Here’s a pic I just added to the gallery:
Bell XP-59A Airacomet; America’s first jet fighter, 1942
For kicks, check out this one…1945:
Northrop YB-49; late 1945
the Bell XP-59A Airacomet never went into combat did it or was that the Northrop. i know that on June 5, 1948 the Northrop after being sent to the air force crashed killing its crew. did the Northrop ever make it to combat?
Nope. The second one crashed and then they scrapped it and there is not even any samples in museums.
wow ok thanks
Great pictures!
Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star
A couple P-80’S made it to Italy before the close of the war but didn’t see combat. The P-80 had a top speed of 558 mph (slightly faster than the Me262’s 540 mph). The P-80’s service ceiling was 45,000 feet (the Me262 had service ceiling of 37,565 feet). The P-80 was armed with six .50 caliber (12.7mm) machine guns in nose (Me262 had four 30mm Mk 108 cannon in nose). On November 10, 1950, Lieutenant Russell Brown, flying a Shooting Star, made history when he destroyed a Russian MiG-15 fighter in the world’s first decisive all-jet combat.
Some information follows that I picked up on a quick google search.
Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star
http://www.aviation-history.com/lockheed/p80.html
Few airplanes in the history of aeronautics have been as successful as the Lockheed Shooting Star. It was the first operational jet fighter in the United States when it went into service in 1945. It emerged as victor in the world’s first all-jet combat, and it won the distinction of remaining in production for a full 15 years after the experimental model was first flown.
The Army Air Force planned to build the Shooting Star in large numbers. However, only two of the machines arrived in Italy before the end of the war in Europe, and these were never used in operations. Despite the cessation of hostilities, production was continued on a reduced scale.
When war started in Korea, F-80’s were sent to the battle area to help the South Koreans. On November 10, 1950, Lieutenant Russell Brown, flying a Shooting Star, made history when he destroyed a Russian MiG-15 fighter in the world’s first decisive all-jet combat.
P-80 Shooting Star
http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/URG/p80shootingstar.html
The P-80 was the first American built jet aircraft that was produced in large quantities and was the first USAF aircraft to exceed 500 mph in level flight. Designed during WWII but arriving too late to see combat, the P-80 eventually saw combat in the Korean conflict. Redesignated F-80 in 1948, the F-80C saw extensive use in the low-level strike fighter role utilizing rockets, bombs and napalm. On Nov. 8, 1950 the F-80 reasserted its interceptor roots and a Shooting Star flown by Lt. Russell J. Brown of the 16th FIS successfully engaged in the worlds first jet on jet combat, downing a Russian-built Mig-15.
Jet and Rocket Aircraft WWII
http://www.ww2guide.com/jetrock.shtml
P-80 Shooting Star
Developed in only 143 days, the prototype Lockheed XP-80 Shooting Star, Lulu Belle, makes its first flight on January 8, 1944 at Muroc Dry Lake (later Edwards AFB), Calif., with Milo Burcham at the controls. It is the first American fighter to exceed 500 mph in level flight. If the war had continued the Shooting Star most likely would has seen combat.
LOCKHEED F-80 “Shooting Star”
http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/usa/airdef/f-80.htm
The Shooting Star was the first USAF aircraft to exceed 500 mph in level flight, the first American jet airplane to be manufactured in large quantities, and the first USAF jet to be used in combat. Designed in 1943, the XP-80 made its maiden flight on January 8, 1944. Several early P-80s were sent to Europe for demonstration, but World War II ended before the aircraft could be employed in combat. The aircraft was redesignated in 1948 when “P” for “Pursuit” was changed to “F” for “Fighter.” Of 1,731 F-80s built, 798 were F-80Cs.
Although designated a high-altitude interceptor, the F-80C was used extensively as a fighter-bomber in the Korean Conflict, primarily for low-level rocket, bomb and napalm attacks against ground targets. With the beginning of hostilities in June 1950, Warner Robins Air Logistics Center (WR-ALC) modernized F-80s assigned to federalized Air National Guard units in a crash program called “Project Hold-Off.” On November 8, 1950, an F-80C flown by Lt. Russell J. Brown, flying with the 16th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, shot down a Russian-built MIG-15 in the world’s first all-jet fighter air battle.
