McDonnell XP-67 Bat
McDonnell Aircraft Corporation · United States · first flew 1944 · fighter
The McDonnell XP-67 'Bat' was a highly unconventional American twin-engine single-seat long-range fighter prototype featuring a radical blended fuselage-wing design that prefigured later concepts of blended wing-body aerodynamics. Persistent engine problems prevented the design from meeting its ambitious performance targets.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, tapered |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 2 × piston, wing-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Radical blended wing-body fuselage design — almost no distinction between wing and fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Radical blended wing-body fuselage design — almost no distinction between wing and fuselage
- Twin Continental engines in deeply blended nacelles within the wing root
- One prototype only — engine problems and poor performance ended the programme
The near-seamless blending of the fuselage into the wing root is the dominant recognition feature — the aircraft has an almost batlike silhouette viewed from above, with no clear fuselage boundary, explaining the 'Bat' nickname.
Specifications
- The McDonnell XP-67 Bat has a length of 13.65 m (45 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 16.76 m (55 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 650 km/h (404 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Designed by McDonnell's team in 1940–41 to meet a USAAF requirement for a long-range escort fighter, the XP-67 first flew in January 1944. The Continental XI-1430 engines were troublesome and underpowered, and the aircraft failed to achieve its design speed. An engine fire damaged the prototype in September 1944 and the programme was cancelled. It was McDonnell's first original design.
Variants
One prototype only; no variants or production aircraft were built.
Where you'll see it
Never entered service; historically significant as one of the most aerodynamically innovative American aircraft of the Second World War and as McDonnell's first design before the company's later success with the Phantom and Eagle.
Related aircraft
- McDonnell FH-1 Phantom
- McDonnell XHJH Whirlaway
- McDonnell F2H Banshee
- McDonnell XF2H-1 Banshee
- Arado E.580
- Bell XP-77
- Blohm & Voss BV 155
- Curtiss SC Seahawk
AircraftIQ — the aircraft field guide: 4,893 recognition guides, live overhead identification, works offline.