P-59

	Bell P-59 Airacomet
	Fighter
	First Flight: October 1942 First Use: 1945 Total Built: 57 (A and B) Manufacturer: Bell Wingspan: 46 feet 0 inch Length: 39 feet 0 inch Height: 12 feet 0 inch Engines: two General Electric J-31-GE-3 with 2,000lb maximum thrust Max. Speed: 410 MPH Max. Range: 500 miles Armament: three .50 cal machine guns and one cannon in nose Crew: 1 Versions: none
	The XP-59A Aircomet was shrouded in complete secrecy. Both the engines and airframe were constructed and components were shipped to Muroc Army Air Field in California (now Edwards Air Force Base) and assembled. This plane first flew in October 1942. Never seen in combat during World War II, the Airacomet series of aircraft provided immense amounts of valuable flight data on America's next series of jet fighters, Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star. This P-59A was accepted from Bell Aircraft on September 25, 1944. It was stationed at March AFB in October 1945. Later it was used as an instructional airframe at a technical school in Santa Maria, California. This is the only remaining P-59A aircraft of the twenty production aircraft built.
	This aircraft's S/N is 44-22614.
	This artifact is on loan from the U.S. Air Force Museum Program.