Lockheed F-80 “Shooting Star”
http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/research/fighter/f80.htm
Specs and photo gallery
Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star (cont.)
F-80 “Shooting Star”
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/f-80a.htm
The Shooting Star was the first USAF aircraft to exceed 500 mph in level flight, the first American jet airplane to be manufactured in large quantities, and the first USAF jet to be used in combat. Designed in 1943, the XP-80 made its maiden flight on January 8, 1944. Several early P-80s were sent to Europe for demonstration, but World War II ended before the aircraft could be employed in combat. The aircraft was redesignated in 1948 when “P” for “Pursuit” was changed to “F” for “Fighter.” Of 1,731 F-80s built, 798 were F-80Cs.
Although designated a high-altitude interceptor, the F-80C was used extensively as a fighter-bomber in the Korean Conflict, primarily for low-level rocket, bomb and napalm attacks against ground targets. With the beginning of hostilities in June 1950, Warner Robins Air Logistics Center (WR-ALC) modernized F-80s assigned to federalized Air National Guard units in a crash program called “Project Hold-Off.” On November 8, 1960, an F-80C flown by Lt. Russell J. Brown, flying with the 16th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, shot down a Russian-built MIG-15 in the world’s first all-jet fighter air battle.
“Frantic” best describes the pace of some aircraft development programs during World War II. Surely falling into this category was the Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star program. By the summer of 1943, the poor performance of the Bell Airacomet spelled the need for the development of a new U.S. jet fighter. Lockheed had been making design studies of such an aircraft and in June 1943 was awarded a prototype development contract with the stipulation that the aircraft be ready for flight in 180 days. Completion of the aircraft actually required only 150 days, but first flight was delayed by engine problems until January 1944. The intitial contract was for one plane, at a cost of $515,000. Production of the F-80A, using a different engine (the J-33) began in 1945.
Conventional in basic configuration, the F-80 featured an unswept wing of 13-percent thickness mounted in the low position and, unlike the twin-engine Meteor and the Me 262, had a single engine located in the fuselage behind the pilot. Air was delivered to the engine by side inlets located on the fuselage just ahead of the wing root, and the jet exhaust nozzle was at the extreme end of the fuselage. Adjacent to the fuselage side may be seen the bleed slots that removed the fuselage boundary layer from the engine intake air and thus prevented flow separation inside the inlet. No such slots were provided on the prototype, and intermittent separation did occur in the inlets. “Duct rumble” was the term used to describe this phenomenon because of the alarming noise heard by the pilot. Evident in the photograph is the deployed speed brake located on the bottom of the fuselage. Like the P-38 , the F-80 had a small dive-recovery flap near the leading edge of the lower surface of the wing. Again like later versions of the P-38, the F-80 had power-operated ailerons. The other controls were manually operated. Split trailing-edge flaps provided lift augmentation at low speeds.
The cockpit of production models of the Shooting Star was pressurized and air-conditioned. In the prototype, no air-conditioning was provided so that the temperature resulting from a combination of the high temperatures of the California desert and sustained high Mach number flight at low altitude caused the interior surfaces of the cockpit and controls to become uncomfortably hot. For example, with an ambient temperature of 90° some parts of the aircraft would reach a temperature of 150 in prolonged flight at a Mach number of 0.73. Another advance in cockpit equipment was the ejection seat incorporated in the F-80C model of the Shooting Star. (The first successful manned test of an ejection seat took place in July 1946.)
Although the F-80 was conventional in appearance, the aircraft was the result of a careful synthesis of weight, size, and thrust parameters, as well as close attention to aerodynamic refinement. As a consequence, it had performance far superior to that of the P-59A although the thrust-to-weight ratio of the earlier aircraft was actually about 12 percent greater than that of the F-80A. For example, the maximum sea-level speed of 558 miles per hour was 145 miles per hour greater than that of the maximum speed of the P-59A, which occurred at 30 000 feet. As seen in table V, the climbing performance of the F-80A was also far superior to that of the earlier aircraft; the much smaller wing and resultant drag area of the F-80A no doubt played a significant role in ensuring the higher performance of the Shooting Star. In comparison with the drag area of the famous World War II Mustang, the drag area of 3.2 square feet of the F-80A was about 15 percent lower than that of the earlier propeller-driven aircraft.
