XB-43
Jetmaster
The first American pure jet bomber, the XB-43 was
the
result of an effort to get such a type into the air as quickly
as
possible, using the XB-42 Mixmaster as a basis. Development of the
TG-180 (later J35) turbojet by General Electric was at an advanced
stage, and the Mixmaster airframe was could easily accommodate a pair
of these new powerplants. Thus, in March 1944 Douglas received a
contract to develop and build the XB-43 prototype.
To further speed the process along, the XB-42
structural
test airframe was to be finished to the new standard. The turbojets
were to be housed internally, exhausting through tailpipes that took
the place of the Mixmaster's propellers. Flush-mounted intakes were
fitted to the sides of the forward fuselage, just below and aft of the
"bug eye" canopies. The XB-42's vertical tail was also larger than that
of its predecessor: this was necessary to compensate for the loss of
directional stability caused by the deletion of the Mixmaster's ventral
tail surface.
(USAF)
Although designated as a bomber, the type was also
considered for use as a tactical interdiction machine, with a "solid"
nose fitted with massed .50-caliber machine guns in the manner of the B-25
and
A-26
gunships. Neither Jetmaster would ever be fitted with
armament, production aircraft were to have been equipped with a tail
turret with two .50-calibers, replacing the wing guns of the B-42.
Had the B-43 been available several years earlier,
it may
well have made its mark in service, as it had comparable performance to
the Luftwaffe Ar-234 Blitz reconnaissance bombers that had proved so
hard for Allied fighters to catch. However, by the time that the first
prototype first flew in Mav 1946. North American's all-new XB-45 was
nearing readiness, and this design looked likely to combine the
Jetmaster's speed with a longer range and better load-carrying
capability. This ended plans for an initial buy of fifty B-43As, but
flight testing of the XB was to continue, and a second example was
flying by 1948. Designated YB-43 and later nicknamed Versatile II,
this
aircraft served as a testbed for General Electric's J47, a successor to
the J35. For this program., one of the proven J35s was retained for
safety; adverse handling from the mismatched powerplants was minimized
since both were as close as possible to the aircraft centerline.
In an era when prototype aircraft had short lives, the YB-43 had a
respectable career, flying until 1953. Versatile II
was subsequently
donated to the Smithsonian, where it remained in storage as of 2001,
awaiting restoration.
