Hughes XR-11 / XF-11

Long-Range Photographic Reconnaissance Aircraft Prototype

United States | 1946

"The Hughes XF-11 reconnaissance-minded platform only saw two prototypes completed - the first crashing into the suburb of Beverly Hills with Howard Hughes at the controls."

Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Hughes XR-11 / XF-11 Long-Range Photographic Reconnaissance Aircraft Prototype.

2 x Pratt & Whitney R-4360-31 radial piston engines developing 3,000 horsepower each.
Propulsion

447 mph
720 kph | 389 kts
Max Speed

44,012 ft
13,415 m | 8 miles
Service Ceiling

4,971 miles
8,000 km | 4,320 nm
Operational Range

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Hughes XR-11 / XF-11 Long-Range Photographic Reconnaissance Aircraft Prototype.

2
(MANNED)
Crew

65.4 ft
19.94 m
O/A Length

101.3 ft
(30.89 m)
O/A Width

23.2 ft
(7.06 m)
O/A Height

37,038 lb
(16,800 kg)
Empty Weight

58,202 lb
(26,400 kg)
MTOW

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Hughes XR-11 / XF-11 family line.

XF-11 - Original Series Designation; 2 examples produced with the first offering featuring contra-rotating blades and the second with traditional propeller blade assemblies.

XR-11 - Later Designation

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 06/28/2018 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

Though only achieving prototype form, the XF-11 was one of the darling designs of famed American aviator Howard Hughes. Looking very much like an oversized Lockheed P-38, the twin-boom XF-11 was designed to fulfill a United States military requirement for a long-range photographic reconnaissance fighter. The project progressed with great potential until a disastrous crash of Prototype 1 in the suburbs of Beverly Hills (nearly taking the life of Hughes himself) effectively caused the cancellation of the entire project. The XF-11 would face off with Republic's offering of the XF-12 "Rainbow" only to see neither design chosen at project's end.

The XF-11 was of a traditional twin-boom design, popularized in other forms such as the Northrop P-61 Black Widow and the aforementioned Lockheed P-38 Lightning. The first of two prototypes featured contra-rotating propeller systems on each engine, offering up a great deal of power and performance potential at the cost of increased maintenance and production times. The X-11 featured a powered tricycle landing gear system which proved successful in other designs during the Second world War. The fuselage was constructed of all metal with a two-man crew - the pilot and a radio operator - in a center-fuselage nacelle with complete cabin pressurization for high-altitude capability. Pratt & Whitney brand engines were selected to power the design and these powerplants would turn two four-bladed propeller systems with variable pitch settings. With the Beverly Hills crash blamed on engine failure, the second XF-11 prototype was engineered with traditional non-contra-rotating propeller blade systems.

By all respects, the XF-11 performed admirably well considering the dramatic series of setbacks to the project. Stability and control at high speeds was especially noteworthy though exception was made to the low-altitude stability and performance the system encouraged. A complicated aircraft to fly when compared to others of this type, the XF-11 was nonetheless a capable design in most respects.

Pitted against the Republic XF-12, the XF-11 was deemed as too costly to maintain and produce along with the complications inherent in the system's design. Even with the XF-12 having an edge, the United States Air Force ultimately went with the Boeing produced RB-50 reconnaissance aircraft, citing its respectable range and reconnaissance capabilities equal to that of either XF offering with a lesser price tag.

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Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Hughes XR-11 / XF-11. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 2 Units
Contractor(s): Hughes Aircraft - USA

[ United States (cancelled) ]

1 / 2

Image from the Public Domain.

2 / 2

Image from the Public Domain.

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Going Further...
The Hughes XR-11 / XF-11 Long-Range Photographic Reconnaissance Aircraft Prototype appears in the following collections:

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