McDonnell 23 XP-67

01/31/2010. Remarks by Johan Visschedijk: "McDonnell Aircraft Corporation was formed on July 6, 1939, and within a year, June 1940, it submitted an unsolicited proposal to the USAAC for an unconventional single-engined fighter. Although the fledgling company's proposal was not accepted, the second for a twin-engined single-seat long-range fighter, given the company project designation S-23-A, resulted in an order for two prototypes, designated XP-67 by the USAAC, in 1941.

The design embodied several innovatory features. Not least of these was an attempt to maintain true airfoil sections throughout the entire fighter, the center fuselage and the rear portions of the engine nacelles merging to give the aircraft a unique appearance. The two 1,350 hp Continental XI-1430 twelve-cylinder inverted V-engines were fitted with General Electric D-23 turbo-superchargers and featured exhaust thrust augmentation. The cabin was designed to be pressurized and proposed armament comprised six 1.46 in (37 mm) M-4 cannon.

The first XP-67, unpressurized and unarmed, was flown from Scott Field, Illinois, USA on January 6, 1944, and flight trials continued until September 6, 1944, when the prototype suffered irreparable damage by engine fire. This accident and the unsatisfactory nature of certain aspects of the fighter's performance led to the decision to abandon the second prototype and terminate the development contract. The aircraft was nicknamed "Moonbat", "Bat" and "Bomber Destroyer"."