The last production
example of the Republic P-35A had been equipped with a 1,200 hp (895
kW) supercharged Pratt & Whitney R-1830-19 engine, instead of the
R-1830-45 engine which powered the remainder of the batch acquired by
the US Army Air Corps. This re-engined example was designated XP-41,
and was one of two projects initiated by the company to produce a
developed version of the P-35. The second was a private-venture
exercise by the company, identified as the AP-4, involving the same
engine and airframe. The difference lay in the powerplant: the engine
of the XP-41 had an integral two-stage supercharger, producing its
maximum rated power at medium altitude; that of the AP-4 had a separate
turbocharger installed in the rear fuselage which enabled the engine to
deliver over 90 per cent of its rated take-off power to a much higher
altitude. Both of these airframes had one feature which distinguished
them easily from the P-35/-35As which had been supplied to the US Army.
The narrow-track aft-retracting main landing gear units were replaced
by a wide-track inward-retracting layout which housed the retracted
main wheels in the undersurface of the fuselage/wing roots, achieving a
far superior aerodynamic structure in flight.
Testing of these
aircraft resulted in a USAAC contract, awarded on 12 March 1939, for 13
preproduction YP-43s. These had a number of modifications, including
installation of the R-1830-35 engine, and re-siting of the turbocharger
intake from the port wing root to within a new deep oval-shaped
cowling. There were also a number of aerodynamic refinements, and
armament was increased to four machine guns. The first of these was
delivered by Republic in September 1940 and all were in service by
April 1941, and although service trials progressed without problems, it
did not take long to discover that the improvement in performance over
the P-35s had already been surpassed by new aircraft developed in
Although Republic had
already evolved an improved AP-4J, 80 of which had been ordered under
the designation P-44 as early as September 1939, with follow-on
contracts bringing the total to 907, these were all cancelled in
September 1940 in favour of a much improved design which was to become
the P-47 Thunderbolt. This, however, was unlikely to materialise for
some months and, as an interim measure, the USAAC ordered 54 P-43s,
with the name Lancer and the same powerplant as the YP-43s, plus the 80
P-44s ordered in September 1939 to be completed as P-43As with
Delivery of the
foregoing Lancers began in 1941, and in June of that year a further 125
similar aircraft were procured for supply to China through Lend-Lease.
Designated P-43A-1, these differed by having improved armour and
self-sealing tanks, four 12.7 mm (0.50 in) machine guns and provision
for a 50 US gallon (189 litre) drop tank or six 20 lbs (9 kg) bombs,
and the installation of an R-1830-57 engine. Of this production batch,
107 were delivered to China during 1942. They saw a certain amount of
action there, but they proved uniformly unequal to the task at hand.
They were handicapped by poor manoeuvrability and inefficient
self-sealing fuel tanks and achieved little success against the
The P-43s and P-43As
supplied to the USAAC were considered unsuitable for combat operations
and these, together with the balance of the 18 P-43A-ls built for
China, were all converted for use as photo-reconnaissance aircraft.
They comprised 150 P-43Bs and two, with a different camera
installation, as P-43Cs.
In August of 1942, six
P-43 Lancers were withdrawn from USAAF stocks and transferred to the
Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). They served with No. 1 Photo
Reconnaissance Unit, based at Coomlie, Northern Territory. The aircraft
were two P-43Ds and four P-43A-1s. Two more P-43Ds were delivered in
November of 1942. One was damaged beyond repair in a landing accident,
and the other went missing on 28 April 1943 on a flight from Wagga
Wagga in central New South Wales (the wreckage was not found until
1958). The remaining six were returned to the USAAF 5th Air Force at
Charters Towers in 1943. I don't think that the RAAF Lancers ever saw
any combat. In October 1942, all surviving P-43s were redesignated
RP-43, with the 'R' standing for restricted from combat use.
XP-41: The last example
of the Seversky P-35 was completed as an improved version with a
turbocharged engine under the designation XP-41 and this, in effect,
served as the prototype of the Republic P-43 Lancer.
YP-43: After extensive
testing of the XP-41, the company developed a further improved version
and, as a result, received a USAAC order for an evaluation batch of 13
aircraft under the designation YP-43. This model differed primarily
from the P-35 by having a revised wing centre-section, landing gear
that retracted inwards instead of aft and, of course, installation of
the turbocharged Pratt & Whitney R-1830-35 engine. Testing showed
improvements in both maximum speed and high altitude performance,
leading to an order in 1940 for 54 production P-43 fighters with the
P-44 Rocket: On
September 13, 1939, the Army ordered eighty examples of the more
advanced AP-4J from Republic under the designation P-44. The P-44/AP-4J
was basically similar to the P-43 but was provided with the
more-powerful Pratt and Whitney R-2180-1 radial engine of 1400 hp.
