Germany and Great Britain went to war in 1939 with jet aircraft programs well underway, but the United States took longer to appreciate and develop the new technology. By 1943, mounting combat losses of American strategic bombers to German propeller-driven interceptors, and the knowledge that Germany was preparing to field the potent Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter (see NASM collection), encouraged the United States Army Air Forces (AAF) to push for a new combat jet. AAF leaders asked the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation to develop the aircraft.

Lockheed's most capable engineer, Clarence "Kelly" Johnson, and a team of designers began work on a prototype, designated the XP-80 but nicknamed "Lulu-Belle," on June 21, 1943. To keep the work secret, Johnson walled off the production area with discarded engine crates and a circus tent. Someone nicknamed this site the "Skunk Works" after the still that made moonshine, hidden deep in the cartoon backwoods of Al Capp's "Lil' Abner." "Lulu-Belle" flew on January 8, 1944, and later starred in a series of exercises conducted to develop tactics that American heavy bomber crews could use against attacks by jet fighters. The trials showed that enemy jet fighter pilots would much prefer rear aspect attacks. Based on these findings, AAF planners moved the formations of American fighters protecting the bombers to higher altitudes. These tactics proved effective in fending off Me 262 attacks during the last months of the war and undoubtedly saved the lives of many American bomber crewmen. In 1949, the AAF transferred the aircraft to the Smithsonian Institution.

Display Status

This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.

Panoramas

Object Details

Key Accomplishment(s)

First Operational Turbojet Fighter in the United States

Brief Description

The XP-80 was the prototype of the P-80 Shooting Star, the first operational turbojet fighter produced in the United States. Designed by Lockheed's chief research engineer, Clarence L. "Kelly" Johnson, the XP-80 was built in record time and first flew on January 8, 1944.

Date

1943

Country of Origin

United States of America

Type

CRAFT-Aircraft

Manufacturer

Lockheed Aircraft Company

Physical Description

Goblin engine fit in middle of XP-80 fuselage, narrow intakes on both sides of fuselage, several feet aft of the nose. Six mounted .50 caliber machine guns installed in the nose, pressurized cockpit.
Wing Span 1,130 cm (445 in.), Length 1,000 cm (394 in.), Height 310 cm (122 in.), Weight 2,852 kg (6,287 lb)

Dimensions

3-D: 1026.2 × 307.3cm, 2012.6kg, 11.303m (33 ft. 8 in. × 10 ft. 1 in., 4437lb., 37 ft. 1 in.)

Materials

Metal, plastic

Alternate Name

Lockheed XP-80 Lulu Belle

Inventory Number

A19600296000

Credit Line

Transferred from the U.S. Air Force

Data Source

National Air and Space Museum

Restrictions & Rights

Open Access (CCO)
For more information, visit the Smithsonians Terms of Use.

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