Lockheed XP-80

Lockheed XP-80
Name	XP-80
Type	Jet fighter
Manufacturer	Lockheed Corporation
Designer	Clarence "Kelly" Johnson
First flight	8 January 1944
Status	Prototype
Primary user	United States Army Air Forces
Developed into	Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star

Lockheed XP-80. The Lockheed XP-80 was the prototype for the first operational jet fighter designed and built in the United States. Conceived in response to intelligence on advanced German jet aircraft during World War II, the project was executed with remarkable speed by a secret engineering team. The resulting design, which matured into the famed Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star, marked a foundational leap for American aviation into the jet age.

Development

The development of the Lockheed Corporation's first jet fighter was initiated under immense urgency in mid-1943. The United States Army Air Forces, alarmed by reports of the Messerschmitt Me 262 and other Luftwaffe projects, issued a requirement for a high-performance jet interceptor. Legendary engineer Clarence "Kelly" Johnson and his elite Skunk Works team accepted the challenge, promising a flying prototype in an unprecedented 180 days. The project was heavily aided by the delivery of a Halford H.1 turbojet engine, a British design later produced as the de Havilland Goblin, which was secretly flown to Burbank, California in the bomb bay of a Consolidated B-24 Liberator. Working in a secured tent next to a Lockheed factory, Johnson's team completed the airframe, designated **XP-80** and nicknamed "Lulu-Belle," in 143 days.

Design

The design of the XP-80 was a conventional but elegantly streamlined all-metal monoplane, optimized around its single turbojet engine. The air intake was located in the nose, with ducts running along the cockpit sides to feed the engine mounted behind the pilot. It featured a straight wing, a tricycle landing gear, and a bubble canopy offering excellent visibility. The primary structure was built primarily of aluminum alloy, and the aircraft was armed with six .50 caliber M2 Browning machine guns mounted in the nose. The use of the de Havilland Goblin engine, producing 3,000 pounds of thrust, was a critical design driver, dictating the fuselage diameter and overall layout. This clean, practical design philosophy established the foundational configuration for subsequent Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star production models.

Operational history

The operational history of the XP-80 prototypes was focused on flight testing and development. The first aircraft, **44-83020**, made its maiden flight at Muroc Army Air Field (later Edwards Air Force Base) on 8 January 1944, with Lockheed test pilot Milo Burcham at the controls. Flight tests revealed excellent performance and handling, validating the basic design. A second prototype, the **XP-80A**, was built to test the larger, more powerful General Electric I-40 engine (later produced as the Allison J33), which required a lengthened fuselage. This aircraft first flew on 10 June 1944. Both prototypes served as invaluable testbeds, accelerating the program toward production. Although the XP-80s saw no combat, their successful trials directly enabled the rapid fielding of the P-80 Shooting Star, which entered service just after the end of World War II.

Variants

Only two direct prototype variants of the initial design were built. The first was the original **XP-80** (44-83020), powered by the de Havilland Goblin engine. The second was the **XP-80A** (44-83021), a significantly modified airframe redesigned to accommodate the more powerful General Electric I-40 engine. The XP-80A featured a longer fuselage, a revised wing, and a different canopy shape. The success of these prototypes led immediately to the construction of 13 service-test **YP-80A** aircraft, which were followed by full-scale production of the **P-80A Shooting Star**. All subsequent models, including the RF-80 reconnaissance version and the T-33 Shooting Star trainer, are developments of the production P-80 lineage, not the original XP-80 prototypes.

Specifications (XP-80)

* **Crew:** 1 * **Length:** 32 ft 10 in (10.01 m) * **Wingspan:** 37 ft 0 in (11.28 m) * **Height:** 10 ft 3 in (3.12 m) * **Empty weight:** 7,920 lb (3,593 kg) * **Gross weight:** 11,700 lb (5,307 kg) * **Powerplant:** 1 × de Havilland Goblin centrifugal-flow turbojet, 3,000 lbf (13 kN) thrust * **Maximum speed:** 558 mph (898 km/h, 485 kn) at 20,480 ft (6,240 m) * **Range:** 1,080 mi (1,740 km, 940 nmi) * **Service ceiling:** 41,000 ft (12,500 m) * **Armament:** 6 × 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns

Surviving aircraft

The first prototype, the original **XP-80 "Lulu-Belle"** (44-83020), survives and is preserved at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.. It is displayed in the museum's main building on the National Mall, painted in its original United States Army Air Forces olive drab finish. The aircraft is a centerpiece artifact representing the dawn of American jet aviation. The fate of the second prototype, the **XP-80A** (44-83021), is less clear; it was reportedly used as a ground instructional airframe and was ultimately scrapped, leaving no surviving remnants.

Category:United States fighter aircraft 1940–1949 Category:Lockheed aircraft Category:Jet aircraft