 | REPUBLIC P-47 "THUNDERBOLT" | |
| REPUBLIC P-47 "THUNDERBOLT" | |
| MODEL | P-47B | P-47C | P-47D* | P-47D+ | P-47N |
| WING SPAN |
40'9" | 40'9" | 40'9" | 40'9" | 42'7" |
| LENGTH | 35' | 36'1" | 36'1" | 36'1" | 36'1" |
| POWER | 1 R-2800-21 2000hp | 1 R-2800-21 2000hp | 1 R-2800-21 2000hp | 1 R-2800-59 2300hp | 1 R-2800-73 2800hp |
| ARMAMENT | 8 .50 Cal Browning MG | 8 .50 Cal Browning MG 2 500 or 2 1000 Lb bombs |
8 .50 Cal Browning MG 2 500 or 2 1000 Lb bombs |
8 .50 Cal Browning MG 2 1000 Lb bombs or 1 2000 lb + 1 500Lb bombs |
8 .50 Cal Browning MG 3 1000 lb Bombs or 10 5" Rockets |
| EMPTY WEIGHT (Lbs) |
9,345 | 9,900 | 9,900 | 10,000 | 11,000 |
| MAXIMUM WEIGHT (Lbs) |
13,360 | 14,925 | 14,925 | 19,400 | 20,700 |
| TOP SPEED (Mph) |
429 | 433 | 433 | 429 | 467 |
| CRUISING SPEED (Mph) |
|||||
| MAXIMUM RANGE (Miles) |
1,700 | 1,700 | 1,700# | 1,700# | 2,200@ |
| CEILING (Feet) |
42,000 | 42,000 | 42,000 | 42,000 | 43,000 |
| CREW | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
The Republic P-47 "Thunderbolt" was a flying paradox. Designed by ALexander Kartvelli, and derived from his excellent P-35, it was originally designed as a light weight inline engine fighter. The XP-47 and XP-47A were both produced using a liquid cooled Allison aingine. However, expericnes in Europe indicated that fighter aircraft must be better armoured and better armed, and give better performance at high altitudes than the Allison engine could provide. With this in mind Kartvellie literally went back to the drawing board and completely redesigned the P-47 around the most powerful engine available, the Prat & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp air cooled radial. The resulting aircraft resembled his original design only in that it had wings, a fuselage, and a propellor at the front. The design was so different from the XP-47 and XP-47A that it should have been given a new designation, but it was not, and was accepted for testing as the XP-47B. making its first flight on May 6, 1941. Flight testing showed that the new fighter, in addition to being big and heavy, was also fast and maneuverable, reaching speeds in excess of 400 MPH and climbing at a rate of 3,000 ft per minute, both astounding feats in an aircraft a take-off weight of well over 5 tons.
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