Huff-Daland XB-1

Infobox Aircraft
name=Huff-Daland XB-1


caption=
type=Medium bomber
manufacturer=Huff-Daland Aero Company
designer=
first flight=September 1927
introduced=n/a
retired=
status=Scrapped
primary user=
more users=
produced=
number built=1
program cost=
unit cost=
developed from=Huff-Daland XHB-1
variants with their own articles=The Huff-Daland XB-1 was a prototype bomber aircraft built for the United States Army Air Corps.

The first aircraft named using just a "B-" designation. Prior to 1926, the U.S. Army used "LB-" and "HB-" prefixes, signifying 'Light Bomber' and 'Heavy Bomber'. The first XB-1, called the "Super-Cyclops" by Huff-Daland, was an extension of the earlier Huff-Daland XHB-1 'Cyclops'. It was essentially the same in size, but sported a twin tail and twin engines. Its gunnery arrangement was new for an American bomber, but it had been previously used by the British and the Germans near the end of World War I. The Army Air Corps had decided that single engined bombers such as the XHB-1 performed more poorly and with less safety than the more traditional twin-engined bomber. The aircraft flew for the first time in 1927 September.

Its original Packard engines did not provide enough power for the plane, and it was refitted with more powerful Curtiss Aircraft 'Conqueror' engines. This new configuration was designated the XB-1B.

Three other similar planes were requested by the Army Air Corps around the same time which competed against the XB-1 for the contract. Of these three (the Curtiss XB-2 Condor, the Sikorsky S-37, and the Fokker XLB-2), the Curtiss model eventually won, and only a single XB-1 was ever produced.

pecifications (XB-1B)

aircraft specifications

plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop

crew=5
length main=61 ft 6 in
length alt=18.7 m
span main=85 ft 0 in
span alt=25.9 m
height main=19 ft 3 in
height alt=5.9 m
area main=1,604 ft²
area alt=149.0 m²
empty weight main=9,462 lb
empty weight alt=4,292 kg
loaded weight main=16,500 lb
loaded weight alt=7,480 kg
max takeoff weight main=
max takeoff weight alt=

number of props=2
engine (prop)=Curtiss V-1570-5 Conqueror
type of prop=liquid-cooled V12 engines
power main=600 hp
power alt=450 kW

max speed main=100 mph
max speed alt=86 kn, 160 km/h
range main=700 mi
range alt=610 NM, 1,100 km
ceiling main=15,000 ft
ceiling alt=4,600 m
loading main=5.899 lb/ft²
loading alt=28.80 kg/m²
power/mass main=0.072 hp/lb
power/mass alt=120 W/kg

guns=6× .30 in (7.62 mm) Lewis machine guns
bombs=2,500 lb (1,100 kg); 4,000 lb (1,800 kg) on short runs

ee also

aircontent

related=
* Huff-Daland XHB-1

similar aircraft=
* B-2 Condor
* Fokker XLB-2
* Huff-Daland XHB-1
* Sikorsky S-37

lists=
* List of bomber aircraft
* List of military aircraft of the United States

External links

* [http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=2417 USAF Museum Article on XB-1]
* [http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=2418 USAF Museum Article on XB-1B]
* [http://home.att.net/~jbaugher2/b1.html Encyclopedia of American Aircraft]