The F-80 came too late for operational service in World War II, but the F-80C did see action in the Korean conflict of the early 1950’s. Designed as an air-superiority fighter, the F-80 could not compete in that role with the Soviet-built MiG-15 supplied to the opposing forces by the Soviet Union. It was, however, extensively employed in the ground-attack mode. Armament consisted of six .50-caliber machine guns in the nose and externally mounted bombs and rockets.
The F-80 was withdrawn from first-title United States Air Force (USAF) service in 1954; production of the aircraft consisted of about 1700 units. But, this is not quite the end Of the F-80 story. A two-seat trainer version of the aircraft appeared in 19-18. Known in the USAF as the T-33 and in the Navy as the T2V, over 5000 of these trainers were built; a number of them are still in service and can be seen frequently at air bases in different parts of the country. Certainly a long and useful life for an airplane developed in the closing years of World War II.
Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star (cont.)
EARLY JET AIRCRAFT MECHANIC
By Richard W. Kamm
http://www.enginehistory.org/stories_&_essays_3.htm
Extensive Article
P-80 and P-47 photo
http://1000aircraftphotos.com/Contributions/Brink/2267.htm
Remarks by Jim Brink: "Taken January 1950 near Garmisch, Germany. Two P-80’s of the 36th Fighter Group, Furstenfeldbruck, and two P47’s of the 86th Fighter Group Munich Rheim, Germany. Taken as a publicity picture for the upcoming World Wide Gunnery Meet to be held at Nellis, AFB, Nevada.
P-80 #42 Pilot Jim Brink, Captain of the 36th FG Gunnery Team
P-80 #50 Ben Fithian.
P-47 #985 Schueler, Captain of the 86th FG Gunnery Team
P-47 #457 Gaddis
A few months after this photo was taken, Lt. Phil Fryberger was flying my #42 when he was run into in a mid air collision by Maj. Willis flying another P-80. Phil bailed out of #42 and was uninjured on landing and Willis went back to flying the base Gooney Bird (C-47)."
P-80-01
http://1000aircraftphotos.com/APS/3190.htm
From: The War: An Overview, Barrie Pitt
BPC Publishing Ltd. 1966
First Edition 1966
Second Edition 1972
Published by
Marshall Cavendish Promotions Ltd. 1975
George Eller you are a textbook of info thanks for the posts! 
Yea, I read about the P-80…pretty neat. I have yet to find any color pics taken from the WWII years. Stand by…
It would be interesting to see a dog fight between some of the early American jets and the Me262.
When researching those color photos, I read that the US actually sent P-80 fighters up in a mock dogfight against Mustangs and P-38 Lightnings, but the results were so disasterous for the fighters, they never saw combat at the time. They needed more time finetuning.
Not to mention that the jets were barely around the mid to late 400mph speeds…not much difference than the fastest piston prop fighters at the end of the war (Corsair, etc were almost pushing high 400s).
You are most welcome General 
ww2admin, I would be interested to read that. Do you have any sources? I guess as with any new system, there will be teething problems.
You might find the following interesting.
P-80 Shooting Star (cont. from previous page)
Lockheed in Mid-Century
http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Aerospace/Lockheed_in_Mid-Century/Aero15.htm
Partial Quote:
The Lockheed P-80 “Shooting Star” (based on the XP-80) was America’s first production jet fighter and first flew in 1944. Plans had been to produce some 5,000 of the planes, but it was not ready for combat until December 1945, after the war had ended.
