XP-50
Contents
Description
The XP-50 is a premium rank III American twin-engine fighter with a battle rating of 4.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.31.
General info
Flight performance
The XP-50 has great climb rate and acceleration, although it does tend to lock up at high speeds. It can easily maintain a 20-25 degree climb. Your engines will also commonly overheat, but they cool off relatively quickly. Low-speed manoeuvrability is excellent, especially when you have your flaps deployed.
Characteristics | Max Speed (km/h at 6,700 m) |
Max altitude (metres) |
Turn time (seconds) |
Rate of climb (metres/second) |
Take-off run (metres) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AB | RB | AB | RB | AB | RB | |||
Stock | 662 | 646 | 10400 | 19.8 | 20.4 | 17.2 | 17.1 | 444 |
Upgraded | 698 | 680 | 18.2 | 19.0 | 23.0 | 20.0 |
Details
Features | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Combat flaps | Take-off flaps | Landing flaps | Air brakes | Arrestor gear |
✓ | ✓ | ✓ | X | X |
Limits | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wings (km/h) | Gear (km/h) | Flaps (km/h) | Max Static G | |||
Combat | Take-off | Landing | + | - | ||
745 | 370 | 480 | 480 | 290 | ~10 | ~6 |
Optimal velocities (km/h) | |||
---|---|---|---|
Ailerons | Rudder | Elevators | Radiator |
< 350 | < 400 | < 400 | > 300 |
Compressor (RB/SB) | ||
---|---|---|
Setting 1 | ||
Optimal altitude | 100% Engine power | WEP Engine power |
5,520 m | 2,200 hp | 2,398 hp |
Survivability and armour
- 9.5 mm steel - bulkhead in front of the cockpit
- 9.5 mm steel - behind the pilot
- Self-sealing fuel tanks (1 below the pilot, 1 fuel tank behind pilot)
Modifications and economy
Armaments
Offensive armament
The XP-50 is armed with:
- 2 x 20 mm AN/M2 cannons, nose-mounted (60 rpg = 120 total)
- 2 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine guns, nose-mounted (500 rpg = 1,000 total)
Usage in battles
Its excellent climb rate and acceleration make this plane great for energy fighting. It won't be hard to get altitude advantage upon the majority of your opponents, which this plane can out-climb.
Use your climb rate to be the highest plane of the battle, unfortunately, this aircraft does not have WEP, as so, it is best to climb at a 20-25 degree angle to get to altitude. Your priority targets are the highest enemies where you can pick and choose and work your way down to lower aircraft as needed.
If you notice you were out-climbed, don't hesitate to roll away and climb more as a dive is a risky trade with this plane. If an enemy climbs to catch you, make a 90° climb at full power and when they start to stall, try to boom & zoom them. Use your acceleration and/or climb rate if someone gets on your six to lose them. If you do lose energy, do not worry. You turn extremely well at low speeds with your flaps out and will out turn most things you fight.
Make sure to have a disciplined and accurate fire, since you will quickly chew through the ammunition. While you may only have 120 rounds total of the cannon rounds, it doesn't take a lot of hits to knock out enemy aircraft. Your guns are extremely accurate and they are nose mounted. Gun convergence can safely be set to 800 meters, however, accuracy works best when close in around 200 - 300 meters. You should take Air Targets ammo for the cannons and Universal ammo for the machine guns to maximize the damage output for air to air engagements.
Manual Engine Control
MEC elements | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mixer | Pitch | Radiator | Supercharger | Turbocharger | ||
Oil | Water | Type | ||||
Controllable | Controllable Not auto controlled |
Controllable Not auto controlled |
Controllable Not auto controlled |
Separate | Controllable 1 gear |
Auto controlled |
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Excellent climb rate
- Great acceleration
- Good manoeuvrability
- Powerful weaponry, thanks to the two AN/M2 cannons
- Good cockpit visibility
- The engine quickly cools down if you idle the power
- Good dive speed
Cons:
- Only 120 cannon shells and, once gone, only two .50 MGs
- No WEP available in RB/SB
- Manoeuvrability not as responsive during long steep dives (control surface compression)
- Fragile airframe
- Poor fire extinguishing capabilities
History
In-game description
Grumman XP-50 twin-engine army fighter prototype
Practically at the same time the XF5F-1 Skyrocket carrier-based fighter was being created, Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation designers worked on the development of a promising interceptor, based on the XF5F-1, for the United States Army Air Corps. The prototype was given a company designation of Model G-46 and an army designation of ХР-50.
