Vought V-173

V-173
Role Experimental aircraft
Manufacturer Vought
First flight 23 November 1942
Retired 15 March 1947
Number built 1
Developed into Vought XF5U

The Vought V-173 "Flying Pancake" is an American experimental test aircraft built as part of the Vought XF5U program during World War II.

Both the V-173 and the XF5U featured an unorthodox "all-wing" design consisting of a flat, somewhat disk-shaped body (like a pancake flying, hence the nickname) serving as the lifting surface.[1] Two piston engines buried in the body drove propellers located on the leading edge, at the wingtips.[2]

  1. ^ Chant 1984, p. 53.
  2. ^ Winchester X-Planes 2005, p. 223.