(although two of the machines arrived in Italy before the end of the war in Europe, these were never used in operations)
F-80/T-33 History
http://www.ccminc.com/vintage/history.html
Lockheed XP-80 Shooting Star
http://www.nasm.si.edu/research/aero/aircraft/lockheed_xp80.htm
Partial Quote:
The XP-80 flew much better that the more primitive Bell XP-59. “Lulu-Belle” was not only the fastest aircraft in America at that time, but it could also climb very fast to high altitude. The XP-80 roll rate was very rapid too. By July 1944, just as Allied pilots began to encounter the first Me 262s over Europe, “Lulu-Belle” starred in a series of exercises conducted to develop tactics that American heavy bomber crews could use against attacks by jet fighters. The trials showed that enemy jet fighter pilots would much prefer rear aspect attacks. In attacking from the front, jet and bomber merged very rapidly and the enemy jet pilot had almost not time to shoot accurately. Based on these findings, AAF planners moved the formations of American fighters protecting the bombers to higher altitudes. This gave the fighter crews space to dive and gain speed on the German jets when they attacked from the bombers from behind. These tactics proved effective in fending off Me 262 attacks during the last months of the war and undoubtedly saved the lives of many American bomber crewmen.
Lockheed P-80A vs Messerschmitt Me 262A
http://ourworlds.topcities.com/blackhawk/fanfiction/ex-p80vsme262.html
The P-80 and the Me 262 never met in combat, but many students of aerial combat have debated what the outcome of such a battle might have been.
The Me 262 was an amazing aircraft, well ahead of its time in many ways, but it was also an aircraft that was rushed into production before all its bugs had been worked out. In the Earth-X timeline, I suppose that some, but not all, of those problems have been fixed, making it a more reliable aircraft than it was in reality. But it still has handling problems and a slow throttle response.
The P-80 had some development problems, also. Most notorious was the primary fuel pump that was powered by the main engine. This could cause engine failure if the auxilary pump was not engaged for take-off, as happened to several pilots, including America’s top ace, MAJ Richard Bong. But the P-80 was a more advanced design that took advantage of the work done on earlier jet aircraft. It had power-boosted ailerons and a speed brake, both of which contributed to superior maneuverability. It was faster than the Me 262, though not by a lot, and it had greater range, much greater with its wingtip tanks that actually decreased its aerodynamic drag and improved its control response.
Although the two aircraft never met in combat, they were flown in a comparison test at Wright Field after the war. According to reports from that test, the Me 262 had a speed advantage in a dive, but the P-80 was superior in all other respects. In the Earth-X timeline, I’ve improved the Me 262 to make it a more even contest, but in the hands of the Blackhawks, the best pilots in the world, smart money will still go on the P-80.
See the table below for a direct comparison of the specifications and performance of the actual aircraft.
Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star
http://www.aviation-history.com/lockheed/p80.html
Performance:
Max. Speed: 558 mph (898 km/h) @ Sea Level
Max. Speed: 492 mph (792 km/h) @ 40,000 ft (12,192 km)
Climb Rate: 4,580 ft/min (1,396 m/min)
Climb: 5.5 minutes to 20,000 ft (6,096 km)
Service Ceiling: 45,000 ft (1,3716 m)
Me 262A-1a Schwallbe (Swallow)
http://www.ww2guide.com/jetrock.shtml#262
Performance:
Max. Speed: 540 mph 469 knot (870 km/h) at 19,685 ft (6000 m)
Max. Speed: 514 mph 446 kt (827 km/h) at Sea Level
Climb Rate: 3,937 ft/min (1200 m/min)
Climb: 6 minutes and 48 seconds to 19,685 ft (6000 m)
Ceiling: 37,730 ft (11500m)
P-80 vs. Me-262 - Which was the superior jet-fighter of WWII
http://p214.ezboard.com/ffighterplanesfighters.showMessage?topicID=9123.topic
An interesting thread and read.
F-80 vs ME262
http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/post-war/f-80-vs-me262-1688.html
Another thread on the topic.
Hi George,
Thanks for that info, it was great. As for my claim that the P-80 was used in a mock dogfight with convential fighters, I was wrong. It was the Bell XP-59, not the P-80. Here’s the info:
“The performance of these airplanes, which were representative of the projected production models, was disappointing. Overweight and underpowered, they achieved a top speed, for example, of only 409 mph which was no better than the best prop-driven fighters of the day. And, indeed, in operational suitability tests during which it was flown in mock combat against P-38s, P-47s, and P-51s, it was outclassed in virtually every category by the conventional fighters. Judged not suitable for combat, the 50 production model P-59A and -B aircraft that came off the Bell assembly line were used to train America’s first cadre of jet pilots. Although the performance of the Airacomet proved to be disappointing, it nevertheless served as a useful test bed to explore the potential advantages of a radical new technology and it represented a start–the first of a long series of aircraft that would make Muroc (and later Edwards Air Force Base) synonymous with the turbojet revolution in America.”
