Bell Airacuda - Flying Anti-Aircraft Battery

The Airacuda was the first military airplane produced by the Bell Aircraft Corporation. It was built in the 1930s as a pre-war design that attempted to fulfill a United States Army Air Corps requirement for a new, twin-engine, multi-purpose platform.

They wanted the plane to work well as a fighter, bomber, and reconnaissance plane. The reason for designing the multi-purpose aircraft was simple: it would be cheaper if one plane could perform all military aviation functions.

As such, the Bell Airacuda introduced several advanced innovations for its time, such as forward-facing gun turrets placed on the front of the aircraft. The placement could tear apart any fighter formations that dared to take the fight frontally.

One cabin with a gun was placed on each wing, firing directly from an engine nacelle. The third was on the aircraft’s nose, alongside the pilot and co-pilot. Powerful 37 mm turrets were used for the first time in the air.

For the purpose of destroying enemy bomber formations, the Airacuda showed extreme promise, but it was not without its faults. Test pilots complained that it was slow, clunky, and difficult to maneuver against enemy attacks.

The aircraft could not reach speeds above 277 mph, failing to fulfill the role of an interceptor. As a fighter, its weight and design (that resembled more that of a bomber) made it vulnerable to flanking attacks from enemy fighters. It was poor in dogfighting conditions.

These flaws, and the failed ambition of trying to succeed at three different combat roles, condemned the Airacuda to the prototype stage. It would not see combat in the upcoming war that threatened on the horizon...