Bell XP-83

Bell Aircraft Corporation · United States · first flew 1945 · fighter

The Bell XP-83 was an American twin-jet long-range fighter prototype developed near the end of World War II as a potential bomber escort. It was a scaled-up development of the P-59 Airacomet concept but was not selected for production.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Mid-mounted, straight
E — Engines	2 × turbojet, fuselage-mounted
F — Fuselage	13.67 m fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

WWII-era US twin-jet long-range fighter prototype
Twin jets with chin and cheek intakes, straight mid-wing
Enlarged P-59 concept for bomber escort duties — not produced

Large straight-wing twin-jet with a broad fuselage housing the two engines side by side, intakes on the fuselage sides, and a conventional fighter tail — a transitional design between WWII and jet-age proportions.

Specifications

The Bell XP-83 has a length of 13.67 m (45 ft).
It has a wingspan of 16.15 m (53 ft).
Its maximum speed is 840 km/h (522 mph).
Typical crew: 1.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

The XP-83 first flew in February 1945 and was intended to address the need for a long-range jet escort fighter that the P-59 could not fulfill. Two prototypes were built and evaluated, but the type proved inferior to the competing Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star in performance and the programme was cancelled. The end of WWII further removed the urgency for such a type.

Variants

Only two XP-83 prototypes were built; there were no production variants.

Where you'll see it

The XP-83 never entered USAAF service and was a pure experimental prototype; one aircraft was later used for ramjet research.

Related aircraft

AircraftIQ — the aircraft field guide: 4,893 recognition guides, live overhead identification, works offline.