McDonnell FH Phantom
The McDonnell FH-1 Phantom was a twin-engined jet fighter aircraft designed and first flown during World War II for the United States Navy. The Phantom was the first purely jet-powered aircraft to land on an American aircraft carrier and the first jet deployed by the United States Marine Corps. Although its front-line service was relatively brief, it proved the viability of carrier-based jet fighters to the leadership of the US Navy. Furthermore, it was McDonnell's first successful fighter, leading to the development of the follow-on F2H Banshee, one of the two most important naval jet fighters of the Korean War.
Development
In early 1943, McDonnell was invited by the U.S. Navy to cooperate in the development of a shipboard jet fighter, using an engine from the set turbojets under development by the Westinghouse Electric Corporation. Three prototypes were ordered on August 30, 1943 and the designation XFD-1 was assigned. Then, after evaluating a number of engine combinations, from using eight 9.5 inch (241 mm) diameter engines down to two engines of 19 inch (483 mm) diameter, a selection using the two 19 inch (483 mm) engines was found to be the lightest and simplest configuration.
An aircraft design with the engines buried in the wing root was selected to keep intake and exhaust ducts short, an arrangement that offered greater aerodynamic efficiency than underwing nacelles. Provisions for four .50-caliber (12.7 mm) machine guns were made in the nose. Adapting a jet to carrier use was a much greater challenge than producing a land based fighter because of slower landing and takeoff speeds required on a small carrier deck.
When the first XFD-1 was completed in January 1945 only one Westinghouse 19XB-2B engine was available for installation. Ground runs and taxi test were conducted with the single engine, and such was the confidence in the aircraft that the first flight on January 26, 1945 was made with only the one turbojet engine. With successful completion of tests, a production contract was awarded on March 7, 1945 for 100 FD-1 aircraft. Later the designation was changed to FH-1 as the manufacturer’s letter “D” had already been assigned to the Douglas Aircraft Company. (22 years later, long after the last FH had been delivered, McDonnell and Douglas would merge, forming McDonnell Douglas). With the end of the war, the Phantom production contract was reduced to 30 aircraft, but was soon increased to 60.
The second Phantom prototype became the first purely jet-powered aircraft to operate from an American aircraft carrier, completing four successful takeoffs and landings on July 21, 1946, from the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt. At the time, she was the largest carrier serving with the USN, allowing the plane to take off without assistance from a catapult. (The unconventional composite propeller-jet Ryan FR Fireball was technically the first aircraft with a jet engine to land on an American carrier, but it was designed to primarily utilize its piston engine during takeoff and landing.)
Realizing that the production of more powerful jet engines was imminent, McDonnell engineers proposed a more powerful variant of the Phantom while the original plane was still under development- a proposal that would lead to the design of the Phantom's replacement, the F2H Banshee. Although the new plane was originally envisioned as a modified Phantom, the need for heavier armament and greater internal fuel capacity eventually led to a substantially heavier and bulkier airplane that shared few parts with its lithe predecessor.
Operational history
Production Phantoms incorporated a number of design improvements, including provisions for a centerline drop tank, a strengthened airframe, an improved gunsight, a modified tail, the addition of speed brakes, and slightly more powerful engines. The first Phantoms were delivered to USN fighter squadron VF-17A (later redesignated VF-171) in August 1947; the squadron received a full complement of 24 aircraft on May 29, 1948. Beginning in November 1947, Phantoms were delivered to US Marine squadron VMF-122, making it the first USMC combat squadron to deploy jets.
The Phantom's service as a front-line fighter would be short-lived. Its limited range and light armament- notably its inability to carry bombs- made it best suited for duty as a point-defence interceptor. However, its speed and rate of climb were only slightly better than existing propeller-powered fighters and fell short of other contemporary jets such as the P-80 Shooting Star, prompting concerns that the Phantom would be outmatched by future enemy jets it might soon face. Moreover, recent experience in World War II had demonstrated the value of naval fighters that could double as fighter-bombers, a capability the Phantom lacked. Finally, the plane exhibited some design deficiencies- its navigational avionics were poor, it could not accommodate newly-developed ejection seats, and the location of the machine guns atop the plane's nose caused pilots to be temporarily blinded by muzzle flash when firing the guns at night.
The USN's Phantoms were widely used for carrier qualifications. VF-17A became the USN's first operational jet carrier squadron when it deployed aboard USS Saipan on May 5, 1948. However, little combat training was ever carried out by the planes. The F2H Banshee and F9F Panther, both of which began flight tests around the time of the Phantom's entry into service, better satisfied the Navy's desire for a versatile, long-range, high-performance jet. Consequently, the Phantom was quickly declared obsolete and served most widely as a trainer for pilots whose squadrons were awaiting Panther or Banshee deliveries, starting in August 1948 when the Phantoms of VF-17A were dispersed to other units. The FH-1 was entirely withdrawn from USN and USMC service by late 1949, prior to the outbreak of the Korean War. The planes would see training duty with the USNR until 1954. No Phantom would ever see combat.
In 1964, a flight school restored 2 Phantoms to flying condition, intending to use them to teach civilians how to fly jets. The venture was unsuccessful and the planes were soon retired once again.
Operators
Specifications (FH-1 Phantom)
General characteristics
- Crew: One
- Fuel capacity: 375 US gal (1,420 L) internal, 670 US gal (2,540 L) with external drop tank
Performance
- Thrust/weight: 0.32
Armament
References
- William Green (1961). War Planes of the Second World War - Fighters, (Vol 4). London: MacDonald
- Mills, Carl. Banshees in the Royal Canadian Navy. Willowdale, Ontario, Canada: Banshee Publication, 1991. ISBN 0-9695200-0-X.
- Francillon, René J. McDonnell Douglas Aircraft since 1920. London, England: Putnam & Company, Ltd, 1979. ISBN 0-370-00050-1.
Related content
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists