A few nice prototype machining china photos I discovered:
Republic P-47D Thunderbolt
Image by ksr8s
5 by Five, 362nd Fighter Group, 9th Air Force, Commander Col. Joseph Laughlin 1945
Renowned for its ruggedness, firepower and speed, the huge Republic P-47 was one particular of the most well-known and essential USAAF fighters for the duration of Planet War II. Made in bigger numbers than any other U.S. fighter, the Thunderbolt — affectionately nicknamed the "Jug" — served as a bomber escort and as a quite efficient ground attack fighter.
Origin
The Thunderbolt was the end result of a series of radial-engine fighters created in the 1930s by Russian émigrés Alexander de Seversky and Alexander Kartveli. Despite the fact that the P-47 design and style originated as a little, inline-engine lightweight interceptor, changing requirements drastically altered the project. The considerably bigger prototype XP-47B weighed more than twice as much as the original idea.
Into Service
The initial production version, the P-47B, entered service in the spring of 1942. Production and improvement difficulties restricted the 171 constructed to education use only. The follow-on P-47C corrected some of the vices of the P-47B, and it started coming off the production line in September 1942.
Hitting Its Stride — The P-47D
With over 12,500 constructed, the P-47D became the most-created and extensively-employed model of the Thunderbolt. The early P-47Ds had been comparable to the P-47C, with the most important modify getting added armor around the pilot. Though they were fast and had an outstanding roll price, early P-47s suffered from poor climbing performance and brief variety.
More than the course of its production, the P-47D was drastically improved. A far more effective propeller substantially improved the climb price. Internal fuel tank capacity became bigger and new wing mounts carried droppable fuel tanks or bombs in addition to those on the underside fuselage mount. Late-model P-47Ds received far more wing mounts to carry a total of ten air-to-ground rockets. The Thunderbolt became even more rapidly with engine water injection, which permitted larger emergency horsepower. The most visible adjust throughout the P-47D production run was the new "bubble-prime" canopy, which provided significantly much better all-about vision for the pilot.
The Thunderbolt in Combat
The USAAF and a number of Allied nations used the P-47 in practically every combat theater. Through 1943 in Europe, the P-47C and P-47D equipped the majority of 8th Air Force fighter groups in England (and one particular in the 15th Air Force in Italy) as a long-range escort fighter. But since they could not escort USAAF heavy bombers all the way to some targets, longer-ranged P-51 Mustangs gradually replaced them in the escort role (with the sole exception of the 56th Fighter Group). The rugged and heavily-armed P-47D proved to be perfect for ground attack, though, and it became the backbone of the fighter-bomber force in the 9th Air Force in western Europe and the 12th Air Force in southern Europe.
In the Pacific, several 5th Air Force fighter groups flew the P-47D against Japanese air and ground forces in New Guinea and the Philippines in 1943-1944. Later, five groups in the 7th Air Force (and, in the closing weeks of the war, the 20th Air Force) flew the considerably longer-ranged P-47N as an escort fighter for B-29s against the Japanese homeland.
The P-47D did not arrive in the China-Burma-India (CBI) Theater till late spring 1944, but it flew as an successful fighter-bomber in many units there, which includes the popular 1st Air Commando Group.
Numerous Allied nations also flew the P-47D in combat in WWII, which includes Brazil, Totally free France, Excellent Britain, Mexico and the Soviet Union.
The Long-Legged P-47N
Range continued to be a issue for the Thunderbolt until the introduction of the P-47N, which breathed new life into the P-47 design and style. The P-47N had a a lot more potent engine and introduced a new wing which, as opposed to the P-47D’s, carried two 96-gallon internal fuel tanks. The P-47N was 40 mph quicker and could fly more than 800 miles farther than the P-47D. The 1st production models appeared in September 1944, and over 1,800 have been built. In the course of the war, the P-47N was only utilised in the Pacific Theater.
Post-War Use
P-47Ds and P-47Ns continued to serve in the USAAF (soon after 1947, the U.S. Air Force) as initial equipment for SAC, TAC and ADC squadrons. In 1948 the Thunderbolt was redesignated the F-47. As a lot more jet fighters came into the inventory, the USAF phased out the F-47 in 1949, but the Air National Guard continued to use it into the mid-1950s.
For the duration of the Korean War, the USAF theater commander, Lt. Gen. George Stratemeyer, requested that F-47s be sent. But, due to the shortage of spare parts and logistical complications, his request was denied. A lot of nations in Latin America, along with Iran, Italy, Nationalist China, Turkey and Yugoslavia continued to operate the Thunderbolt, some into the 1960s.
Of the grand total of 15,683 P-47s built, about two-thirds reached operational commands overseas and five,222 have been lost in action, such as 1,722 non-combat losses. In 1.35 million combat hours flown, the combat loss was much less than .7 percent, an exceptionally low figure attesting to the strength of the aircraft.
The Museum’s Aircraft
The aircraft on display is a P-47D-40 (S/N 45-49167), and it was built at the Republic plant in Evansville, Ind. In the late 1940s, it was transferred to the Peruvian air force. The aircraft later came to the museum in 1981. It is painted as the P-47D-30 5 by Five flown by Col. Joseph Laughlin, commander of the 362nd Fighter Group, 9th Air Force, in early 1945.
TECHNICAL NOTES:
Armament: Eight .50-cal machine guns and two,500 lbs. of bombs or rockets
Engine: One Pratt & Whitney R-2800 radial of two,430 hp
Maximum speed: 433 mph
Cruising speed: 350 mph
Range: Approx. 1,100 miles with drop tanks
Ceiling: 42,000 ft.
Span: 40 ft. 9 in.
Length: 36 ft. two in.
Height: 14 ft. 8 in.
Weight: 17,500 lbs. maximum