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In 1938 Bell Aircraft produced the Airacobra single-seat fighter featuring a tricycle landing gear, a single Allison engine located behind and below the pilot and driving the propeller by means of an extension shaft, and a cannon firing through the hollow propeller shaft (in addition to fuselage-mounted machine-guns). Advantages of this layout were said to include superior vision and concentration of firepower in the nose. The first production aircraft (originally ordered by the French government) were delivered to the RAF and became operational in October 1941. In British service the Airacobra I/IA was used for a short time for ground attack duties. It was not well received and production aircraft completed for Britain, but undelivered, were taken on by the USAAF as trainers. New production began with 20 P-39G for the USAAF. P-39D (V-1710-35), F (-35), J(-35), K(V-1710-63; E6), L(-63), M(V-1710-83), N(V-1710-85; E19) and Q versions were eventually built, bringing the total number of Airacobras completed to 9,558. More than half the total production went to Russia to act as interim fighters with the air force pending delivery of large numbers of MiGs and Yaks.
| CREW | 1 |
| ENGINE | 1 x Allison V-1710-85, 880kW |
| WEIGHTS |
| Take-off weight | 3765 kg | 8300 lb |
| Empty weight | 2560 kg | 5644 lb |
| DIMENSIONS |
| Wingspan | 10.4 m | 34 ft 1 in |
| Length | 9.2 m | 30 ft 2 in |
| Height | 3.8 m | 12 ft 6 in |
| Wing area | 19.8 m2 | 213.13 sq ft |
| PERFORMANCE |
| Max. speed | 620 km/h | 385 mph |
| Ceiling | 10670 m | 35000 ft |
| Range | 1200 km | 746 miles |
| ARMAMENT | 1 x 37mm machine-guns, 4 x 12.7mm machine-guns, 1 x 226kg bomb |
 | A three-view drawing (1650 x 1183) |
| Ronald, toolkeeper123(@)adelphia.net, 28.09.2008 Climb rate ranged from 2,600 to 4,000 ft/min.
Terminal dive was 475 mph. Pullout was shallow. Controls were still light at high speed. It out-turned Bf 109 and Fw 190s.
Roll-rate was good: 75 degrees/sec. @ 235 mph.
If ammo in the nose got too low it could be spun out of control. | | Ronald Boren, toolkeeper123(@)adelphia.net, 22.08.2008 Since the top allied aces were mostly Russian P-39 pilots, and it had the slowest US guns in the nose (37mm = 2 rps; 12.7mm = 5 rps each) and the Soviet NS was the fastest 37mm (4 rps) and the UBS was the fastest synchronized 12.7mm (13 rps) cowl gun, I wonder if they swapped guns over time. We Know that they most often stripped off the wing guns for better handling in a dogfight. Some preferred the Bell P-400 for it's faster 20mm Hispano (10 rps) in place of the M4 37mm (both US cannon were prone to jam unless you fired only a couple of rounds at a time). To bag a Fw 190 or Bf 109 in 1943-44 you needed a pattern of fire denser than 12 rps total!
The Yak-9T averaged 18 rps with just 2 guns: an NS-37 and a UBS 12.7mm in the nose, and it was a hit in air-to-air kills! A ShVAK 20mm in the hub and twin UBS 12.7mm in the cowl would have given a P-39 40 rps - decent for only 3 guns. Then there is the Soviet VYa-23! 9 rps but double the punch of the 20mm. Now the prowess of the Russian P-39 begins to seem more plausible as an ace-maker. | | J Cobb, jcobb_3(@)lycos.com, 16.02.2007 I would like to get tech data/specs for all modifications of the P-39.
I am also looking for any info on the original "Whistlin
Britches" flown by the 69th fighter squadron. | | Faldman, Faldman(@)hotmail.com, 15.02.2007 can i have some drawings from aircobra if i can because i am going to r/c plane racings.The aircobra is faster and smaler than mustang ,spitful,MEE e.c.t. plz! | | hines, hinestn2(@)bellsouth.net, 11.02.2007 what was the nickname of this aircraft? |
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Do you have any comments about this aircraft ?
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