Long story short, the Corps wants a good fighter and Grumman wants to build it. Continental has an engine that's so hot it's cool. They come together and make a deal. BuAer authorizes 200, which enter service beginning Sept 1941. VMF 211 embarks for Wake Island in November 1941 with 12 Skyrockets.
Grumman F5F-3 Skyrocket
- Thread starter Just Leo
- Start date
A naval P-38?Although i think it kinda looks heavier, like a Bf-110 or the Tigercat.
The Skyrocket was a success, being almost untouchable due to its amazing acceleration. The USAAC overcomes its NIH syndrome and inquired about obtaining Skyrockets from Grumman. However, USAAC wanted an even faster "Super Skyrocket" as a high speed interceptor with remarkable. USAAC envisioned Grumman wedding the super successful Skyrocket with super successful Chrysler IV-2220-11 water-cooled 16-cylinder inverted V engine that was used in the super successful Republic P-47H, the war's first 500 mph warplane. Grumman envisioned breaking free of being a supplier to the navy, and the world's fastest aircraft, the P-50 Super Skyrocket is born.
While somewhat unwieldy in appearance, with propellers spinners extending 5.25 feet ahead of the nose, the P-50 Super Skyrocket could out-climb, out-accelerate, and outrun any other aircraft in the sky, having 5980 hp WEP on tap. The Super 'rocket held the world climb record to 20,000 ft of 2 minutes and 19 seconds until 1950.
The super successful P-47H.
While somewhat unwieldy in appearance, with propellers spinners extending 5.25 feet ahead of the nose, the P-50 Super Skyrocket could out-climb, out-accelerate, and outrun any other aircraft in the sky, having 5980 hp WEP on tap. The Super 'rocket held the world climb record to 20,000 ft of 2 minutes and 19 seconds until 1950.
The super successful P-47H.
A atraction here is the aircraft has potiential, by 1941 standards as a tactical bomber. The USMC had defending naval bases as a large part of its mission then. So, the potential of the XP5F as a dual purpose fighter/bomber is attractive. No need for the USMC base defense units to maintain two models of aircraft. By including bomb or torpedo racks you can talior a strike group into whatever mix of excourts or bombers you like.
Not at all. It has no internal bomb bay, or as big a bomb load, and isn't meant for night fighting. It doesn't have a swing on take-off due to handed propellers, a feature not found until Hornet, and there's no restriction against aerobatics. It doesn't rot in the tropics, and you can't break off chunks to stoke a fire. It doesn't carry a torpedo or a cookie, but it's so much faster, and climbs well beyond anything save an Me-163.
Any Zeke flying at speed trying to catch a Skyrocket can't turn. The Japanese will have a saying. Never chase a Skyrocket. Also, never try to climb, dive, or run away at speed. For the Skyrocket pilot, it's speed,timing and gunnery skills, along with keeping a finger out.
Smaller, more agil, less range
This was the final development of the Skyrocket
However, does anybody knew WHY it wasn't choosen in OTL ? ... by navy or army ?
This wiki quote :
sounds to me quite lame.
The Skyrocket with just single-stage V-1710s should've been a fine performer, with (without calculating in the ram effect and exhaust thrust ) 1700 HP total at 20000 ft already in 1940-41, and ~1850 from second half of 1942 on, while being smaller, sleeker and much lighter than P-38, let alone Bf 110. Also much cheaper to produce and operate than P-38, with edge in performance under 15000 ft. The P-38 was tested with 2 torpedoes, so one torpedo under the Allison Skyrocket should be feasible, though the US torpedo was a troubled thing prior 1943-44.
VFM 211 scrambled as report of a ranging F4 Wildcat was relayed, the pilot reporting incoming Japanese aircraft before the radio went silent. The 12 Skyrocket's did just that, rocketing into the sky at full throttle, clawing for altitude in the sky over Wake.
Far below the Japanese bombers thundered on, unaware of the danger above them, they didn't see the twin engined fighters dip their wings and start their dive.
Far below the Japanese bombers thundered on, unaware of the danger above them, they didn't see the twin engined fighters dip their wings and start their dive.
Low risk Twin Wasp w/tooorbo. Lockheed P-49 flew circles around the P-38 with Allison, so it's a negative. I don't know if P&W ever made R-1830s with handed props though. Do you?
The Lockheed had a 16% thickness ratio and the Grumman has less, by drawing comparisons. My supersonic wind tunnel is out at the cleaners just now, but, the Ironworks didn't have any trouble with critical Vne for the F6F for sure.
Skyrocket mystery.
Considering some of the poor performers that were built in some numbers it's
a mystery to me why the Skyrocket wasn't put into service.
A question or two for Just Leo why that engine? Why not the Allison V1710 with a turbosupercharger? A proven performer with a few bugs to be ironed out. Or a radial engine with a two-speed supercharger? Something the U.S. Navy would prefer.
But it's your idea after all and I like the concept. Put Allisons in it and I'll buy one.
Considering some of the poor performers that were built in some numbers it's
a mystery to me why the Skyrocket wasn't put into service.
A question or two for Just Leo why that engine? Why not the Allison V1710 with a turbosupercharger? A proven performer with a few bugs to be ironed out. Or a radial engine with a two-speed supercharger? Something the U.S. Navy would prefer.
But it's your idea after all and I like the concept. Put Allisons in it and I'll buy one.
Less range?Smaller, more agil, less rangeThis was the final development of the Skyrocket
However, does anybody knew WHY it wasn't choosen in OTL ? ... by navy or army ?
This wiki quote :sounds to me quite lame.
The Navy didn't want twins. The Air Corps didn't want the XP-50 because the turbo location was lame, and they wanted to encourage Allison production, because they had encouraged Allison development.
The subsequent F7F Tigercat also ended up as a Marine machine. Similarly, the British had the Mossie do deck trials, for nothing, and ordered Sea Hornet and Sturgeon twins for nothing. Sea Hornet did a single tour, and was replaced by Sea Fury.
Considering some of the poor performers that were built in some numbers it's
a mystery to me why the Skyrocket wasn't put into service.
A question or two for Just Leo why that engine? Why not the Allison V1710 with a turbosupercharger? A proven performer with a few bugs to be ironed out. Or a radial engine with a two-speed supercharger? Something the U.S. Navy would prefer.
But it's your idea after all and I like the concept. Put Allisons in it and I'll buy one.
My reasons are based on firmly established suspicions, based on the Air Corps telling Henry Ford to stuff his V-12 engine, while the government paid every Tom, Dick and Whitney to design and test pie-in-the-sky engines with no chance of success. Sorry, they're not for sale.