Huff-Daland XB-1

XB-1
XB-1
General information
Type	Medium bomber
Manufacturer	Huff-Daland Aero Company
Status	Scrapped
Number built	1
History
First flight	September 1927
Developed from	Huff-Daland XHB-1

The Huff-Daland XB-1 was a prototype bomber aircraft built for the United States Army Air Corps.

The XB-1 was the first aircraft named using just a B- designation. Prior to 1926, 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,^[1] was an extension of the earlier Huff-Daland XHB-1 '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 during World War I. The Army Air Corps had decided that single-engined bombers such as the XHB-1 performed worse, and weren't as safe as twin-engined bombers.

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 "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 and the Fokker XLB-2), the Curtiss model eventually won, and only a single XB-1 was ever produced.

Specifications (XB-1B)

General characteristics

Crew: 5
Length: 61 ft 6 in (18.7 m)
Wingspan: 85 ft 0 in (25.9 m)
Height: 19 ft 3 in (5.9 m)
Wing area: 1,604 sq ft (149.0 m²)
Empty weight: 9,462 lb (4,292 kg)
Gross weight: 16,500 lb (7,480 kg)
Powerplant: 2 × Curtiss V-1570-5 Conqueror liquid-cooled V12 engines, 600 hp (450 kW) each