VULTEE XP-54 SWOOSE GOOSE

The Vultee XP-54 Swoose Goose was a prototype American-made fighter aircraft with an all-metal low wing structure from the Second World War. The drive was provided by a single piston engine Pratt and Whitney X-1800 or Lycoming XH-2470-1. The prototype flight took place in January 1943, but the machine never entered mass production. The deck armament was two 37 mm T-12 / T-13 cannons and two 12.7 mm machine guns. Most likely, only two flying prototypes of this aircraft were made. The Vultee XP-54 was developed for the needs of the US Air Force, which in 1939 announced a competition for a modern fighter plane with a preferred maximum speed of up to 825 km / h and intended for low-altitude combat and support for ground forces. However, as Vultee developed the first XP-54, the Air Force changed the focus of the competition and now expected the development of an escort and interceptor capable of operating at high altitudes. This forced the introduction of significant structural changes, which delayed the entire project. Moreover, after the first test flights, it turned out that the XP-54 did not meet the required performance, which resulted in the cancellation of the entire project in 1943.