P-39 Airacobra & P-63 Kingcobra | The American Aircraft Loved By The Soviets | Bell Aircraft

The P-39 Airacobra and the P-63 Kingcobra. Two North American Aircraft made by Bell and loved and appreciated by the Soviets.
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, and enabled individual Soviet pilots to collect the highest number of kills attributed to any U.S. fighter type flown by any air force in any conflict. Other major users of the type included the Free French, the Royal Air Force, and the Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force.

It 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. 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.

General characteristics

Crew: One
Length: 30 ft 2 in (9.19 m)
Wingspan: 34 ft 0 in (10.36 m)
Height: 12 ft 5 in (3.78 m)
Wing area: 213 sq ft (19.8 m2)
Empty weight: 6,516 lb (2,956 kg)
Gross weight: 7,570 lb (3,434 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 8,400 lb (3,810 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Allison V-1710-85 V-12 liquid-cooled piston engine, 1,200 hp (890 kW) at 9,000 ft (2,743 m) (emergency power)
Propellers: 3-bladed constant-speed propeller
Performance

Maximum speed: 389 mph (626 km/h, 338 kn)
Stall speed: 95 mph (153 km/h, 83 kn) power off, flaps and undercarriage down
Never exceed speed: 525 mph (845 km/h, 456 kn)
Range: 525 mi (845 km, 456 nmi) on internal fuel
Service ceiling: 35,000 ft (11,000 m)
Rate of climb: 3,805 ft/min (19.33 m/s) at 7,400 ft (2,300 m) (using emergency power)
Time to altitude: 15,000 ft (4,600 m) in 4 minutes 30 seconds, at 160 mph (260 km/h)
Wing loading: 34.6 lb/sq ft (169 kg/m2)
Power/mass: 0.16 hp/lb (0.26 kW/kg)
Armament
Guns:
1 × 37 mm M4 cannon firing through the propeller hub
2 × .50 caliber synchronized Browning M2 machine guns, nose-mounted
2 × .50 caliber Browning M2 machine guns one each wing
Bombs: Up to 500 lb (230 kg) of bombs under wings and belly

The Bell P-63 Kingcobra is an American fighter aircraft that was developed by Bell Aircraft during World War II. Based on the preceding Bell P-39 Airacobra, the P-63's design incorporated suggestions from P-39 pilots and was superior to its predecessor in virtually all respects. The P-63 was not accepted for combat use by the United States Army Air Forces. However, it was used during World War II by the Soviet Air Force, which had also been the most prolific user of the P-39.

General characteristics

Crew: One
Length: 32 ft 8 in (9.96 m)
Wingspan: 38 ft 4 in (11.68 m)
Height: 12 ft 7 in (3.84 m)
Wing area: 248 sq ft (23.0 m2)
Airfoil: root: NACA 66-116; tip: NACA 66-216
Empty weight: 6,800 lb (3,084 kg)
Gross weight: 8,800 lb (3,992 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 10,700 lb (4,853 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Allison V-1710-117 V-12 liquid-cooled piston engine, 1,800 hp (1,300 kW)
Propellers: 4-bladed constant-speed propeller
Performance

Maximum speed: 410 mph (660 km/h, 360 kn) at 25,000 ft (7,600 m)
Range: 450 mi (720 km, 390 nmi)
Ferry range: 2,200 mi (3,500 km, 1,900 nmi)
Service ceiling: 43,000 ft (13,000 m)
Rate of climb: 2,500 ft/min (13 m/s)
Wing loading: 35.48 lb/sq ft (173.2 kg/m2)
Power/mass: 0.20 hp/lb (0.33 kW/kg)
Armament
Guns:
1 × 37 mm (1.5 in) M4 cannon firing through the propeller hub. From the A-9 version of the aircraft onward, the M4 gun was replaced with the slightly improved M10 37 mm cannon, which used a disintegrating link ammunition belt, increasing the ammo capacity to 58 rounds; the M10 also had a slightly higher rate of fire.
4 × 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns (two synchronized in the nose, two in the wings)
Bombs: 1,500 lb (680 kg) bomb load on wing and fuselage

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