Huff-Daland LB-1

Light Bomber Aircraft

United States | 1923

"The Huff-Daland LB-1 bomber was realized in just nine completed models to go along with a single prototype."

Image from the Public Domain / United States Air Force Museum.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 04/05/2019 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

Huff-Daland produced a series of aircraft for American agricultural and military service that began with the HD-1B and ended with the experimental XLB-3 triplane bomber of 1930. While succeeded by the Keystone Aircraft Corporation (itself eventually falling under the Curtiss-Wright brand label), it nonetheless left its legacy with a line of early bombers in service to the United States Army Air Service (USAAS) during the 1920s. During World War 1 (1914-1918), United States Airmen mainly cut their teeth on bomber types of foreign origin and, in the post-war years, there stood a need for an indigenous light bomber platform to which Huff-Daland developed its "XLB-1" prototype.

To this point, the USAAS had committed to the Martin MB-2 (NBS-1) bombers but the service liked what it saw in the Huff-Daland prototype and commissioned for ten as the "LB-1" (the designation stemming from the words "Light Bomber" which reflected the aircraft's primary service category). For testing, a sole aircraft with a crew of three and powered by single a Packard 1A-2500 engine of 800 horsepower (in the nose driving a two-bladed propeller) was used and this example proved the design sound. Construction incorporated a steel tube frame covered over with fabric skin while the biplane wing arrangement remained typical for this period of aviation featuring parallel struts and a single bay configuration. The undercarriage ("tail dragger" type) was wheeled at the main legs and fixed in place. In testing, the aircraft outperformed the current MB-2s - certainly faster than the competing type.

The overall design showcased a maximum speed of 120 miles per hour with a cruising speed of 105 mph, a range out to 430 miles, and a service ceiling of 11,150 feet. Rate-of-climb reached 530 feet per minute. In comparison, the MB-2 reached a maximum speed of 99 mph, a cruise speed of 92 mph, a range out to 400 miles, a service ceiling up to 7,700 feet, and a rate-of-climb of 390 feet per minute.

In its finalized form as the LB-1, the bomber was given a Packard 2A-2500 engine of 800 horsepower. The crew was also increased from three to four and the bombload peaked at 2,750 lb. Defensive armament was a network of 5 x .303 Lewis machine guns on trainable mounts.

Despite the performance jump, Army authorities were not convinced of the merits of operating a single engine bomber over long distances and over enemy terrain. This terminated the LB-1's chances at seeing widespread production and service for attention then shifted to a twin-engined form - the XLB-3 of 1927. However, only one of this model was built as attention shifted once more to a more promising mark - the XLB-5 - which saw 36 of its kind manufactured under the Keystone name.

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Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Huff-Daland LB-1 Light Bomber Aircraft.

1 x Packard 2A-2500 engine developing 800 horsepower.
Propulsion

118 mph
190 kph | 103 kts
Max Speed

11,155 ft
3,400 m | 2 miles
Service Ceiling

430 miles
692 km | 374 nm
Operational Range

530 ft/min
162 m/min
Rate-of-Climb

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Huff-Daland LB-1 Light Bomber Aircraft.

4
(MANNED)
Crew

45.9 ft
14.00 m
O/A Length

66.5 ft
(20.27 m)
O/A Width

14.8 ft
(4.50 m)
O/A Height

6,338 lb
(2,875 kg)
Empty Weight

12,423 lb
(5,635 kg)
MTOW

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Huff-Daland LB-1 Light Bomber Aircraft .

STANDARD:
5 x .303 Lewis machine guns on trainable mountings about the fuselage.

OPTIONAL:
Up to 2,750 lb of conventional drop ordnance.

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Huff-Daland LB-1 family line.

LB-1 - Base Series Designation; nine examples constructed; crew of four; outfitted with Packard 2A-2500 series engine (800hp).

XLB-1 - Single-prototype form; crew of three; Packard 1A-2500 series engine (800hp) fitted.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Huff-Daland LB-1. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 10 Units
Contractor(s): Huff-Daland Aero Corporation )USA

[ United States ]

1 / 1

Image from the Public Domain / United States Air Force Museum.

Going Further...
The Huff-Daland LB-1 Light Bomber Aircraft appears in the following collections:

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