Boeing XPBB Sea Ranger
XPBB-1 Sea Ranger | |
---|---|
Role | Prototype patrol bomber
|
Manufacturer | Boeing |
First flight | 9 July 1942 |
Retired | 1947 |
Status | Prototype |
Primary user | United States Navy |
Number built | 1 |
The Boeing XPBB-1 Sea Ranger (Boeing 344) was a
Development
Well before the United States entered World War II, the Navy started a program to develop a long-range flying boat, able to cover the vast expanse of the
To achieve the desired long range, the PBB became a fairly large aircraft, with a wingspan of 139 feet 8+1⁄2 inches (42.59 m) and a crew of ten.
The defensive armament of the PBB consisted of five powered turrets, equipped with
The 1710 US gallon auxiliary outer and 1565 US gallon inner fuel tanks were intended to be used only in an overload condition, in which the PBB would use catapult-assisted takeoff to achieve a theoretical range of 11,000 miles (18,000 km).[3] The normal range using the main fuel tanks was 4,245 miles (6,832 km).[4] In March 1941 the Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics asked the Naval Aircraft Factory for a catapult able to launch a PBB-1. The NAF duly prepared a design for a Mark VII catapult that would be able to launch a fifty-ton PBB-1 at a speed of 130 miles per hour.[5] The catapult would be installed so that the flying boat could be lifted onto it with a large crane or hydraulic jacks. However, in the summer of 1942, while development of the Mk.VII catapult was still ongoing, the Navy cancelled the project because it considered JATO assistance at takeoff more practical.
The prototype, designated XPBB-1, made its first flight on 9 July 1942 from Lake Washington.
The single XPBB-1 was handed over to the US Navy, and was used in trials programs until 1947, when it was finally retired. Despite suggestions that more aircraft might be built, perhaps by another factory, it remained the single example of the type, and was accordingly nicknamed "Lone Ranger".[4]
Specifications (XPBB-1 Sea Ranger)
Data from War Planes of the Second World War: Volume Six [6]
General characteristics
- Crew: 10
- Length: 94 ft 9 in (28.89 m)
- Wingspan: 139 ft 8.5 in (42.59 m)
- Height: 34 ft 2 in (10.42 m)
- Wing area: 1,826 sq ft (169.7 m2)
- Empty weight: 41,531 lb (18,878 kg)
- Gross weight: 62,006 lb (28,185 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 101,130 lb (45,968 kg)
- Powerplant: 2 × Wright R-3350-8 radial engines, 2,300 hp (1,716 kW) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 186 kn (214 mph, 345 km/h) at sea level
- Range: 5,500 nmi (6,300 mi, 10,000 km) (maximum)
- Normal range: 3,691 nmi (4,248 mi; 6,836 km)
- Service ceiling: 22,400 ft (6,830 m)
- Rate of climb: 980 ft/min (4.98 m/s)
- Wing loading: 34.0 lb/sq ft (166 kg/m2)
- Power/mass: 0.15 hp/lb (0.24 kW/kg)
Armament
- Guns: 8 × .50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns as twin mounts in powered bow, dorsal, and tail turrets and single mounts in waist positions
- Bombs: 20,000 pounds (9,100 kg)
See also
Related lists
- List of bomber aircraft
- List of United States Navy aircraft designations (pre-1962)
- List of military aircraft of the United States
References
- Notes
- Bibliography
- ISBN 0-85177-804-6.
- Boniface, Patrick (January 1997). "Boeing's Lone Ranger". Aeroplane Monthly. IPC. pp. 54–57.
- Green, William (1968). War Planes of the Second World War: Volume Five Flying Boats. London: Macdonald. ISBN 0-356-01449-5.
- Pilot's Handbook Model XPBB-1. Seattle, Washington: Boeing Aircraft Company. 21 March 1945. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
- Winchester, Jim (2005). The World's Worst Aircraft. New York: Amber Books. ISBN 0-7607-8714-X.
- Boeing XPBB-1
External links
Media related to Boeing XPBB Sea Ranger at Wikimedia Commons