Boeing P-26

The Boeing Company funded the project to produce the Boeing Model 248 in September 1931, with the US Army Air Corps supplying the engines and instruments. The design included an open cockpit, fixed landing gear and externally braced wings and it was the last of such design procured by the USAAC as a fighter aircraft. The original Model 248 had a very high landing speed which caused many accidents, so in order to remedy that, flaps were fitted to reduce landing speed. The USAAC ordered three prototypes, under the name of Boeing XP-936 with the first flight taking place on 20th March 1932.
The prototype was still hard to land and sometimes, due to its short nose, it rolled onto its back and would flip forward, injuring, or even killing, the pilot. The prototype's unarmed headrest offered virtually no protection in such cases, so the production model, called Model 266 (Boeing P-26A) had a taller armoured headrest installed.
The P-26A version was powered by a single Pratt & Whitney R-1340-27 "Wasp" with a power of 600hp while subsequent versions, the P-26B and C were powered by the R-1340-33 fuel-injected engines. The C version had modified and optimized fuel systems and all of them were armed with two 0.30in (7.92mm) M1919 Browning machine guns or one 0.30in and one 0.50in (12.7mm) calibre machine guns and could carry up to 90Kg (100lb) of bombs.
Back in the early 1930s it was the fastest American fighter aircraft to serve with the USAAC. However, as the aircraft technology was developing very quick, it soon became obsolete with wire-braced wings, fixed landing gear and open cockpit. For comparison purposes, the Dewoitine D.500 flew for the first time the same year as the P-26 and the Soviet Polikarpov I-16 was already flying with retractable landing gear by 1934, just two after the P-26. By 1935, just two year after the P-26 was designed, the Curtiss P-36, the Messerschmitt Bf.109 and the Hawker Hurricane, were all flying with enclosed cockpits, retractable landing gear and cantilever wings. However, as the P-26 was easy to flight, it remained in service with the USAAC until the United States entered the World War II.
It was delivered to the USAAC's Pursuit Squadrons in December 1933 with the last production aircrafts rolling out of the factory in 1936, under the designation of P-26C. Twenty-two squadrons flew the P-26, with peak service being six squadrons in 1936. They were the frontline fighter of the USAAC until 1938 when the Curtiss P-36 and the Seversky P-35 began to replace the P-26. Twenty of them were lost in accidents between 1934 and 1941, but only five before 1940.
They were also assigned to overseas deployment to supplement the Seversky P-35 at Wheeler Field, in Hawaii between 1938 and 1940 and, while some of them remained there as trainers, others were sent to Albrook Field, in the Panama Canal Zone, were nine of them were active in December 1941. They also served with the 3rd Pursuit Squadron of the 4th Composite Group, based in the Philippines and they were sold between 1937 and 1941 to the Philippne Army Air Corps.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_P-26_Peashooter
2. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters.

Boeing P-26 Peashooter, Spanish and Philippine users

The Boeing P-26 Peashooter was the first all-metal American fighter and the first monoplane fighter used by the United States Army Air Corps.
It was used by many foreign users like the Republic of Spain and the Commonwealth of the Philippines.

• Republic of Spain: Twelve Boeing Model 281 were manufactured as demonstrators and one of them was sent to Spain in March 1935 with the objective of winning the contract that the Spanish government issued for a modern fighter that could replace their ageing Nieuport-Delage NiD.52. The contest was won by the Hawker Fury and the Boeing Model 281 was left unarmed in Spain at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War and bought shortly later by the Fuerza Aérea Republicana Española (FARE - Spanish Republican Air Force) for the amount of 26000 dollars. It was piloted by Lt. Ramón Puparelli and was fitted with two Vickers 0.303in machine guns. However, it was shot down by a FIAT Cr.32 on 21st October 1936 close to the town of Getafe, shortly after the beginning of the Spanish Civil War.
• Commonwealth of the Philippines: In 1937 the Philippine 3rd and 4th Pursuit Groups were created and by July 1941 they were fully equipped. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, they were reinforced with 12 more. The Filipino P-26 entered in combat when Japan invaded, and they managed to shot down some Japanese aircraft. In fact, they claimed one G3M and two or three A6M Zero before the last of the P-26 was burned by their own crew to prevent capture on 24th December 1941.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_P-26_Peashooter

2. https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_P-26_Peashooter (translated)

3. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Boeing P-26, Chinese and Central-American users

The Boeing P-26 Peashooter, was the first American all-metal to serve in the United States Army Air Corps. It was designed by Boeing in the early 1930s and flew for the first time in 1932. It was exported to many nations:

• Republic of China: The Republic of China ordered eleven Boeing Model 281 which was the demonstrator of the P-26C. The first Model 281, which arrived to China in September 1934, was destroyed in an accident when its pilot was making a demonstration flight. The rest arrived gradually at the Chinese port of Canton during the next 15 months, with the last one arriving in January 1936 and forming, therefore, the 17th Fighter Squadron, as part of the 3rd Wing. Those aircraft scored some victories against Japanese fighters and bombers and some Chinese pilots adquired the ace status flying the type, like Cpt. John Wong. The aircraft had to be retired from active service due to the lack of spare parts.
• Guatemala: During late 1942, when there were just 9 active Peashooters in the USAAC, at the Panama Canal Zone, the Guatemalan Government showed interest for the type. However, as the United States Congress had issued a veto on combat weapons exportations to Latin-American countries, except for Mexico and Brasil, the US Government smuggled them under the fake name of PT-26 to disguish them as Fairchild PT-26 trainer airplane, being seven of them delivered in early 1943. They were employed in the Guatemalan coup d'état of 1954 and, by the end of 1956 there were only two of them left. Both of them were sold to be restored by the Plames of Fame Air Museum, in Chino, California and the National Air and Space Museum.
• Panamá: Apparently at least one aircraft was sold to the Panaman government during the years of the World War II. However as we couldn't find any graphical information, the drawing should be considered as speculative.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_P-26_Peashooter

2. https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_P-26_Peashooter (translated)

3. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters