US Aircraft Engines

[DougM]

What US Aircraft Could have been a success (or at least gone into prod if the engines had been better?
We see a lot of test aircraft and more then a few production aircraft such as the original P-51. That were let down by engines. We see this a lot with prototype aircraft from around WW2 but we get it with first generation jets as well.

So what aircraft could we have had or what aircraft would have been better if they had better engines?

 

[CalBear]

What US Aircraft Could have been a success (or at least gone into prod if the engines had been better?
We see a lot of test aircraft and more then a few production aircraft such as the original P-51. That were let down by engines. We see this a lot with prototype aircraft from around WW2 but we get it with first generation jets as well.

So what aircraft could we have had or what aircraft would have been better if they had better engines?

P-39. Up to 15K in temperate weather it was one of the most maneuverable aircraft of the war. At 20K or in the tropics it was, well, the P-39.

 

[marathag]

P-39. Up to 15K in temperate weather it was one of the most maneuverable aircraft of the war. At 20K or in the tropics it was, well, the P-39.

And that's from the supercharger.
From a design standpoint, the Allison was far better than the Merlin for all the moving bits ahead of the supercharger section.

But what the US needed was a bigger inch V-12, something in the 2200cu.in range

Or the monster 36 cylinder, 5000hp Lycoming XR-7755.
Want a twin engine B-29? four engine B-36?
There you go.

 

[marathag]

So what aircraft could we have had or what aircraft would have been better if they had better engines?

Many good, and not so good designs were torpedoed by the shortage of decent Wright R-3350s in the middle of the War.
Other 'X' designs were to th H block Allison 3420, started in 1937 and never done right.
To be fair, nobody got H blocks to work right

Take that money, and toss it at the Lockheed L-1000

1942

24 inches in diameter, 139 inches long, weighs 1,235 lbs. Axial flow

estimated full thrust, the L-1000 could develop 6,700 lb thrust
Money not forthcoming till 1944

All while GE was trying to make something from the British Whittle centrifugal designs, and the Jumo 004 was bigger in diamer, longer in length, and under 2000 pounds of thrust

 

[Aghasverov]

This little inverted-vee jewel could've had some further development potential...

Continental XI-1430 - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

.

 

[Draconis]

So what aircraft could we have had or what aircraft would have been better if they had better engines?

The B-29. An excellent airframe that was hindered by the problems with the early R-3350s. It seems to me the original prodction runs of the B-29 should have received the R-2800 engine. Better engines and with wings strengthened to handle them eventually were developed but not in time for WW2.

The original B-29s could have been fitted with R-2800s, a turbocharged engine that would have provided the same horsepower as the early R-3350s and without the overheating problem and the engine fires.