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McDonnell XP-67 Bat / Moonbat

1943 WORLD WAR 2 X-PLANE

MacDonald XP-67 Bat/Moon Bat Tale

The XP-67 was McDonnell's first attempt to build a fighter jet for the US military. The same company later built the superior air superiority F-4 Phantom II, F-15 Eagle and F-18 Hornet, while the strike fighter initially had some bumps in the road, led by James S. McDonnell himself.

MacDonald received extensive aviation training while at school (Princeton), served in the Army Air Service, and eventually served with several aircraft manufacturers. With a successful design (stalled by the onset of the Great Depression), MacDonald tried to win his own wings under his own banner.

Thus, the MacDonald Corporation was born, which was looking for a quick connection to the U.S. military.

The XP-67 is one such connection. In every sense, the fighter was a very ambitious design, intended to be the Allied answer to killing enemy bombers in the air. The impressive plane will feature a radial design that visually flattens the entire plane from end to end.

The twin-engine system forges its engines directly into the large wing area, resulting in a stable balance of airflow, drag and lift. The single-seat cockpit will be pressurized and the plane should have a top speed of nearly 500 mph.

Unfortunately, the final product could not meet these specifications - the project was too ambitious at the time.

The XP-67's armament initially consisted of a 6 x 12.7mm machine gun array and an additional 4 x 20mm cannon. It was later upgraded to a speculatively designed 6 x 37mm gun system, which also contained a massive 1 x 75mm gun. Regardless, the XP-67 was the perfect bomber killer that MacDonald and the U.S. military envisioned from the start.

Unfortunately, the prototype system itself was never equipped with the expected weapons.

When the first prototype was introduced in December 1943, it was soon discovered that the engine was prone to fire. With the engine kept low in the nacelle, the fire could spread uncontrollably before being detected, adding an unacceptable risk factor to the design.

Engine cooling also became an issue during testing, and the turbo never worked as expected.

By 1944, when the Luftwaffe was primarily focused on its fighter design, there was no longer a need for real, dedicated bomber killers. Therefore, the Army saw fit to cancel the XP-67 project.

The second XP-67 this time with a jet engine and two propellers in the rear was nearly ready when it received the cancellation notice.

With the XP-67's effective demise and lessons learned, McDonnell turned its attention to the advent of the jet age and began producing a highly successful aircraft. If the XP-67 was allowed to fly, its engine problems were resolved, and if Germany still maintained the expected bomber force, the XP-67 could be the answer for the Allies to fight the Reich in this way.