(Republic) P-47 Thunderbolt @·AIRCRAFTUBE

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Republic P-47 Thunderbolt

Flying for the first time in May 1941, the AP 10 prototype of engineer Alexander Kartveli, powered by a "small" 1,150 horse power in line Allison engine, was totally lacking armour and only had two guns. At this time, nobody would have believed in the huge success the model's following derivatives would have. In fact, it was to be the most numerous American fighter built during World War 2, with a total of 15,683 machines leaving the factories of Farmingdale (New-York) and later Evansville (Indiana). Produced from March 1942, the P 47B was the first production Thunderbolt, equipped with the new 2,000 hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800-21 Double Wasp radial engine, the biggest one America had built at this time : 18 cylinders supplied at 60,000 RPM by a compressor mounted behind the pilot. The airplane also had self sealing tanks (307 US Gallons), 8 Browning machine guns and a complete armour protection for the pilot and the vital elements. Entering operations in England from April 1943 and despite some technical problems, the P 47 B's of USAAF's 56th Fighter Group would at least be able to offer the protection the allied long range bombers were asking for.

The most successful version was the P 47D (with 12,602 machines built), that received many innovations, like water injection, an increased fuel capacity (3 exterior drop tanks) and later, the first "water drop" canopies. From the P 47D 27, a dorsal fin was added to increase longitudinal stability. The intercooler outlet can be seen in the rear part of the fuselage, the air intake being situated in the lower nose inlet, close to the two oil coolers. The two big exhaust pipes feeding the supercharger were mounted inside the lower fuselage and this system proved very well designed, as it never caused any major problems in operations.

Because of the great diameter of the Curtiss propeller (12 ft), a special landing gear extending 9 inches at extension had to be designed. As for most fighters with a tail wheel, and despite a very high mounted cockpit, forward visibility during taxi was very poor. The solution to that was to avoid rolling in a straight line, or have an engineer sitting on the wing for guidance.

Among different versions, the more powerful P 47G and P 47M versions, with their maximum speed of 470 mph, were used for the very dangerous V1 hunt.

Recognisable by its squared wing tips, the extended range P 47N version, was used for escort missions in the Pacific. The only experimental XP 47J ever built became the fastest propeller aircraft in the world in Augustus 44, with a level speed of 504 mph, thanks to the 2,800 hp R-2800-57.
One of the best attack techniques was to use the P-47's high top speed for diving on the enemy, before climbing again at high altitude. The high diving speed proved very useful for escaping an attack too.

Called "The Jug" by its operators, the Thunderbolt has been the most robust fighter of its time. It was mainly used on the European theatre as a light fighter-bomber and for long range escort missions.

All along World War 2, P-47's were also used in many countries like Russia, Italy (Brazilian squadron), by the RAF (India and Burma) and in France.

Besides its weight and dimensions records, the Thunderbolt's score in combat is US Army's most prestigious of World War 2, with an average of 4.6 victories for one P47 lost, 3,750 victories in 546,000 sorties, plus a huge amount of ground hits, including more than 3,300 aircrafts, 9,000 locomotives and 6,000 armoured vehicles.

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Republic P-47 Thunderbolt

  • Role : Fighter-bomber.
  • Manufacturer : Republic Aviation.
  • Designer : Alexander Kartveli.
  • First flight : 6 May 1941.
  • Introduction : November 1942.
  • Retired : 1966, Peruvian Air Force.
  • Primary users :
    • United States Army Air Forces.
    • Royal Air Force.
    • French Air Force.
  • Produced : 1941–1945.
  • Number built : 15,636.
  • Unit cost : US$83,000 in 1945.
  • Variants : Republic XP-72.

    • Specifications (P 47D 25 R.E)

  • Length : 36 ft 1 in.
  • Height : 14 ft 2 in.
  • Wing span : 40 ft 9 in.
  • Empty Weight : 10,700 lb.
  • Operational Weight : 19,400 lb.
  • Maximum Speed : 428 mph.
  • Service Ceiling : 42,000 ft.
  • Range : 925 miles.
  • Powerplant : One Pratt & Whitney Double Wasp , XR-2800-21 eighteen-cylinder two-row radial engine.
  • Power : 2,000 HP for take-off and 2,300 HP at 31,000 ft with turbo-supercharging.
  • Armament :
    • Six or eight 0.5-in. wing-mounted Browning machine-guns with 267 or 425 rounds per gun.
    • Up to 2,500 lb. of bombs or ten 5 in H.V.A.R. missiles.

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