V12 engines 1 425 hp 1 063 kW eachPerformance Maximum speed 327 mph 526 km h 284 kn at 25 000 ft 7 600 m Cruise speed 226 mph 364 km h 197 kn Range 3 300 mi 5 310 km 2 870 nmi Service ceiling 29 600 ft 9 020 m Armament Guns 10 50 in 12 7 mm Browning M2 machine guns Bombs 6 000 lb 2 700 kg See also EditRelated development B 17 Flying Fortress XB 39 SuperfortressRelated lists List of bomber aircraft List of military aircraft of the United StatesReferences EditNotes Vega XB 38 www joebaugher com Retrieved 2019 10 13 Francillon 1982 p 215 BibliographyFrancillon Rene J Lockheed Aircraft since 1913 London Putnam 1982 ISBN 0 370 30329 6 Hess William N and Jim Winchester Boeing B 17 Flying Fortress Queen of the Skies Wings Of Fame Volume 6 London Aerospace Publishing 1997 ISBN 1 874023 93 X ISSN 1361 2034 pp 38 103 Jones Lloyd S U S Bombers B 1 1928 to B 1 1980s Fallbrook CA Aero Publishers 1962 second edition 1974 ISBN 0 8168 9126 5 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Boeing XB 38 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Boeing XB 38 Flying Fortress amp oldid 1153969613, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
