Er... that's a Gloster Meteor fitted out to test the RR Trent turboprop?
Yes, the photo is a Trent Meteor.
Also, from the secret files comes the proposed Dutch four-engined fighter from Fokker. The German invasion occured just in time.
Er... that's a Gloster Meteor fitted out to test the RR Trent turboprop?
The Lockheed XP-58 was a two/double-engined twin boom heavy escort fighter, which illustrates that there's no limit to what people will do to get desired horsepower. If the needed power couldn't be obtained with one available engine, as in the P-38, you use two. If two isn't enough??????
Kelly Johnson referred to the XP-58 as a "ten engined" plane as the design went through 5 different engine proposals due to the USAAF mandated design changes.
Why using three engines at all, where the standard requirements for fighteraircraft normally inclusde agility, which is limiting the number of external obstructing structures, such as additional engines. Single engined fighters always are superior to multi-engined fighters and other multi engined airframes, as they can outturn and often outrun a multi engined design.
Twin engined fighters only could be seen as a sort of hybrid, mostly due to the lack of availablity of a single engine powerfull enough to propel the aircraft for its intended role. Once larger and more powerfull engines emerged, these quickly replaced the preceding twin engined aircraft in the frontline role (like the Bf-110 being replaced as long ranged escort fighter by the FW-190 with external droptanks in Europe, forcing the Bf-110 into other uses, mostly nightfighter roles. Simmilarly the P-38 was a stobgab untill enough P-51's came around to escort the bombers of the USAAF into Europe, leaving the P-38 mostly relegated to groundattack roles.)
A three engined fighter is basically as manouvreble as a three, or four engined bomber, so only of any use in a straight on flight, simmilar to the Mig-25 Foxbatt fighter in the former USSR, as it cannot do anything else, but flying in a straight line only. Therefore it is a very weak aircraft, as it is always predictable when and where it goes, once spotted. (Defensive gunners on bombers will quickly discover this too and can react to this easily. Single engined fighters can both outturn any three engined fighter and get on its blind spot easily and take it down with little or no risk to the attacking fighter.)
Why using three engines at all, where the standard requirements for fighteraircraft normally inclusde agility, which is limiting the number of external obstructing structures, such as additional engines. Single engined fighters always are superior to multi-engined fighters and other multi engined airframes, as they can outturn and often outrun a multi engined design.
Twin engined fighters only could be seen as a sort of hybrid, mostly due to the lack of availablity of a single engine powerfull enough to propel the aircraft for its intended role. Once larger and more powerfull engines emerged, these quickly replaced the preceding twin engined aircraft in the frontline role (like the Bf-110 being replaced as long ranged escort fighter by the FW-190 with external droptanks in Europe, forcing the Bf-110 into other uses, mostly nightfighter roles. Simmilarly the P-38 was a stobgab untill enough P-51's came around to escort the bombers of the USAAF into Europe, leaving the P-38 mostly relegated to groundattack roles.)
A three engined fighter is basically as manouvreble as a three, or four engined bomber, so only of any use in a straight on flight, simmilar to the Mig-25 Foxbatt fighter in the former USSR, as it cannot do anything else, but flying in a straight line only. Therefore it is a very weak aircraft, as it is always predictable when and where it goes, once spotted. (Defensive gunners on bombers will quickly discover this too and can react to this easily. Single engined fighters can both outturn any three engined fighter and get on its blind spot easily and take it down with little or no risk to the attacking fighter.)
Damn, they're ever crazier than I thought; the interference from those overlapping props would have rendered the pilot deaf!