The P-39 Airacobra was a World War II US fighter aircraft which was in service in large numbers since the beginning of the war. The P-39 Airacobra was the first American Army fighter to be fitted with a tricyle type landing gear. Although it did not have a supercharger, making it ineffective above 12,000 feet, it was free of mechanical defects and breakdowns. The Bell P-39 was a sturdy fighter that could take a lot of enemy gunfire and still return its pilot back to base.
The P-39 Airacobra was designed and manufactured by Bell in 1937, but its first flight took place on April 6, 1938. It was powered by an Allison V-1710 engine mounted in the middle of the fuselage behind the cockpit; the propeller was driven by a shaft which went through beneath the pilot’s feet. The mid-engine arrangement gave the P-39 a streamlined nose profile. It could fly at the maximum speed of 376 mph and had a range of 650 miles.
The P39 was equipped with a 37 mm T9 cannon, whose projectile could pierce 2 cm of armor at 500 yards, using armor-piercing rounds. It was mounted in the forward fuselage. The P-39 Airacobra saw action throughout the entire war in the Pacific, Russian, and Mediterranean theaters of operations, as it was flown by the American Army, the Royal Air Force, and the Soviet Army. A total of 9,500 P-39 were built.
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