XP-54 Swoose Goose: WW2's Weirdest Propeller Fighter

The Vultee XP-54 "Swoose Goose" was the result of the U.S. Army Air Corps' 1939 R-40C competition, which demanded a radical new interceptor. Designed with a pusher-propeller configuration and powered by an experimental Lycoming engine, the aircraft featured an articulated nose for its cannons and a built-in elevator to safely drop the pilot away from the rear propeller blades during an emergency. Despite these complex engineering solutions, the heavily armored airframe proved too heavy, failing to meet the ambitious speed requirement of 510 mph. Engine development issues and poor performance led to the cancellation of the $1.5 million project in 1944, leaving the XP-54 as the final aircraft built by Vultee. #ww2aviation #experimentalaircraft #aviationhistory