| P-39 Airacobra | |
|---|---|
 P-39Q Saga Boy II of Lt. Col. Edwin S. Chickering, CO 357th Fighter Group, July 1943 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Fighter |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Bell Aircraft |
| Status | Retired |
| Primary users | United States Army Air Forces |
| Number built | 9,588[1] |
| History | |
| Manufactured | 1940 – May 1944 |
| Introduction date | 1941 |
| First flight | 6 April 1938[2][N 1] |
| Variants | Bell XFL Airabonita Bell P-63 Kingcobra Bell P-76 |
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. The P-39 was used by the Soviet Air Force, which used it to score the highest number of kills attributed to any U.S. fighter type flown by any air force in any conflict.[N 2] Other major users of the type included the Free French, the Royal Air Force, and the Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force.[4]
The P-39 had an unusual layout, with the engine installed in the center fuselage, behind the pilot, and driving a tractor propeller in the nose with a long shaft. It was also the first fighter fitted with a tricycle undercarriage.[5] Although its mid-engine placement was innovative, the P-39 design was handicapped by the absence of an efficient turbo-supercharger, preventing it from performing high-altitude work. 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 most successful fixed-wing aircraft manufactured by Bell.[6]
- ^ Angelucci, Enzo (1988). Combat aircraft of World War II. Orion Books. p. 40. ISBN 0-517-64179-8.
- ^ Angelucci and Bowers 1987, p. 41.
- ^ Matthews 1996, p. 85.
- ^ Gunston 1980, p. 22.
- ^ Angelucci and Matricardi 1978, p. 25.
- ^ Bishop, Chris. The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II. New York: Orbis Publishing Ltd., 1998. ISBN 0-7607-1022-8.
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