The USAAC issued an order for production of the new aircraft on November 25, 1939. Although the ХР-50 was similar to the XF5F-1 externally, a number of significant changes were introduced into the original layout. Unlike its carrier-based predecessor, the ХР-50 was not a low-wing but a mid-wing monoplane, the fuselage was significantly lengthened, the shape of the pilot's cockpit canopy was changed, and the tailplane span was reduced.
The plane was powered by two Wright XR-1820-67/79 Cyclone nine-cylinder, air-cooled engines, with a left- and right-handed reduction gear, producing a takeoff power of 1,200 hp. Due to the new engines installed, the shape of the nacelles and engine cowlings was changed.
The aircraft's armament included two 20 mm Hispano-Suiza AN-M2 cannons, with 60 rounds each, and two 12.7 mm Colt-Browning AN-M2.5 machine guns, with 500 rounds each, mounted in the forward fuselage. In addition, the aircraft could carry two 100 lb (45 kg) bombs under its wing panels.
Instead of the XF5F-1's tail wheel, the ХР-50 had a nose landing gear. The plane's fuel tanks were self-sealing, and the pilot was protected just as he was in the Navy version, i. e. with the help of an armored front bulkhead, an armored backrest, and an armored floor.
The XP-50 (Ser No. 40-3057) prototype got off the ground for the first time on 18 February 1941, with Robert Hall, a Grumman test pilot, at the controls. The test flights showed that the ХР-50 had a better controllability than the XF5F-1. In addition, the turbosupercharged engines ensured the ХР-50's much better characteristics at medium and high altitudes.
On 14 May 1941, during the 15th test flight of the ХР-50 prototype, the turbosupercharger of one of the engines was destroyed, the cause undetermined, and the turbine blades flying in all directions severed the line running to the hydraulic nose landing gear extension system.
Pilot Robert Hall successfully bailed out of the damaged vehicle. After the first prototype was lost, all work on the ХР-50 was discontinued.
Media
Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.
See also
Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:
- reference to the series of the aircraft;
- links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.
External links
Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:
- topic on the official game forum;
- encyclopedia page on the aircraft;
- other literature.
Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation | |
---|---|
Aircraft | |
Fighters | |
F3F | F3F-2 · Galer's F3F-2 |
F4F Wildcat | F4F-3 · F4F-4 |
XF5F Skyrocket | XF5F · XP-50 |
F6F Hellcat | F6F-5 · F6F-5N |
F7F Tigercat | F7F-1 · F7F-3 |
F8F Bearcat | F8F-1 · F8F-1B |
Jet Fighters | |
F9F Panther/Cougar | F9F-2 · F9F-5 · F9F-8 |
F-11 Tiger | F11F-1 |
F-14 Tomcat | F-14A Early · F-14B |
Jet Strike Aircraft | |
A-6 Intruder | A-6E TRAM |
Bombers | TBF-1C |
Export | ▄Martlet Mk IV · ▄F6F-5 · ▄F6F-5N · ▄F8F-1B · ▄Avenger Mk II · ▄Hellcat Mk II |
▄F-14A IRIAF | |
Naval Vehicles | |
Patrol Gunboat Hydrofoil (PGH) | USS Flagstaff |
USA twin-engine fighters | |
---|---|
P-38 | XP-38G · P-38E · P-38G-1 · P-38J-15 · Bong's P-38J-15 · P-38L-5-LO · P-38K · YP-38 |
P-61 | P-61A-11 · P-61C-1 |
F7F | F7F-1 · F7F-3 |
Other | XF5F · XP-50 · F-82E |
USA premium aircraft | |
---|---|
Fighters | Thach's F2A-1 · Galer's F3F-2 · F2G-1 · F4U-4B VMF-214 · P-26A-34 · Rasmussen's P-36A · P-40C · P-43A-1 |
P-47M-1-RE · ⋠P-47M-1-RE · P-51A · P-51D-10 · P-51D-20-NA · ␠Kingcobra · XP-55 | |
▃A6M2 · ▃Ki-43-II · ▃Ki-61-Ib · ▃Bf 109 F-4 · ▃Fw 190 A-8 · ▃Spitfire LF Mk IXc | |
Twin-engine fighters | XP-38G · Bong's P-38J-15 · P-38K · YP-38 · P-61A-11 · XF5F · XP-50 · F7F-3 |
Jet fighters | P-59A · F-86F-35 · F-89B · F-89D · F-4S Phantom II · F-5C · F-20A |
Strike aircraft | A-1H · A2D-1 · AU-1 · XA-38 · AV-8A · AV-8B (NA) · A-6E TRAM · A-10A |
Bombers | A-26C-45DT · B-10B · BTD-1 · PBM-3 "Mariner" · PBM-5A "Mariner" · PV-2D |