Source: http://www.edwards.af.mil/history/docs_html/aircraft/bell_testing.html
Thanks guys, I’m glad to see I wasn’t the only one who wondered which would have won in a dogfight. I wonder what the Germans would have done if the war had gone on or if the American’s got the P-80 up sooner? Maybe pushed for some of thier more conceptual aircraft to be built? Like Some of the Horton stuff maybe.
Jack Northrop’s XP-79B Jet Fighter
Jack Northrop’s XP-79B jet fighter looked unusual, but its method of attack was even more bizarre.
By Jon Guttman
In the late stages of World War II, American bomber formations over Germany were occasionally attacked by a small, rocket-powered interceptor, the Messerschmitt Me-163 Komet. Fast as the Me-163s were, however, they were usually more spectacular than effective. Nevertheless, American aircrews must have marveled at the technology behind such an advanced-looking weapon–unaware that since 1942, something similar had been secretly under development in their own country.
The fighter that eventually became the Northrop XP-79B had an astonishing parallel development to the Me-163. It began in 1942 as a rocket-powered flying wing, but, in contrast to the Me-163, the American design was later adapted for jet power. Another difference between the XP-79B and its distant German cousin lay in their methods of attack. The Me-163 was meant to defend a faltering Third Reich with wing-mounted 30mm cannons or unguided rockets. The XP-79B’s main means of downing its adversaries is best expressed in its nickname–Flying Ram.
John K. (“Jack”) Northrop designed numerous advanced aircraft of conventional configuration, but he was fascinated by the flying-wing concept. He believed that such a pure airfoil surface would have the most efficient lifting capabilities. Also, the absence of a fuselage and tail unit would mean less drag to affect overall performance–as well as lower production costs. Shortly after designing Lockheed’s famed Vega series of monoplanes, Northrop formed a small company of his own, the Avion Corporation in Burbank, Calif. His first Flying Wing made a successful maiden flight from Burbank Airport in 1929. It was originally powered by a single tractor-mounted engine, and tail surfaces mounted on twin booms aft of the wing increased controllability. Northrop’s creation was modified to pusher-engine configuration before undergoing further flight testing at Muroc Dry Lake, Calif. Avion was renamed the Northrop Aircraft Corporation that same year and became part of United Aircraft and Transport Corporation, an early superconglomerate that also included Boeing.
"…The MX-334 took to the air in October 1943 for some unpowered testing while the Aerojet Corporation completed its XCAL-200 rocket engine, which was to be powered by monoethyaniline fuel, oxidized by red fuming nitric acid. The MX-334 made its first flight with the new engine on June 23, 1944, and fulfilled Northrop’s promise to the USAAF. Although capable of only 3.5 minutes of powered flight, it was the first American rocket-powered aircraft to fly.
Despite the effort put into the secret project, the USAAF ultimately concluded that the rocket-powered MX-334 was a dead end. Much research data had been culled from it, however, and Northrop had a spinoff of Project 12 in the offing that the USAAF regarded as being militarily far more feasible–the XP-79.
Essentially, the XP-79 was an interceptor that would bring down its opponents by ramming them in flight. During the early months of the German invasion of Russia in 1941 and 1942, Russian fighter pilots had frequently resorted to various taran, or midair ramming techniques. There was no real need for American fighter pilots to resort to such tactics, however, and the USAAF officer who came up with the idea for the ram fighter may be grateful that his identity is lost to history. In any case, in January 1943, Northrop was awarded a contract to build three XP-79 Flying Ram prototypes, each of which was to be powered by an Aerojet rocket engine with 2,000 pounds of thrust.
