Douglas XB-43 Jetmaster

Douglas · United States · first flew 1946 · bomber

The Douglas XB-43 Jetmaster was America's first jet-powered bomber prototype, derived from the experimental XB-42 Mixmaster by replacing its piston engines with twin turbojets buried in the fuselage.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Mid-mounted, straight
E — Engines	2 × turbojet, fuselage-mounted
F — Fuselage	Twin General Electric J35 turbojets buried in the fuselage with wing-root intakes
T — Tail	Conventional

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Spot it by:

America's first jet bomber prototype, converted from piston XB-42 Mixmaster design
Twin General Electric J35 turbojets buried in the fuselage with wing-root intakes
Straight mid-wing layout with a glazed bombardier nose

A straight-wing medium bomber with a glazed nose, wing-root jet intakes, and a smooth fuselage lacking external engine nacelles — jet power entirely concealed within the airframe.

Specifications

The Douglas XB-43 Jetmaster has a length of 15.6 m (51 ft).
It has a wingspan of 21.69 m (71 ft).
Its maximum speed is 829 km/h (515 mph).
Typical crew: 2.

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

History

First flown in May 1946, the XB-43 demonstrated the potential of jet propulsion for bomber aircraft. However, the contemporary North American XB-45 and other designs were preferred, and the XB-43 did not enter production, serving instead as a research aircraft.

Variants

Only two prototypes were built; one was later modified as a turbojet engine testbed.

Where you'll see it

Never entered operational service; used for jet propulsion research and development by the USAF.

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