Boeing P-26B Peashooter

Boeing · United States · first flew 1934 · fighter

The Boeing P-26B Peashooter is a fuel-injected variant of the P-26A, distinguished by its Pratt and Whitney R-1340-33 engine with direct fuel injection replacing the earlier carburetted powerplant. It was the USAAC's first production all-metal monoplane fighter.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Low-mounted, tapered
E — Engines	1 × piston, nose-mounted
F — Fuselage	7.26 m fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

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

Spot it by:

Low-wing monoplane with open cockpit
Fixed spatted undercarriage with wheel fairings
External wing bracing wires characteristic of Peashooter

Virtually identical to the P-26A in appearance; the distinctive Peashooter profile — low wing, spatted fixed gear, open cockpit with headrest fairing, and wing bracing wires — distinguishes it from all contemporaries.

Specifications

The Boeing P-26B Peashooter has a length of 7.26 m (24 ft).
It has a wingspan of 8.52 m (28 ft).
Its maximum speed is 377 km/h (234 mph).
Typical crew: 1.

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

History

The P-26B introduced fuel injection to give the Peashooter greater reliability in inverted flight, a modest but operationally significant improvement over the P-26A. Production numbers were small, with only 25 aircraft built in this sub-variant.

Variants

The Peashooter family comprised the P-26A (main production), P-26B (fuel-injected), and P-26C (further engine variant). Export versions went to China and the Philippines.

Where you'll see it

The P-26B served with USAAC pursuit squadrons in the mid-1930s, seeing action in the Philippines in 1941–42 with Filipino pilots during the Japanese invasion.

Related aircraft

AircraftIQ — the aircraft field guide: 5,024 recognition guides, live overhead identification, works offline.