×
Aircraft / Aviation Vehicles & Artillery Small Arms Warships & Submarines Military Ranks Military Pay Chart (2024) Special Forces
HOME
AVIATION INDEX
MODERN AIR FORCES
AIRCRAFT BY COUNTRY
AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURERS
COMPARE AIRCRAFT
AIRCRAFT BY CONFLICT
AIRCRAFT BY TYPE
AIRCRAFT BY DECADE
WWII AIRCRAFT
X-PLANE AIRCRAFT
Aviation / Aerospace

Boeing Model 398


Carrierbased Fighter / Fighter-Bomber Aircraft Proposal [ 1943 ]



The Boeing Model 398 was another company attempt to build for the USN a capable carrier-based fighter around the Wasp Major radial engine.



Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 07/30/2021 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

VIEW SPECIFICATIONS [+]
During World War 2 (1939-1945) Boeing pushed a series of design studies centered on a single-seat, single-engine carrierborne fighter intended for the United States Navy (USN). While the service eventually settled on the Grumman "Hellcat" and Vought "Corsair" types to help win the war, the depth of Boeing's work in the field is still notable beginning with the Model 376 and running through the Model 386, 387, and - finally - the Model 398. The consistent quality between the lot was the use of the Pratt & Whitney R-4360 "Wasp Major" air-cooled radial piston engine expected to output 3,000 horsepower, an experimental powerplant that saw only limited production and equally-limited application.

The Model 398 was a further evolution of the earlier Model 386, a monoplane-formed, single-seat, single-engine design with a traditional tail unit, low-mounted wingplane members, and 2 x Three-bladed propeller blade units arranged for contra-rotating operation. Developed for the mid-to-high-altitude flying envelope, the design went nowhere and eventually fell to naught.

The subsequent Model 398 continued much of the form and function of the Model 386, complete with its six-bladed arrangement at the nose, but was further revised to double as a carrierborne fighter-bomber through planned implementation of an internal bomb bay taking the place of one of the original internal fuel stores. In this housing, a single 2,000lb conventional drop bomb could be carried, transforming the fighter to an attacker with little effort. Beyond this, the aircraft would still be armed - though not with automatic cannons as in previous iterations - through an arrangement of 6 x 0.50 caliber air-cooled heavy machine guns in the wings. The guns would be positioned just outside of the propeller's arc but outboard of the wing-folding device.

As with other carrierborne aircraft of the period, the fighter could be completed with a wing-folding feature in which the wings twisted and rested against the sides of the fuselage. Beyond this, a reinforced undercarriage and a tail hook would have completed the "navalization" of the Boeing fighter.

Another change of note in the Model 398 appears to be the deletion of the hinged "automobile-style" entry-exit door for the cockpit. In its place was to be a more conventional tear-drop-style sliding canopy.

As drawn up, the aircraft was given a running length of 43.8 feet and a wingspan of 54 feet. Gross weight was to reach 14,000lb. With its powerful Wasp Major radial in place, the sleek aircraft was expected to exceed speeds of 456 miles-per-hour under War Emergency Power (WEP) and in ideal conditions (sea level altitude). Its service ceiling was rated at over 40,000 feet with an operating range of 1,130 miles. Rate-of-climb would have settled at an impressive 5,150 feet-per-minute under full power.

In the fighter-bomber role, specifications would have been slightly reduced as weight increased and operational range was reduced.

At any rate, this advanced fighter concept joined the other Boeing USN fighter design study submissions of the period and ultimately fell by the wayside.©MilitaryFactory.com
Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.

Specifications



Boeing Company - USA
Manufacturer(s)
United States (abandoned)
Operators National flag of the United States
1943
Service Year
United States
National Origin
Cancelled
Project Status
1
Crew
0
Units


AIR-TO-AIR COMBAT
General ability to actively engage other aircraft of similar form and function, typically through guns, missiles, and/or aerial rockets.
GROUND ATTACK
Ability to conduct aerial bombing of ground targets by way of (but not limited to) guns, bombs, missiles, rockets, and the like.
MARITIME / NAVY
Land-based or shipborne capability for operating over-water in various maritime-related roles while supported by allied naval surface elements.
X-PLANE
Aircraft developed for the role of prototyping, technology demonstration, or research / data collection.


43.8 ft
(13.35 meters)
Length
54.0 ft
(16.45 meters)
Width/Span
16.0 ft
(4.88 meters)
Height
12,346 lb
(5,600 kilograms)
Empty Weight
16,314 lb
(7,400 kilograms)
Maximum Take-Off Weight
+3,968 lb
(+1,800 kg)
Weight Difference


1 x Pratt & Whitney R-4360 "Wasp Major" 28-cylinder, 4-row, air-cooled radial piston engine developing 3,000 horsepower and driving 2 x Three-bladed propeller units at the nose in contra-rotating fashion.
Propulsion
457 mph
(735 kph | 397 knots)
Max Speed
44,997 ft
(13,715 m | 9 miles)
Ceiling
1,131 miles
(1,820 km | 983 nm)
Range
5,150 ft/min
(1,570 m/min)
Rate-of-Climb


MACH Regime (Sonic)
Sub
Trans
Super
Hyper
HiHyper
ReEntry
RANGES (MPH) Subsonic: <614mph | Transonic: 614-921 | Supersonic: 921-3836 | Hypersonic: 3836-7673 | Hi-Hypersonic: 7673-19180 | Reentry: >19030


PROPOSED:
6 x 0.50 caliber Browning M2 air-cooled Heavy Machine Guns (HMGs) in wings (three guns to a wing).

OPTIONAL:
1 x 2,000lb conventional drop bomb held in an internal bay (replacing one internal fuel store).


0
Hardpoints


Model 398 - Base Project Designation.


Military lapel ribbon for Operation Allied Force
Military lapel ribbon for the Arab-Israeli War
Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Britain
Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Midway
Military lapel ribbon for the Berlin Airlift
Military lapel ribbon for the Chaco War
Military lapel ribbon for the Cold War
Military lapel ribbon for the Cuban Missile Crisis
Military lapel ribbon for pioneering aircraft
Military lapel ribbon for the Falklands War
Military lapel ribbon for the French-Indochina War
Military lapel ribbon for the Golden Age of Flight
Military lapel ribbon for the 1991 Gulf War
Military lapel ribbon for the Indo-Pak Wars
Military lapel ribbon for the Iran-Iraq War
Military lapel ribbon for the Korean War
Military lapel ribbon for the 1982 Lebanon War
Military lapel ribbon for the Malayan Emergency
Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft
Military lapel ribbon for the attack on Pearl Harbor
Military lapel ribbon for the Six Day War
Military lapel ribbon for the Soviet-Afghan War
Military lapel ribbon for the Spanish Civil War
Military lapel ribbon for Special Forces
Military lapel ribbon for the Suez Crisis
Military lapel ribbon for the Ukranian-Russian War
Military lapel ribbon for the Vietnam War
Military lapel ribbon for Warsaw Pact of the Cold War-era
Military lapel ribbon for the WASP (WW2)
Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1
Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2
Military lapel ribbon for the Yom Kippur War
Military lapel ribbon for experimental x-plane aircraft

Images



1 / 1
Image of the Boeing Model 398
Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.

Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies

2024 Military Pay Chart Military Ranks DoD Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols

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; site is 100% curated by humans.

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.


©2023 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2023 (20yrs)