XP-55

XP-55

XP-55

USA

III Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
3.7	4.3	3.0

Class:

PREMIUM

Fighter

Purchase:3 900

Show in game

Description

The XP-55 Ascender is a Rank III premium American fighter with a battle rating of 3.7 (AB), 4.3 (RB), and 3.0 (SB). It was introduced in Update 1.31 and costs 3,900 GE.

The XP-55 Ascender is unlike anything you will fly in the U.S. Tech Tree. Flying this aircraft effectively requires a dedication to Energy Fighting. The XP-55 excels greatly in the ability to climb and dive and this is your greatest advantage. The Ascender has decent maneuverability and best used in a Boom & Zoom function. All four of this aircraft's armament are packed tightly in the nose for devastating results.

General info

Flight Performance

Characteristics
Stock
Max Speed (km/h at 5,000 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
601	589	10500	30.3	30.8	13.3	15.3	232
Upgraded
Max Speed (km/h at 5,000 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
656	628	10500	28.8	29.2	26.2	18.6	232

Details

Features
Combat flap	Take-off flap	Landing flap	Air brakes	Arrestor gear
✓	✓	✓	X	X

Limits
Wing-break speed (km/h)	Gear limit (km/h)	Combat flap (km/h)	Max Static G
			+	-
900	350	550	~14	~8

Optimal velocities
Ailerons (km/h)	Rudder (km/h)	Elevators (km/h)	Radiator (km/h)
< 463	< 460	< 520	> 250

Compressor (RB/SB)
Setting 1
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
4,724 m	1,125 hp	1,277 hp

Survivability and armour

• 9.5 mm Steel - Armor plate behind pilot's headrest

Armaments

Offensive armament

The XP-55 is armed with:

• 2 x 20 mm AN/M2 cannon, nose-mounted (200 rpg = 400 total)
• 2 x 12.7 mm Browning M2 machine gun, nose-mounted (200 rpg = 400 total)

Usage in the battles

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer	Pitch	Radiator			Supercharger	Turbocharger
		Oil	Water	Type
Controllable	Not controllable	Not controllable	Not controllable	Separate	Not ontrollable	Not controllable

Modules

Tier	Flight performance		Survivability	Weaponry
I	Fuselage Repair	Radiator		Offensive 12 mm
II		Compressor	Airframe	New 12 mm MGs
III	Wings Repair	Engine		Offensive 20 mm
IV		Engine Injection	Cover	New 20 mm Cannons

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Outstanding maneuverability, outclassing the Bf 109 F-4 and Spitfire Mk. IIb in every aspect
• Good climb rate
• Insanely high red line & rip speed
• Insane acceleration in a dive
• Has some quite good, nose-mounted armament
• Ridiculous energy retention when performing a long and deep boom and zoom attack run
• A lot of cannon ammo- you'll often find that the MG ammo runs dry faster than the cannons do

Cons:

• Cannot snap-roll at all unless you want a stall spin
• Elevators are mounted in the front on the canards, and thus prone to damage in head-ons
• Roll rate is somewhat lacking to most contemporaries

History

The U.S. Army sponsored three prototypes for a new pusher power plant propelled fighter in 1941. Out of this was born the Vultee XP-54, Northrop XP-56 Black Bullet, and the Curtiss-Wright XP-55 Ascender. Four airframes were built for testing the Ascender. The first aircraft was delivered on July 13, 1943. During its testing they discovered it required a long take off run for the nose-mounted elevator to become effective. Before the issue could be addressed the aircraft was lost on November 15th. The second and third XP-55 flew in the spring of 1944. The second aircraft was used a test bed for armament. On May 27, 1945 the third XP-55 took flight for public display over a crowd of 100,000 people. When the XP-55 crossed the airfield the pilot began to roll the aircraft. With out warning, the aircraft dove straight into the ground while being inverted. The pilot was thrown from the wreckage and suffered severe injuries. A nearby bystander was killed. After testing concluded the Acender was judged to have poor performance and handling. The design was ultimately deemed to ineffective for a fighter. Although XP-55 program was plagued with issues, it made numerous contributions to aircraft design. The second XP-55 is still on display today at the Smithsonian Institute's National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C.

Media

An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.

Read also

• Smithsonian Institute's National Air and Space Museum Curtiss XP-55-CS Ascender

Sources

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• page on aircraft encyclopedia;
• other literature.