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Bell P-59 Airacomet

The P-59 Airacomet was the first U.S. jet aircraft developed to test the first U.S. jet engine-- the General Electric I-A.  The prototype XP-59A flew on October 1, 1942.

Although much was learned from this aircraft, it's performance was not significantly better than contemporary piston-engined fighters.  After a limited production run, the Airacomet was taken out of service in 1946.

 
 Specifications (YP-59A)  Designations
 
Type: Fighter
Engine: two 1,650 hp (7.3 kN) General Electric I-16 turbojets
Model 27: Bell model number
P-59: U.S. Army Air Forces pursuit (fighter) designation
 
 Related Pages
 
More about Bell Aircraft
   
 

page updated 11 February 2008

 

 

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© Kenneth W Shanaberger 2000 - 2010