Consolidated XP4Y Corregidor

Maritime Patrol Aircraft / Flying Boat Aircraft

United States | 1939

"Just one flyable example of the XP4Y Corregidor flying boat was completed for the United States Navy by Consolidated Aircraft prior to American involvement in World War 2."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 10/03/2018 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

Firepower

Performance

Survivability

Versatility

Impact

Prior to the American entry into World War 2 (1939-1945), the United States Navy (USN) looked to fulfill a maritime patrol aircraft requirement centered around a flying boat design. Consolidated Aircraft responded with their XP4Y "Corregidor" which recorded its first-flight on May 5th, 1939. Due to wartime demands, and despite a hundreds-strong production order being signed, the design was cancelled with just the sole flying prototype completed.

Consolidated developed the XP4Y under the in-house "Model 31" designator and work began in 1938. As a sleek, all-modern / all-metal, aerodynamically-refined design, the aircraft incorporated a high-mounted wing mainplane assembly atop its fuselage for inherently good lifting qualities and to keep the engines far from ocean spray. Each mainplane carried a single, nacelled engine unit at its leading edge as well as retractable floats for waterborne balancing. The nose section was stepped to provide good views out over the nose for the pilots (seated side-by-side) and the lower fuselage section was designed with a boat-like hull for waterborne landings and takeoffs. The tail unit comprised a shared horizontal plane straddled by vertical tailplanes.

Two of its features - the twin rudder tail and the high-wing mainplanes -would later be used in Consolidated's classic World War 2 heavy bomber, the B-24 "Liberator", detailed elsewhere on this site.

As designed, the aircraft had a running length of 74 feet with a wingspan reaching 110 feet and an overall height of 25.1 feet. Weight reached 48,000lb gross. Proposed power was from 2 x Wright R-3350-8 "Cyclone 18" series air-cooled radials with each unit outputting 2,300 horsepower. Performance specs included a maximum speed of nearly 250 miles per hour with cruising done closer to 135mph. Range was out to 3,300 miles and its service ceiling reached 21,400 feet. Rate-of-climb was 1,230 feet-per-minute.

Proposed armament centered on a turreted, bow-mounted 37mm autocannon. A dorsal and tail turret position were each to receive 2 x 0.50 caliber Browning M2 heavy machine guns and the aircraft would have carried the typical USN drop bombs and depth charges of the day for attack.

Beyond its military value, the Model 31 was also being developed for possible civilian marketplace operation. In this guise, the aircraft would have been modified to carry over fifty passengers in comfort - this was, after all, the Golden Age of the long-range flying boat for passenger air travel.

The first-flight of the Model 31 in May of 1939 showcased a well-performing, well-handling aircraft for its class. USN authorities liked what they saw and committed to the type as the "XP4Y-1" while it continued to undergo development into 1940. A production contract for 200 of the type was then signed and these would be built at an all-new Consolidated plant being constructed in New Orleans, Louisiana.

However, the American entry into World War 2 in December of 1941 - as well as the Wright engines, wartime materials and manpower needing to be committed elsewhere - meant that there lay little interest in continuing the XP4Y-1 program. As such, events led to its cancellation and Consolidated began manufacture of its famous PBY "Catalina" flying boat line (detailed elsewhere on this site) at the very factory that was to make the XP4Y - leaving the "Corregidor" as nothing more than a footnote in American military aviation history.

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 Consolidated XP4Y Corregidor Maritime Patrol Aircraft / Flying Boat Aircraft.

2 x Wright R-3350-8 "Cyclone 18" air-cooled radial piston engine developing 2,300 horsepower each.
Propulsion

249 mph
400 kph | 216 kts
Max Speed

21,391 ft
6,520 m | 4 miles
Service Ceiling

3,293 miles
5,300 km | 2,862 nm
Operational Range

1,230 ft/min
375 m/min
Rate-of-Climb

City-to-City Ranges
Operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).

NYC

LON

PAR

BER

MOS

TOK

SYD

LAX

NYC

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Consolidated XP4Y Corregidor Maritime Patrol Aircraft / Flying Boat Aircraft.

8
(MANNED)
Crew

74.1 ft
22.60 m
O/A Length

110.1 ft
(33.55 m)
O/A Width

25.1 ft
(7.65 m)
O/A Height

36,376 lb
(16,500 kg)
Empty Weight

48,061 lb
(21,800 kg)
MTOW

Design Balance
The three qualities reflected below are altitude, speed, and range. The more full the box, the more balanced the design.

RANGE

ALT

SPEED

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Consolidated XP4Y Corregidor Maritime Patrol Aircraft / Flying Boat Aircraft .

PROPOSED:
1 x 37mm autocannon in nose.
2 x 0.50 caliber Browning M2 Heavy Machine Guns (HMGs) in dorsal position.
2 x 0.50 caliber Browning M2 Heavy Machine Guns (HMGs) in tail position.

OPTIONAL:
Up to 4,000lb of stores to include drop bombs and depth charges.

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Consolidated XP4Y Corregidor family line.

XP4Y-1 "Corregidor" - Base Series Name; single flyable prototype example completed.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Consolidated XP4Y Corregidor. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 1 Units
Contractor(s): Consolidated Aircraft - USA

[ United States (cancelled) ]

Relative Max Speed

Hi: 300mph

Lo: 150mph

Aircraft Max Listed Speed (249mph).

Graph Average of 225 MPH.

Era Crossover

Showcasing Aircraft Era Crossover (if any)

Max Alt Visualization

Production Comparison

1

36183

44000

Entry compared against Ilyushin IL-2 (military) and Cessna 172 (civilian) total production.

MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

Aviation Timeline

EarlyYrs

WWI

Interwar

WWII

ColdWar

Postwar

Modern

Future

♦

1 / 1

Image of the Consolidated XP4Y Corregidor

Image from the Public Domain.

Mission Roles
Some designs are single-minded in their approach while others offer a more versatile solution to airborne requirements.

ANTI-SUBMARINE WARFARE

ANTI-SHIP

SEARCH & RESCUE

MARITIME / NAVY

COMMERCIAL AVIATION

VIP SERVICE

RECONNAISSANCE

Recognition
Some designs stand the test of time while others are doomed to never advance beyond the drawing board; let history be their judge.

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2

Going Further...
The Consolidated XP4Y Corregidor Maritime Patrol Aircraft / Flying Boat Aircraft appears in the following collections:

HOME

AVIATION INDEX

AIRCRAFT BY COUNTRY

AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURERS

Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies

2025 Military Pay Scale Military Ranks U.S. DoD Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols US 5-Star Generals WW2 Weapons by Country

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 Global Firepower, WDMMA.org, WDMMW.org, and World War Next.

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