Subject: Bomber Series--Fokker/Atlantic XLB-2

From: [email-masked]
Date: 31 May 94 16:21:19 GMT

>From [email-masked]

The Atlantic Aircraft Corporation of Teterboro, New Jersey was the 
American subsidiary of the Holland-based Fokker aircraft manufacturing 
company.  It manufactured some Fokker-designed commercial airliners in 
the United States.  Among these were Fokker's series of pioneering 
high-winged monoplane airliners.  

Atlantic submitted a monoplane design in response to a 1927 Army 
competition for a successor to the Martin-designed NBS-1 bomber.  A 
single prototype was ordered under the designation XLB-2.  The serial 
number was 26-210.  The XLB-2 was developed from the Fokker series of 
monoplane transports, and had the distinction of being the first USAAC 
bomber designed as a monoplane.  It was powered by a pair of 410hp 
Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp radials suspended underneath the high 
cantilever wing.  A crew of five was carried.  The bombardier position 
was housed inside a glazed area in the lower nose.  A pair of 0.5-inch 
machine guns were mounted in each of two open defensive gunner 
positions, one situated in the extreme nose and the other in a dorsal 
position on the upper rear fuselage.  A single gun could be fired 
through a position in the lower rear fuselage.  A 2050 pound load of 
bombs could be carried.  

The aircraft was later fitted with a pair of 525 hp R-1690-1 radials, 
which raised the maximum speed from 116 mph to 123 mph.  However, the 
performance of the XLB-2 was not much better than that of existing 
Army biplane bombers.  In addition, the Army was quite reluctant to 
consider such radical innovations as cantilever monoplane designs, and 
the XLB-2 was not ordered into production.  

Specification of the Atlantic-Fokker XLB-2: 

Two 410 hp Pratt & Whitney R-1340 air cooled radial engines.  Maximum 
speed 116 mph at sea level, 112 mph at 5000 feet.  Cruising speed 93 
mph.  Landing speed 67 mph.  Service ceiling 10,925 feet, Absolute 
ceiling 13,400 feet.  Initial climb rate 540 feet per minute.  An 
altitude of 5000 feet could be attained in 11.5 minutes.  Range 540 
miles with 2052 pounds of bombs.  Weights: 5916 pounds empty, 12,039 
pounds gross.  
With two 525 hp Pratt & Whitney R-1690-1 air cooled radial engines, 
the performance figures were as follows: Maximum speed 123 mph at sea 
level.  Service ceiling 13,700 feet.  Initial climb rate 762 feet per 
minute.  Range 650 miles with 2052 pounds of bombs.  Weights: 5916 
pounds empty, 12,039 pounds gross.  

Wingspan 72 feet 10 inches, length 51 feet 5 inches, height 13 feet 3 
inches, wing area 748 square feet.  

Sources:

  United States Military Aircraft Since 1909, Gordon Swanborough and
  Peter M. Bowers, Smithsonian, 1989.

  American Combat Planes, Ray Wagner, Third Edition, Doubleday, 1982.

Joe Baugher		AT&T Bell Laboratories   	
263 Shuman Boulevard 		Naperville, Illinois 60566-7050