McDonnell’s ‘Moonbat’ Definitely Stood Out in the Early 1940s

The XP-67 was developed in the hopes of outperforming the Air Force interceptors of the time period.

Tuesday, August 08, 2023 at 10:55 AM ET

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The extensively sculpted airframe of the XP-67 stood out in stark contrast to existing types of the 1940s. [Photo: U.S. Air Force]

Key Takeaways:

The McDonnell XP-67 "Moonbat" was an ambitious 1940s prototype, integrating numerous unproven aerodynamic concepts and new Continental engines in an attempt to achieve superior interceptor performance.
Despite its innovative, low-drag design, the aircraft was plagued by severe technical issues, including engine overheating, significant weight creep, poor handling characteristics, and a failure to meet its promised top speed and performance targets.
The program was ultimately canceled in 1944 after the sole flying prototype was destroyed by an in-flight engine fire, compounded by persistent design flaws and the emergence of more advanced engine technologies.

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Historically, some of the most compelling aircraft prototypes have served as launching pads for new and emerging technologies. From clean-sheet engine designs to new aerodynamic concepts to unusual airframe layouts, X-planes from all eras were smorgasbords of cutting-edge engineering. And in the early 1940s, McDonnell combined a multitude of new ideas into its XP-67 in the hopes its performance would eclipse existing interceptors.

A safe, conservative method of introducing a new aircraft design might be to incorporate only a few completely new and unproven concepts at a time. This philosophy enables engineers to isolate the concepts and evaluate them for more widespread use. But in the case of the unique McDonnell XP-67, nicknamed the “Moonbat,” it seems airframe and powerplant engineers alike were given carte blanche to reimagine every component and integrate all the resulting ideas into a single aircraft.