Friday, 28 April 2017

McDonnell FH-1 Phantom

The McDonnell FH-1 Phantom was the first shipborne pure jet aircraft. It's roots can be traced back to the 7th January 1943 when a letter of intent was issued by the bureau of aeronautics for two prototypes designated XFD-1.
The basic design wasn't completed until early 1944 and it was expected to be powered by two Westinghouse WE-19XB-2B but only one of them was ready for the installation at the beginning of 1945, and the first brief test being performed on 2nd January with a single engine and later, on 26th January it made its full flight tests with both engines fitted. It wasn't until 19th July 1946 that it was tested aboard a carrier, the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt and prior to that, on 7th March 1945 one-hundred of them had been ordered. Later, that contract was reduced to 60 which were delivered with the designation of FH-1 and the nickname of Phantom.
It was powered by two 1600lb (726kgp) Westinghouse J30-WE-20 turbojet engines and it was armed with four 0.5in machine guns placed in the upper section of the nose. It flew officially for the first time on 28th October 1946 and served both with United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps until being retired in 1950.










Sources:
1. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_FH_Phantom

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