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The Huff-Daland XB-1 was a prototype
USAF Museum Article on XB-1USAF Museum Article on XB-1B
{{USAF bomber aircraft XB-01 Huff-Daland XB-01 Biplanes Aircraft first flown in 1927 Twin piston-engined tractor aircraft Aircraft with fixed conventional landing gear
bomber aircraft
A bomber is a military combat aircraft that utilizes
air-to-ground weaponry to drop bombs, launch torpedoes, or deploy air-launched cruise missiles.
There are two major classifications of bomber: strategic and tactical. Strategic bombing is d ...
built for the United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...
.
The XB-1 was the first aircraft named using just a ''B-'' designation. Prior to 1926
In Turkey, the year technically contained only 352 days. As Friday, December 18, 1926 ''(Julian Calendar)'' was followed by Saturday, January 1, 1927 '' (Gregorian Calendar)''. 13 days were dropped to make the switch. Turkey thus became the ...
, the U.S. Army used ''LB-'' and ''HB-'' prefixes, signifying 'Light Bomber
A light bomber is a relatively small and fast type of military bomber aircraft that was primarily employed before the 1950s. Such aircraft would typically not carry more than one ton of ordnance.
The earliest light bombers were intended to dr ...
' and 'Heavy Bomber
Heavy bombers are bomber Fixed-wing aircraft, aircraft capable of delivering the largest payload of air-to-ground weaponry (usually Aerial bomb, bombs) and longest range (aeronautics), range (takeoff to landing) of their era. Archetypal heavy ...
'. The first XB-1, called the ''Super-Cyclops'' by Huff-Daland
Huff-Daland was an American aircraft manufacturer. Formed as Ogdensburg Aeroway Corp in 1920 in Ogdensburg, New York by Thomas Huff and Elliot Daland, its name was quickly changed to Huff-Daland Aero Corp and then in 1925 it was changed again to ...
, was an extension of the earlier Huff-Daland XHB-1
The Huff-Daland XHB-1 "Cyclops" was a 1920s American prototype heavy bomber designed and built by the Huff-Daland company.Andrade 1979, p 128
Design and development
The XHB-1 was designed as an enlarged version of the earlier LB-1 powered by ...
'Cyclops'. It was essentially the same in size, but sported a twin tail and twin engines.
Design and development
The XB-1's gunnery arrangement was new for an American bomber, but it had been previously used by the British and the Germans duringWorld War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. The Army Air Corps had decided that single-engined bombers such as the XHB-1 performed worse, and weren't as safe as twin-engined bombers.
Operational history
The aircraft flew for the first time in September 1927. Its original Packard engines did not provide enough power for the aircraft, and it was refitted with more powerfulCurtiss Aircraft
The Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company (1909–1929) was an American aircraft manufacturer originally founded by Glenn Hammond Curtiss and Augustus Moore Herring in Hammondsport, New York. After significant commercial success in its first de ...
"Conqueror" engines. This new configuration was designated the XB-1B.
Three other similar aircraft designs were requested by the Army Air Corps around the same time which competed against the XB-1 for the contract. Of these three (the XB-2 Condor, the Sikorsky S-37
The Sikorsky S-37 was an American twin-engine aircraft built by the Sikorsky Manufacturing Corporation. Both examples of the series were completed in 1927. The S-37 was specifically designed to compete for the Orteig Prize and would be the last ...
and the Fokker XLB-2), the Curtiss model eventually won, and only a single XB-1 was ever produced.
Specifications (XB-1B)
See also
References
External links
USAF Museum Article on XB-1
{{USAF bomber aircraft XB-01 Huff-Daland XB-01 Biplanes Aircraft first flown in 1927 Twin piston-engined tractor aircraft Aircraft with fixed conventional landing gear