- For the tabletop aircraft, see Hughes P21-J Devastator (tabletop).
- "The Devastator is one of the first combat aircraft designed by Hughes Aviation. Though somewhat outdated, its array of weapons, fearsome appearance, and long range make it a favorite of sky pirates!"
- —Aircraft description[1]
The Hughes Aviation P21-J Devastator is a 1930s Nation of Hollywood fighter aircraft with a rear mounted pusher prop engine, and two rudders below the wing. The Mark I model concept was designed for a 12-cylinder Wright Cyclone, but the later Mark II utilized the Allison V-series, and the Mark III was adjusted for the 1,468 hp Tornado G450. It is one of the only biplane aircraft still in service; although dated, it is still used as a fighter-bomber, where it is superior in agility and firepower, at the cost of speed.[12]
Versions[]
The original Mark I Devastator was a practical concept, created by Hughes Aviation, to demonstrate the effectiveness of the pusher configuration as applied to combat aircraft. The Mk I was equipped with a 12-cylinder Wright Cyclone engine, which gave it a top speed of 230 mph (370 kph). Although lightly armored, the Mk I was a smash success with several key demographics, including state militias.
Mark II[]
The Mark II Devastator was a considerable improvement over the Mk I. Key changes included: the change to a significantly more powerful engine, the Allison V-series which would be later used in the Hughes Bloodhawk; the addition of a second pair of linked machine guns; the addition of a fuselage-mounted magnetic missile launcher and the addition of a landing hook, making the Mk II a zeppelin-capable fighter.
These changes made the Mk II the premier zeppelin-escort fighter of the day, and the model was priced accordingly. Mechanics were pleased to discover that the Mk II was much more upgrade-friendly than the sometimes temperamental Mk I. Typical upgrades included adding a supercharger to the engine to increase straight-line speed, fitting a third pair of machine guns to the wings and extending the capacity of the missile magazine.
Mk III[]
In 1936, Hughes Aviation released the Mk III Devastator, widely considered an effective fighter but significantly weaker than its predecessor. In an effort to reduce the eye-watering list price of the Mk II, the Mk III was supplied with the Tornado G450 engine, which did not have the nitro-thrust capacity of the Mk II. In order to counter the reduced power, the twin three-bladed counter-rotating propellors of the Mk II were replaced by a single four-bladed propellor. This, in turn, reduces the amounts of force the engine has to exert, but the downside is that removing the counter-rotating props gives the airframe a lot more torque to handle, which then contributes to bad maneuverability.
The Mk III also had the magnetic missile launcher removed in favour of standard underwing hardpoints. However, reinforced wing struts allowed a fourth set of guns to be fitted, creating one of the most heavily-armed interceptor-fighters of its day.
While the Mk III was considerably cheaper to purchase and maintain than the Mk II, the Mk II was much more popular, especially among pirate gangs. The Fortune Hunters, long-time fans of the Devastator line, initially deployed in Mk III Devastators, but were able to replace these with classic Mk II models sometime in early 1938.
Trivia[]
The Devastator bears some resemblance to the Curtiss-Wright XP-55 Ascender prototype fighter: namely, the pusher engine, canards and vertical stabilisers placed on the wings.
Export[]
While the majority of aircraft production in North America is for what is anachronistically referred to as "domestic" use, Hughes Aviation followed a different route with the Devastator, making it available internationally. However, the extortionate export duties applied at the order of Hughes himself meant that there was very little interest from his intended customer, the British Empire. However, Hughes was contacted, and eventually supplied hundreds of Devastators to, the USSR. Indeed, the only Hughes plant outside North America is a joint concern with Mikoyan-and-Gurevich near Moscow. This plant is dedicated to the production of the Russian licensed version of the Devastator, which is fundamentally identical to the Mk III.
Users[]
Militias[]
Pirates[]
Appearances[]
- Crimson Skies (Mk III)
- Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge (Mk II)
Gallery[]
Notes and references[]
- ↑ Aircraft designer, Crimson Skies
- ↑ Aircraft designer, Crimson Skies
- ↑ Aircraft designer, Crimson Skies
- ↑ Aircraft designer, Crimson Skies
- ↑ Aircraft designer, Crimson Skies
- ↑ Aircraft designer, Crimson Skies
- ↑ Aircraft designer, Crimson Skies
- ↑ Aircraft designer, Crimson Skies
- ↑ Aircraft designer, Crimson Skies
- ↑ Aircraft designer, Crimson Skies
- ↑ Aircraft designer, Crimson Skies
- ↑ Microsoft Game Studios - Crimson Skies - Gallery Accessed: 2009-05-21.
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