Bell P-39 Airacobra
Country of origin
United States
United States
ManufacturerBell Aircraft Corporation
The Bell P-39 Airacobra is a fighter produced by Bell Aircraft for the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. It was one of the principal American fighters in service when the United States entered combat. Many thousands were shipped to the Soviet Union for battle against Germany, and they enabled individual Soviet pilots to collect the highest number of kills attributed to any U.S. fighter type flown by any air force in any conflict. Other users of the type included the Free French, the Royal Air Force, and the Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force.
The P-39 had an unusual layout, with the engine installed in the center fuselage behind the pilot, and driving a propeller in the nose via a long shaft. It was also the first fighter fitted with a tricycle undercarriage. Although the mid-engine placement was innovative, the P-39 design was handicapped by the absence of an efficient turbo-supercharger, preventing it from performing well at high altitude. For this reason it was rejected by the RAF for use over western Europe but adopted by the USSR, where most air combat took place at medium and lower altitudes.
Together with the derivative P-63 Kingcobra, the P-39 was one of the...
The P-39 had an unusual layout, with the engine installed in the center fuselage behind the pilot, and driving a propeller in the nose via a long shaft. It was also the first fighter fitted with a tricycle undercarriage. Although the mid-engine placement was innovative, the P-39 design was handicapped by the absence of an efficient turbo-supercharger, preventing it from performing well at high altitude. For this reason it was rejected by the RAF for use over western Europe but adopted by the USSR, where most air combat took place at medium and lower altitudes.
Together with the derivative P-63 Kingcobra, the P-39 was one of the...
