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The P-26 Peashooter was Boeing's first and last production monoplane fighter. Some 111 P-26A, 2 P-26B and 23 P-26C were built for the USAAC. The type had monoplane wings, the outer panels of which were externally braced with front and rear wires. The centre-section spars were constructed of steel with ribs and skin covering of aluminium alloy. Split-type trailing-edge flaps were later added to P-26A and were manually operated from the open cockpit. The semi-monocoque fuselage was also of aluminium alloy construction. A fixed, heavily trousered landing gear was fitted and power was provided by a 447kW Pratt & Whitney R-1340-27 or -33 radial engine. Armament comprised two forward-firing machine-guns of 7.62mm and/or 12.7mm calibre and two 55kg or five 15kg bombs could be carried.
Although never used in action by the USAAC, ex-Army P-26 acquired by the Philippine Air Force fought the Japanese during World War II and the 11 Model 281 export fighters for China must also have seen action against Japanese forces. In addition Panama and Guatamala received ex-USAAC P-26 and Spain received an export model.
 | A three-view drawing (1693 x 1337) |
| CREW | 1 |
| ENGINE | 1 x P+W R-1340-27, 440kW |
| WEIGHTS |
| Take-off weight | 1340 kg | 2954 lb |
| Empty weight | 996 kg | 2196 lb |
| DIMENSIONS |
| Wingspan | 8.5 m | 27 ft 11 in |
| Length | 7.3 m | 23 ft 11 in |
| Height | 3.2 m | 10 ft 6 in |
| Wing area | 13.9 m2 | 149.62 sq ft |
| PERFORMANCE |
| Max. speed | 377 km/h | 234 mph |
| Cruise speed | 322 km/h | 200 mph |
| Ceiling | 8350 m | 27400 ft |
| Range | 1000 km | 621 miles |
| ARMAMENT | 2 machine-guns, 2 x 45kg or 5 x 14kg bombs |
| Bill Braden, billw7xh(@)gmail.com, 14.07.2008 These may have been the first fighters with fuel injection, made by ExCello. | | Brian Dawson, 4daw(@)i2k.net, 08.04.2008 Bar none, the most awesome looking airplane ever built. Art deco meets aerobatic blood. The example at Wright Pat is phenominal. From pure performance stats, it is certainly lagging the big muscle of later generation fighters, but I'd rather watch one perform at an airshow than an F15. I wish somebody would build a replica to fly on the circut. | | Aero-Fox, 13.03.2008 The P-26 is possibly my favorite fighter aircraft ever. Heck, it was in service for over two decades, they have those classic fixed landing gear, and are small, light an maneuverable. Can't beat a classic... | | Augusto de Leon Fajardo, 20.06.2007 I remember the ones left by the US army to the Guatemalan Air Force (sold for $1 each as PT-26; that is, trainers, to allay political misgivings. They were very maneuvrable, and were named "mosquitos" locally, because the peculiar sound made by their motors. They were still in service by 1954, twenty one years after entering service in the US...
To Earl Metzel, I say that one of these was donated to the Air Museum in Washington DC; and hangs from the ceiling there, in US markings | | earl metzel, emetzel(@)aol.com, 02.03.2007 how many are left in the world and displayed |
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