Kaiser-Fleetwings Model 47 (Squirt)

Carrierborne Mixed-Propulsion Attack Aircraft Proposal

United States | 1944

"The Kaiser-Fleetwings Model 47 was intended to satisfy a USN carrier-based attacker requirement of the World War 2 period - it was not selected."

Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 04/02/2019 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

The American aviation concern of Kaiser-Fleetwings was formed during World War 2 (1939-1945) in 1943 with the purchase of Fleetwings by industrialist/shipbuilder Henry J. Kaiser (1882-1967) and his Kaiser Industries of Bristol, Pennsylvania. During the war period, this little-remembered company presented a few, largely forgotten, combat aircraft designs for consideration by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) and the United States Navy (USN) with the greatest "success" achieved by the ultimately-abandoned XBTK-1 of 1945 (five were built and tested by the service; this aircraft is detailed elsewhere on this site).

In February of 1944, with the conclusion of the war still largely in doubt, the company attempted to interest the USN in its proposed "Model 47" attacker / dive bomber to serve on American carriers.

The Model 47, also known (for whatever reason) as the "Squirt", arrived at a time when the turbojet engine and rocket-boosted power were gaining steam in aviation circles. As such, the "mixed-powerplant" arrangement rose to achieve a certain level of interest for military services like the USAAF and USN. The Model 47 followed this line of thinking in attempting to mate a pair of British-originated, American-built Packard "Merlin" inline engines with a pair of Westinghouse turbojets for considerable, concentrated performance power. All this was tied to a well-streamlined fuselage which would have seated a single crewman and carried machine gun or cannon armament as standard as well as serve with a modest bomb load and support air-to-surface rockets for the attack role.

Kaiser-Fleetwings engineers drew up an aerodynamically-refined platform showcasing the single-seat cockpit ahead of a short nosecone and mainplanes and under a tear-drop-style clear-view canopy offering exceptional views above and around the aircraft (downward views were obstructed by the mainplane's positioning). The fuselage was elegantly-tapered towards the tail to which was fitted a single rounded vertical fin complete with low-set horizontal planes. The wing mainplanes were positioned ahead of midships and seated low against the sides of the rounded fuselage. Each mainplane was given a straight leading edge, tapering trailing edge, and finished off with squared-off tips. The wings held the engines in underslung nacelles originated well-ahead of the leading edge and terminated well-beyond the trailing edge. Each nacelle was to (rather handily - and perhaps optimistically) house both the inline piston engine as well as the Westinghouse turbojet, the latter seated under the former and exhausted well-behind the wing trailing edges. A tricycle undercarriage was envisioned for ground-running and deck actions and it is assumed arrestor gear and wing-folding (hinging outboard of the engine nacelles) would have figured into this navy-minded aircraft. Due to its low-level attack role, the Model 47 was to be equipped with cockpit and engine armoring for maximum survival as well as self-sealing fuel tanks.

Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.

Proposed standard armament centered on 4 x 0.50 caliber Browning M2 air-cooled Heavy Machine Guns (HMGs) seated in the hollowed out nose cone - this made possible by positioning the engines at the wings. The machine guns could just as easily be replaced by 4 x 20mm autocannons for a more definitive frontal "punch" against ground (and in some cases airborne) targets. Beyond this there was an optional bomb load of up to 4,000lb with a hardpoint found along fuselage centerline and underwing.

The Packard Merlin liquid-cooled inline engines were rated at 1,600 horsepower each (x2) and these would have driven two pairs of three-bladed propeller units in "contra-rotating" fashion by way of extended spinners ahead of the nacelles. The Westinghouse turbojets would have added an additional 2,200lb of thrust (each unit) for an exceptional boost in performance capabilities.

As finalized, the Model 47 was given an overall length of 59.4 feet and a wingspan of 69 feet. Gross weight reached over 30,000lb. Engineers estimated a maximum speed reaching over 400 miles-per-hour and a combat range out to 2,600 miles (600 mile radius).

The Model 47 was not selected for development and some issues from the available design drawings were notable: the mixed-powerplant approach would have been a complex system for both repairing and general maintenance at-sea while the overall size of the aircraft would have severely restricted it from being used on the smaller USN fleet carrier types of the wartime period. Fuel burn for the turbojet engines would have been an inherent concern, limiting their usefulness in the long-term. Another sticking point was the USN's preference for using air-cooled radial engine types to drive their prop aircraft - the service deeming these more survivable in combat than delicate, complex inline forms.

Beyond this, the aircraft may very well have been a solid, if very fast, performer with a relatively impressive war load capability. Its role was eventually filled by other, more modest and traditional, designs such as the solely-prop-driven Grumman F7F "Tigercat" - which shares a similarity in design configuration (twin, outboard engines) with the Model 47.

Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.

Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Kaiser-Fleetwings Model 47 Carrierborne Mixed-Propulsion Attack Aircraft Proposal.

2 x Packard "Merlin" liquid-cooled inline piston engines driving 2 x Three-bladed propeller units in contra-rotating fashion with 2 x Westinghouse turbojet engines developing 2,200lb of thrust each.
Propulsion

401 mph
645 kph | 348 kts
Max Speed

41,010 ft
12,500 m | 8 miles
Service Ceiling

2,600 miles
4,185 km | 2,260 nm
Operational Range

5,000 ft/min
1,524 m/min
Rate-of-Climb

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Kaiser-Fleetwings Model 47 Carrierborne Mixed-Propulsion Attack Aircraft Proposal.

1
(MANNED)
Crew

59.4 ft
18.12 m
O/A Length

69.1 ft
(21.05 m)
O/A Width

17.1 ft
(5.20 m)
O/A Height

20,723 lb
(9,400 kg)
Empty Weight

30,005 lb
(13,610 kg)
MTOW

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Kaiser-Fleetwings Model 47 (Squirt) Carrierborne Mixed-Propulsion Attack Aircraft Proposal .

PROPOSED, STANDARD:
4 x 0.50 caliber Browning M2 Heavy Machine Guns (HMGs) OR 4 x 20mm Autocannons in nose section.

PROPOSED, OPTIONAL:
Up to 4,000lb of bombs carried under fuselage centerline. Assumed support for aerial rockets (underwing) as well.

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Kaiser-Fleetwings Model 47 (Squirt) family line.

Model 47 "Squirt" - Base Project Designation.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Kaiser-Fleetwings Model 47 (Squirt). Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 0 Units
Contractor(s): Kaiser-Fleetwings - USA

[ United States (abandoned) ]

1 / 1

Image of the Kaiser-Fleetwings Model 47 (Squirt)

Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.

Going Further...
The Kaiser-Fleetwings Model 47 (Squirt) Carrierborne Mixed-Propulsion Attack Aircraft Proposal appears in the following collections:

HOME

AVIATION INDEX

AIRCRAFT BY COUNTRY

AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURERS

Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies

2024 Military Pay Scale Military Ranks of the World U.S. Department of Defense Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols Breakdown U.S. 5-Star Generals List WWII Weapons by Country World War Next

The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

Part of a network of sites that includes GlobalFirepower, a data-driven property used in ranking the top military powers of the world, WDMMA.org (World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft), WDMMW.org (World Directory of Modern Military Warships), SR71blackbird.org, detailing the history of the world's most iconic spyplane, and MilitaryRibbons.info, cataloguing military medals and ribbons. Special Interest: RailRoad Junction, the locomotive encyclopedia.

©2024 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2024 (21yrs)