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P-39 Airacobra In Brief Designed, built by Bell first flight April 6, 1938 crew of one Allison V-1710-85 engine number built 9,558 Specific to P-39Q: max speed 385 mph cruise speed 200 mph max range 650 mi armament single 37 mm cannon, four .50 cal machine guns (2 in nose, 2 in wings), single 500 lb bomb weight (max) 8,300 lb span 34 ft length 30 ft 2 in height 12 ft 5 in. Famous Fliers AAF Ace, P-39 only: Lt. William Fiedler Jr . AAF Aces, Some Victories in P-39: 1st Lt. Thomas J. Lynch, Lt. Col. Boyd D. Wagner , 1st Lt. George Welch. Notables: Tuskegee Airmen pilots of the 100th FS, 301st FS, and 302nd FS; Soviet Capt. G. Rechkalov , 56 conﬁrmed kills in P-39; C ol. Aleksandr Pokrysh- kin, 59 conﬁrmed kills in P-39. Interesting Facts Half of P-39s transferred to Soviet Union scored first US victory in Europe in WWII (Aug. 14, 1942) also named Model 14 (RAF) and P-400 (USAAF) Russian nicknames of britchik (“little shaver ” —shaving being slang for straf- ing) and kobrusha, or “dear little cobra” appears in 2006 Russian film, “Peregon” P-39 lost in 1942 found in Fiji in 2004 built in 16 models, 48 variants besides US, Russia, and Britain, flown by Free France, Australia, Italy, Poland, and Portugal. This aircraft: USAAF P-39D Airacobra No. 1731P as it looked in 1941 while stationed at Selfridge Field, Mich. Airacobra in action. The radically new P-39 Airacobra, begun in the late 1930s, was one of the first “modern” Air Corps fighters—the only one built around a cannon and not an engine. Bell’s unusually streamlined design placed the engine behind the pilot, inside the fuselage, so as to allow frontal installation of the big “bomber-killing” 37 mm cannon. Tricyc le landing gear and car-like doors and windows in the cockpit were also innovative. Because it was light in weight, the P-39 was very fast at some altitudes. The Airacobra had, in the Air Corps, a bad reputa- tion for “tumbling,” short range, poor performance at altitude, and armament problems. The same aircraft, however , was acclaimed by many high- scoring Soviet aces. The difference was primarily in its application. At low altitudes on the Eastern Front, it performed well even against vaunted Luftwaffe Bf-109s and FW-190s. However, the US pilots needed to use it above 15,000 feet, an altitude at which it was less effective. The Air Corps had dropped the supercharger requirement on the assumption that a drag reduction program and a more powerful version of the Allison engine would provide adequate performance. The assumption was wrong. Even so, the P-39 had a great virtue: It was avail- able when war broke out in the Pacific. The infant Fifth Air Force was desperate for aircraft, and it is generally conceded that the P-39 did well in the close support role at Guadalcanal and a host of other battles. US P-39s were used extensively in North Africa and Italy. On the Eastern Front, the USSR found the P-39 to be superb at low altitudes, where its tank-killing capability was used to great effect against German armor. —Walter J. Boyne 104 AIR FORCE Magazine / November 2007 Airpower Classics Artwork by Zaur Eylanbekov

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P-39 Airacobra

In Brief

Designed, built by Bell first flight April 6, 1938 crewof one Allison V-1710-85 engine number built 9,558 Specific to P-39Q: max speed 385 mph cruise speed 200mph max range 650 mi armament single 37 mm cannon,four .50 cal machine guns (2 in nose, 2 in wings), single 500lb bomb weight (max) 8,300 lb span 34 ft length 30 ft 2in height 12 ft 5 in.

Famous Fliers

AAF Ace, P-39 only: Lt. William Fiedler Jr. AAF Aces, SomeVictories in P-39: 1st Lt. Thomas J. Lynch, Lt. Col. Boyd D.Wagner, 1st Lt. George Welch. Notables: Tuskegee Airmenpilots of the 100th FS, 301st FS, and 302nd FS; Soviet Capt. G.Rechkalov, 56 confirmed kills in P-39; Col. Aleksandr Pokrysh-kin, 59 confirmed kills in P-39.

Interesting Facts

Half of P-39s transferred to Soviet Union scored first USvictory in Europe in WWII (Aug. 14, 1942) also namedModel 14 (RAF) and P-400 (USAAF) Russian nicknamesof britchik (“little shaver” —shaving being slang for straf-ing) and kobrusha, or “dear little cobra” appears in 2006Russian film, “Peregon” P-39 lost in 1942 found in Fiji in2004 built in 16 models, 48 variants besides US, Russia,and Britain, flown by Free France, Australia, Italy, Poland, andPortugal.

This aircraft: USAAF P-39D Airacobra No. 1731P as it looked in 1941 while stationed at Selfridge Field, Mich.

Airacobra in action.

The radically new P-39 Airacobra, begun in the late1930s, was one of the first “modern” Air Corpsfighters—the only one built around a cannonand not an engine. Bell’s unusually streamlineddesign placed the engine behind the pilot, insidethe fuselage, so as to allow frontal installation ofthe big “bomber-killing” 37 mm cannon. Tricyclelanding gear and car-like doors and windows inthe cockpit were also innovative. Because it waslight in weight, the P-39 was very fast at somealtitudes.

The Airacobra had, in the Air Corps, a bad reputa-tion for “tumbling,” short range, poor performanceat altitude, and armament problems. The sameaircraft, however, was acclaimed by many high-scoring Soviet aces. The difference was primarilyin its application. At low altitudes on the EasternFront, it performed well even against vaunted

Luftwaffe Bf-109s and FW-190s. However, theUS pilots needed to use it above 15,000 feet,an altitude at which it was less effective. The AirCorps had dropped the supercharger requirementon the assumption that a drag reduction programand a more powerful version of the Allison enginewould provide adequate performance. The as-sumption was wrong.

Even so, the P-39 had a great virtue: It was avail-able when war broke out in the Pacific. The infantFifth Air Force was desperate for aircraft, and it isgenerally conceded that the P-39 did well in theclose support role at Guadalcanal and a host ofother battles. US P-39s were used extensively inNorth Africa and Italy. On the Eastern Front, theUSSR found the P-39 to be superb at low altitudes,where its tank-killing capability was used to greateffect against German armor.

—Walter J. Boyne

104 AIR FORCE Magazine / November 2007

Airpower ClassicsArtwork by Zaur Eylanbekov