A plague of developmental problems with the proposed Aerojet engine, and the unlikelihood of its being able to keep the plane airborne for more than 30 minutes, led the USAAF to cancel its order for the rockets and for two of the XP-79s that were to be powered by them. The Army did, however, consent to completion of the third prototype, which used two Westinghouse 19B axial-flow jet engines with 1,345 pounds of thrust each. The jet-engine revision, designated the XP-79B, weighed 5,840 pounds empty and 8,669 pounds with a full operational load.
Like its rocket-powered precursor, the jet-powered XP-79B was essentially a wing, with the pilot lying on his stomach between the two jet engines. His head protruded into an acrylic-plastic windshield fitted with an armor glass section. An overhead hatch gave him entry to and, if necessary, a hasty exit from the cabin.
As radical as the XP-79’s all-wing configuration looked, its structure was equally unusual. The airframe was made of heavy-gauge magnesium. The leading-edge skin was three-fourths of an inch thick; reinforcing steel armor plate of one-fourth-inch thickness was heliarc-welded at a 45-degree angle just inside the wing’s leading edge. The wingspan was 38 feet, with a wing area of 278 square feet. Overall, the XP-79 was 14 feet long and 7 feet high.
Upon receiving reports of approaching enemy bombers, the XP-79B was intended to take off with the aid of JATO (jet-assisted takeoff) packs at an estimated rate of 25,000 feet in 4.7 minutes. Reaching an altitude of 40,000 feet, the Flying Ram would then dive into the formation of enemy aircraft at an estimated speed of up to 547 mph and clip their wing or tail surfaces with its own reinforced wings. Even among the USAAF brass, someone must have recognized the absurdity of that idea, because the XP-79B order also stipulated that the fighter should accommodate four .50-caliber Browning machine guns outboard of the jet engines. Neither the guns nor the cockpit pressurization system (allowing the pilot to function at 40,000 feet) were destined to be installed in the plane.
Painted white overall, and given the serial number 43-32437, the prototype XP-79B was covered with canvas and trucked to the Muroc Dry Lake testing facility. Its first taxiing tests were conducted in June 1945–during which its tires burst on several occasions.
Finally, on September 12, 1945, Harry Crosby prepared to take the XP-79B up for its maiden flight–and almost ran into disaster before he got off the ground. As the plane accelerated down the runway, an Army firetruck pulled out directly in its path. Crosby chopped the throttle but then applied power again as the truck got out of his way.
Taking off without further incident, Crosby climbed to 10,000 feet. During the next 15 minutes, he flew back and forth over the field, testing the exotic plane’s ability to turn. Things suddenly went wrong during one such turn, and degenerated into a nose-down spin. After a brave but futile effort, Crosby finally judged it impossible to regain control of the plane. Jettisoning the escape hatch, he tried to leap clear–only to be struck by the wildly gyrating wing. Crosby fell to his death, his parachute unopened. The XP-79B slammed into the desert floor and exploded in a white-hot flare of magnesium that consumed the entire plane.
Northrop’s engineers determined that the control problem that had cost Harry Crosby his life could be corrected, but the USAAF decided to abandon the XP-79B project. World War II was over, the Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star was entering production, and other, more conventional jet designs were showing greater promise than the flying-ram concept.
The techniques involved in the production of the XP-79B would later help in the development and mass production of the ultimate realization of Jack Northrop’s flying-wing dream–his giant B-35 and B-49 bombers. Judged on its own merits as a fighter, however, the Flying Ram was a preposterous idea from the outset–a waste of time, money and effort, as well as the life of one of America’s finest test pilots."
This article was written by Jon Guttman and originally published in the January 1996 issue of “Aviation History.”
Thanks for the info ww2admin
I had a hunch it was the Bell XP-59 and not the P-80 when you mentioned the speed of the aircraft. It didn’t sound like the P-80.
Here is another early American jet from the WWII era - the U.S. Navy’s first operational jet:
Hi Nick,
Thanks for the interesting post on the Northrop XP-79B Jet Fighter.
It was still a cool looking plane even though the concept was flawed. Straight out of “Buck Rogers”.
Ahhhh, but there was American pre-War jet design that would have been far superior to anything that flew in WWII. I’m trying to track down info. on it. I think it never flew because the jet engine wasn’t yet there, and the RD impetus wasn’t yet a priority. But is was far more sophisticated than the XP-59…