Drawings of the projected P-44 show an aircraft which looked very much
like the P-43 but with a somewhat longer nose and a somewhat heavier
armament of six machine guns.
However, combat reports
coming out of Europe in the spring of 1940 indicated that even the P-44
Rocket would not be up to the task, and Alexander Kartveli and his
design team began to consider an even more advanced project known under
the company designation of AP-10. A prototype of the AP-10 had been
ordered by the USAAF in November 1939 under the designation XP-47.
Since the USAAF regarded the XP-47 as showing greater promise, they
cancelled all work on the P-44 project on September 13, 1940, before
any P-44 prototype could be completed. 170 P-47Bs and 602 P-47Cs were
ordered in their place.
Alexander Kartveli and
his team then concentrated all their efforts on the P-47 project, which
was to turn out to be a wise decision indeed. However, P-47 development
promised to be protracted, the first production aircraft not scheduled
to roll off the production lines until late 1942. The Army felt that
Republic's Farmingdale production lines needed to be kept busy in the
interim. Consequently, the P-43 was ordered into production as a
P-43A: 80 examples of
which were ordered. Deliveries began in September of 1941. The P-43A
was essentially the same as the earlier P-43, but differed in having
the turbo supercharged R-1830-49 which afforded its full 1,200 hp (895
kW) at 25,000 ft (7620 m). Armament was increased to a full four 12.7
mm (0.50 in) machine guns, two in the fuselage and two in the wings.
Deliveries began in September 1941. Maximum speed was 356 mph at 25,000
feet. An altitude of 15,000 feet could be reached in 6 minutes. Service
ceiling was 36,000 feet, and range was 650 miles. Wingspan was 36 feet,
length was 28 feet 6 inches, height was 14 feet, and wing area was 223
square feet Weights were 5996 pounds empty and 7435 pounds gross.
Maximum takeoff weight was 8480 pounds. In the USAAF, the P-43 went to
the 1st Pursuit Group at Selfridge Field, Michigan, to the 55th Pursuit
Group at Portland Field, and then to the 14th Pursuit Group at March
Field, California. Their service life with these groups was quite
brief, and they were quickly replaced by P-38 Lightnings as soon as
they became available.
P-43A-1: Final version
was the P-43A-1, of which 125 were contracted in 1941 with a further
improved engine variant, the Pratt & Whitney R-1830-57. In 1942 the
survivors of these 272 aircraft were converted for use in a
surviving P-43, P-43A and P-43A-1 aircraft were redesignated
respectively RP-43, RP-43A and RP-43A-1 for use in a reconnaissance and
advanced trainer roles.
P-43B: 150 of the above
type aircraft converted to specialized photographic reconnaissance
P-43C: Two aircraft
similar to the P-43B but with different camera equipment.
P-43D: Six aircraft
similar to the P-43C with only minor differences.
P-43E: The designation
P-43E was applied to a projected but photo-reconnaissance version of
the P-43A with different types of equipment. Never built.
(Republic P-43A-1 Lancer)
Seat Fighter / Fighter Bomber
Republic Aviation Corporation
(YP-43) One Pratt and Whitney R-1830-35 engine, offering 1,200 hp (895
kW) for takeoff and 1,100 hp (820 kW) at 20,000 ft (6096 m). (P-43A)
One 1,200 hp (895 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-1830-49 which afforded its full
1,200 hp (895 kW) at 25,000 ft (7620 m). (P-43A-1) One 1,200 hp (895
kW) Pratt & Whitney R-1830-57 Twin Wasp 14-cylinder radial piston
Maximum speed 356 mph (573 km/h) at 20,000 ft (6095 m); cruising speed
280 mph (451 km/h); service ceiling 36,000 ft (10975 m).
Range: Range 650
miles (1046 km); maximum ferry range was 1450 miles (2335 km).
5,996 lbs (2720 kg) with a maximum take-off weight of 8,480 lbs (3846
kg). Normal weight 7,435 lbs (3371 kg).
36 ft 0 in (10.97 m); length 28 ft 6 in (8.69 m); height 14 ft 0 in
(4.27 m); wing area 223 sq ft (20.72 sq m).
12.7 mm (0.50 in) machine guns, plus one 41.6 Imperial gallon drop
tank, one 200 lbs (90 kg) bomb or six 20 lbs (9 kg) bombs.
(prototype), YP-43 (service testing), P-43, P-44 (abandoned), P-43A,
P-43A-1 (major production), RP-43/43A/43A-1 (reconnaissance), P-43B,
flight (XP-41) March 1939; (YP-43) contract awarded 12 March 1939;
(P-43) first delivery 16 May 1941, last 28 August 1941; project ended
in favour of the P-47 on 13 September 1940.