The Huff-Daland XB-1 was a prototype

bomber aircraft A bomber is a military combat aircraft designed to attack ground and naval targets by dropping air-to-ground weaponry (such as bombs), launching torpedoes, or deploying air-launched cruise missiles. The first use of bombs dropped from an aircraf ...

built for the

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical r ...

. The XB-1 was the first aircraft named using just a ''B-'' designation. Prior to

1926 Events January * January 3 – Theodoros Pangalos declares himself dictator in Greece. * January 8 **Abdul-Aziz ibn Saud is crowned King of Hejaz. ** Crown Prince Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thuy ascends the throne, the last monarch of V ...

, the U.S. Army used ''LB-'' and ''HB-'' prefixes, signifying 'Light Bomber' and 'Heavy Bomber'. The first XB-1, called the ''Super-Cyclops'' by

Huff-Daland Huff-Daland was an American aircraft manufacturer. Formed as Ogdensburg Aeroway Corp in 1920 in Ogdensburg, New York by Thomas Huff and Elliot Daland, its name was quickly changed to Huff-Daland Aero Corp and then in 1925 it was changed again to ...

, was an extension of the earlier

Huff-Daland XHB-1 The Huff-Daland XHB-1 "Cyclops" was a 1920s American prototype heavy bomber designed and built by the Huff-Daland company.Andrade 1979, p 128 Design and development The XHB-1 was designed as an enlarged version of the earlier LB-1 powered by a s ...

'Cyclops'. It was essentially the same in size, but sported a twin tail and twin engines.

Design and development

The XB-1's gunnery arrangement was new for an American bomber, but it had been previously used by the British and the Germans near the end of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The Army Air Corps had decided that single-engined bombers such as the XHB-1 performed more poorly and with less safety than the more traditional twin-engined bomber.

Operational history

The aircraft flew for the first time in September 1927. Its original Packard engines did not provide enough power for the aircraft, and it was refitted with more powerful

Curtiss Aircraft Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company (1909 – 1929) was an American aircraft manufacturer originally founded by Glenn Hammond Curtiss and Augustus Moore Herring in Hammondsport, New York. After significant commercial success in its first decades ...

"Conqueror" engines. This new configuration was designated the XB-1B. Three other similar aircraft designs were requested by the Army Air Corps around the same time which competed against the XB-1 for the contract. Of these three (the XB-2 Condor, the

Sikorsky S-37 The Sikorsky S-37 was an American twin-engine aircraft built by the Sikorsky Manufacturing Corporation. Both examples of the series were completed in 1927. The S-37 was specifically designed to compete for the Orteig Prize and would be the last ...

and the

Fokker XLB-2 Fokker was a Dutch aircraft manufacturer named after its founder, Anthony Fokker. The company operated under several different names. It was founded in 1912 in Berlin, Germany, and became famous for its fighter aircraft in World War I. In 1919 t ...

), the Curtiss model eventually won, and only a single XB-1 was ever produced. Keystone XB-1B

Specifications (XB-1B)

References

External links

USAF Museum Article on XB-1USAF Museum Article on XB-1B
{{USAF bomber aircraft XB-01 Huff-Daland XB-01 Biplanes Aircraft first flown in 1927 Twin piston-engined tractor aircraft Conventional landing gear

Design and development

Operational history

Specifications (XB-1B)

See also

References

External links