The Republic P47 Thunderbolt is a World War IIera fighter aircraft produced by the American aerospace company Republic Aviation from 1941 through 1945. Its primary armament was eight .50caliber machine guns, and in the fighterbomber groundattack role it could carry 5inch rockets or a bomb load of 2,500 lb.

Top speed : 890 km/h
Wingspan : 12 m
Weight : 4,536 kg
Range : 1,290 km
Introduced : 1942
Engine type : Pratt & Whitney R2800 Double Wasp
Manufacturer : Republic Aviation

Razorback Thunderbolts P47B

On June 12, 1940, Kartveli submitted the redesigned AP10 to the USAAC. The new aircraft was much larger than the original, and the inline engine was swapped for a turbosupercharged Pratt & Whitney R2800 Double Wasp 18cylinder radial engine. Armament was increased to eight M2 Brownings, four mounted in each wing, making it one of the heaviestarmed fighters considered by the USAAC at the time.

The expected performance met USAAC requirements, however, its fuel load fell slightly short. Despite this, the USAAC ordered a prototype of the improved design as the XP47B, on September 6, 1940.

The XP47B was first flown on May 6, 1941. It was powered by a 1,960 hp XR280021 engine and featured an elliptical wing, an allmetal construction (except for the fabriccovered control surfaces), and a hinged canopy.The main landing gear retracted inward into the wings, telescoping nine inches to clear the underside of the fuselage, and the steerable tailwheel was fully retractable. With a loaded weight of 12,086 lb, the XP47B was almost twice as heavy as its competitors. Performance was higher than expected with a maximum speed of 412 mph.

The XP47B crashed on August 8, 1942, however, an order for 773 production aircraft had been placed almost two years before on September 13, 1940.The production aircraft, designated P47B, differed from the prototype in that they were powered by a 2,000 hp production R280021 engine, a sliding canopy in place of the original hinged unit, and redesigned metal ailerons and elevators. Only 171 of the original order were completed as P47Bs before production switched to the P47C. The aircraft's nickname, Thunderbolt, was created by Republic's Director of Military Contracts, C. Hart Miller.

P47D (razorback)

'Astra', a twoseat conversion of a P47D assigned to the 365th Fighter Group. Apparent are the underwing pylons introduced on the P47D15.
On October 14, 1941, the USAAF (successor to the USAAC) ordered an additional 850 P47s. Unable to keep up with the demand with their main plant in Farmingdale, New York, Republic built a new plant in Evansville, Indiana. Production of P47Cs in the new plant were designated P47DRA, with the first aircraft rolling off the production line in September 1942. The initial production block was based on the P47C2RE or C5RE,but with two additional cowl flaps (for a total of five) on each side (this was absent on early aircraft, making them indistinguishable from P47Cs).

Internal changes included extra cockpit armor and changes to the turbosupercharger exhaust system. Eventually, these changes would be incorporated into the Farmingdalebuilt aircraft, these designated P47D1RE. 21 production blocks of the "razorback" P47D, totaling 9,530 aircraft, would be built by both plants before production switched to the "bubbletop" Dvariant.

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THIS WARBIRDS EVENT WAS ORGANISED BY RICHARD SCARBROUGH
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