FORGOTTEN FIGHTERS: PART TWO, THE

Air Classics, Apr 2006 by Wainwright, Marshall

THIS SERIES OF FAILED FIGHTERS CAUSED A GREAT DEAL OF CONTROVERSY DURING AND AFTER WORLD WAR TWO

After initial testing with the Curtiss, Seversky, and Vought designs, the Air Corps turned them all The Hawk originally had a Wright R-1670 of but later went to the P&W R-1830-13, while the Seversky had a Wright R-1820-G5 but changed to the P&W R-1830-9 of 950-hp. The Vought had a P&W Wasp Junior of just 700-hp.

In the final competition, the Seversky design won - it guaranteed a top speed of 320-mph while Vought could only guarantee 280-mph. Seversky, in 1938, would sell 20 two-seat variants of the P-35 to Japan but would not initially gain the unfavorable publicity that Vought would garner.

Vought was now stuck with an aircraft it could not sell. With a longer fuselage and revised tail, the V-141 became the V-143. Powered by a P&W R-1535-A5G of 750-hp, the aircraft made its first flight on 18 June 1937. The V-143 carried two .30-cal machine guns with 1000-rounds and could carry up to 300-lbs of bombs under the wings. In those days, manufacturers could apply for export licenses on planes the American military did not want. The V-143 was disassembled and shipped to Argentina. Vought hired Edmund T. ("Eddie") Alien to demonstrate the plane in Argentina as he was going down south anyway to fly Northrop's entry in an attack plane competition - the export version of the A-17.

"We were still not satisfied with the spin characteristics of the V-143," recalled McCarthy. "We made provisions for installation of a spin chute attached to the rear end of the fuselage. As luck would have it, our competitor in Argentina, Curtiss, spotted the spin chute attachment fittings and raised a great hue and cry.

"Eddie Alien had to admit that a spin chute had been provided. We counter-attacked by presenting letters from Hap Arnold of the Air Corps and a senior Navy officer stating that the use of spin chutes on experimental airplanes was a routine procedure in the USA, but the customer would not accept the idea.

"Eddie phoned from Argentina and offered to demonstrate the plane with the chute removed because he had spun it and recovered without having to use the chute. Wilson ordered him to box up the plane and ship it home. He had too much regard for Eddie to permit him to take the risk." The Curtiss Hawk with its excellent spinning characteristics won the Argentine competition over the V-143. Alien went on to win a 50-plane contract for Northrop's export attack bomber.

Vought was again back on the market with the V-143. Wilson, in Europe on a trip recuperating from a car accident, sounded out the Norwegians. No sale. Then two Turkish representatives (Capt. Envre Akoglu and Ahmet Hikmet) came to Vought to inspect the V-143.

"Captain Akoglu was a husky man and barely able to squeeze himself into the cockpit," recalled a Vought employee. "He flew the 143 and put on a spectacular aerohatic show on his first and only flight." The Turks didn't buy the plane either. Similar unsuccessful demonstrations were made to Sweden and Yugoslavia that spring.

Subsequently, Vought engineers once again lengthened the fuselage and added an SB2U type tail surface. The tail wheel was made retractable. Spin, performance was greatly improved. The next customers to examine the V-143 were the Japanese.

The Japanese government purchased the aircraft in 1937 for $175,000 and Vought breathed a sigh of relief. That was the last Vought thought about the plane until Pearl Harbor and hot heads began tossing accusations at aircraft companies that had sold planes to the now-enemy, particularly Vought and its V-143.

The Japanese designation for the V-143 was AXVI. Tests showed the plane generally inferior to the Mitsubishi Type 96 fighter monoplane.

One of the nation's hetter-known "finger pointers" was Drew Pearson, who wrote in his syndicated column in 1946: "The mystery of how the Japs developed the Zero is now in government files, seized from the Japs, and proves no great mystery. The Japs bought the original Zero from an American company, Chance Vought, a division of United Aircraft. They modified it, and Chance Vought people claim it is not their plane; but aviation experts say it gave the Japs a big lift toward developing the Zero.

"At the time of purchase, there was no embargo, moral or otherwise, against selling planes to Japan. Chance Vought violated no law. Secretary Hull evoked his moral embargo later."

According to Pearson, a report to Tokyo in the Japanese files translated from Japanese text, written by enemy agents in New York stated: "Re Negotiations Chance Vought V-143 Purchase Aircraft by Navy Capt. Wata." Dated 4 May 1938, it reportedly said: "The recent developing of the European plane is remarkable, but American make is best... it is the best single-seat fighter in the works, especially if both wings are furnished with Aerlikan [Oerlikon] wing cannon. In his judgment, even this machine can't win in the Army competition, but it is not inferior to the winner.

"Following up Capt. Wata's request," the report continued. "We asked Chance Vought for a demonstration of V-143 machine when the Wata party came out to Hartford on 26 April The company had Mr. Alien, first-class US pilot, demonstrate the machine. Our party contacted the company president, Mr. Wilson [Eugene E. Wilson, an Annapolis graduate and ex-commander USN] and the engineering director, Mr. McCarthy [C.J. McCarthy]. They explained: 'This plane should be furnished with Aerlikan wing cannon. It will he simple for Aerlikan to mount them, as they are skillful. The intensity of the wings will not change because of this'... United Aircraft export manager Mr. Hamilton, would like to arrange for us a price reduction if Japan actually wants to buy the machine. We told him we will confer with Capt. Wata."