Kaiser-Fleetwings XBTK

Kaiser Fleetwings XBTK Story

"Companion Carrier" was introduced by the U.S. Navy during World War II (1939-1945) to provide a carrier-type ship that was smaller in size than a normal aircraft carrier, but at a high cost to speed up wartime production. This has resulted in the US Navy needing lighter bomber/attack aircraft to accommodate the growing fleet of light carriers. This need, in turn, led to the 1943 request, to which Kaiser Fleetwings' concerns responded.

Kaiser-Fleetwings was formed by the merger of Kaiser Cargo and Fleetwings, and in January 1944, the proposal for the aircraft was made from the pairing. To this day, the Kaiser company earns war profits from shipbuilding, while Fleetwings contributes to other companies' aircraft production.

The US Navy officially responded in February 1944. The specification will produce a single-seat, single-engine, carrier-based dive bomber in two prototype forms, designated "XBK".

Power will come from a Pratt & Whitney R-2800-22W radial piston engine and gun centered weapons (2 guns in the wings). Of course there will be ammo carry options, which will be through a total of three hardpoints - one on the centerline of the fuselage and two under the wings.

The extra space under the wings will be reserved for carrying (and launching) 8 x airborne missiles. The wings are also designed to fold up for better storage on light carriers.

In March 1944, the US Navy returned with an additional order of five aircraft.

In the fall of 1944, Kaiser-Fleetwings, with no experience in fighter design and development, produced a model for review. The U.S.

Navy has now awarded contracts for 17 pre-production units in October, although authorities are now more interested in torpedo-carrying attack aircraft than dive bombers. Therefore, the Kaiser-Fleetwings modified their original design to increase the centerline hardpoint tolerance to carry a single USN standard torpedo, which led to the "XBT-1" designation in February 1945.

When finished, the XBTK-1 is a very handsome aircraft, resembling a Vietnam-era Douglas A-1 Skyraider. The XBTK-1 has a forward engine bay with a forward-facing cockpit, which is located under a teardrop-shaped canopy for excellent cockpit visibility. As usual, the monoplane's wings are positioned low on the sides of the fuselage and properly reinforced for the rigors of service on the aircraft carrier.

The fuselage is nicely contoured, with the tail tapering to a large vertical tail attached to it. The horizontal stabilizer is installed in the middle of the two sides of the stabilizer. The landing gear - fully retractable and fitted with the necessary grappling hooks - is a "drag-style" configuration with two main gear legs and a small tail wheel. A special exhaust system was installed in an attempt to convert cooling resistance into extra thrust.

As a low-altitude attack aircraft, the XBTK-1 was also equipped with self-sealing fuel tanks that were necessary on other aircraft at the time, and the cockpit was armored to improve pilot survivability.

Progress on XBTK-1 was slow, while the war was accelerating. The first flight was not recorded until April 12, 1945, and subsequent testing eventually saw the original -22W engine replaced by a supercharged 2,100 hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800 34W engine powering the four-bladed propeller assembly.

Performance specs include a top speed of 373 mph, a range of up to 1,400 miles, and a service ceiling of 33,400 feet.

Further testing also forced some design changes - special fairings were added around the engine casing to help with overheating, while special exhaust features - which promised improved performance - did not deliver the expected performance - It just adds complexity to an existing complex design that already exists. Overall, however, Kaiser Fleetwings' submission is fairly solid and certainly shows promise in the USN's request.

The aircraft was eventually delivered to the U.S. Navy for further review.

In September 1945, World War II officially ended. This meant the death of many promising aircraft companies, including the Kaiser Fleetwings torpedo bomber. About five aircraft were eventually completed, four of which were airworthy.

After the war, U.S. defense military products and budgets fell sharply, leaving little room to expand programs such as the XBTK-1, which marked the end of the road to machines.

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes