Bell P-39 Airacobra

Bell P-39 Airacobra was one of the main United States fighter designs in service at the time of its entrance into World War II.

Background
A product of Bell Aircraft, the P-39 was created in response to Circular Proposal X-609, issued in 1937 that requested a single-engine high-altitude fighter aircraft (nominally called an interceptor). The extensive list of requirements was answered by Bell by creating an unusual fighter design, with the engine placed behind the cockpit, driving the propeller through a shaft passing underneath the pilot's feet. This move freed up the front bay of the fuselage, allowing Bell to mount a 37mm Oldsmobile T9 cannon firing through the propeller hub, which gave the P-39 devastating firepower when paired with the .50 Browning M2s mounted alongside the cannon.

Although the United States military accepted the P-39, it was found lacking in its intended role as a high altitude fighter, primarily due to a single-stage supercharger and no turbo that made it impossible for it to catch up. When upgraded to remain competitive with self-sealing tanks and additional armor, the P-39 was over a tenth slower than advertised, and was far more suited for low altitude combat than high up in the sky.

As a result, most P-39 were exported as part of the Lend-Lease program. Of the 9 558 units produced by Bell until production ceased in 1944, 4 773 were sent to the Soviet Union and a further 200 were transferred from the RAF, as unsuited for West European conditions. They excelled in Eastern Europe, where Soviet tactics coupled with a majority of air combat occurring at low altitudes resulted in a surprising amount of victories against most types of enemy aircraft, remaining in use until the end of the war and below.

P-39N
The P-39N is the Bell Model 26N, redesignated from the P-39G order. It featured a  V-1710-85 (E19) main engine rated at 1 325 hp, an aeroproducts propeller, and different propeller reduction gear ratio. From the 167th aircraft, propeller size was increased and the internal fuel load reduced by over 25% to save on weight.
 * P-39N-0 Kobra Dogfighter: Dogfighter variant.
 * P-39N-0 Bilyukin: An ace variant flown by a Soviet master flyer.
 * P-39N-0 Pokryshkin: Another ace variant
 * P-39N-0 Kobra Light Rocket

P-39Q
The P-39Q was the final production variant, rearmed with .50 machine guns placed in bod under each wings, and additional armor plating. The Q-15 variant was one of the later versions, featuring a number of fixes, primarily reinforcement to prevent cracks in the machine gun mounting, rudder pedal wall, or cowling. Other minor changes included a repositioned battery solenoid and oxygen supply reduced by 50%.


 * P-39Q-15 Kobra Dogfighter
 * P-39Q-15 Kobra Medium Rocket