The Douglas XB-42 ‘Mixmaster’ Flew Almost as Fast as It Looked

When approached to develop a fast bomber, Douglas responded with the Douglas XB-42 “Mixmaster,” a decidedly unconventional, piston-powered design promised to achieve nearly 500 mph.

Jason McDowell

Tuesday, October 31, 2023 at 07:09 PM ET

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A side view of the XB-42, showing the dual-purpose, ventral vertical stabilizer that doubled as protection against prop strikes during takeoff and landing. [Photo: U.S. Army Air Forces]

Key Takeaways:

The Douglas XB-42 "Mixmaster" was a World War II-era experimental bomber designed for high speed by minimizing aerodynamic drag.
Its unconventional layout housed two powerful piston engines within the aft fuselage, driving a pair of counter-rotating pusher propellers at the tail via a complex driveshaft system.
While achieving a respectable 410 mph, it fell short of its 500 mph target and introduced unique operational challenges, such as prop strike mitigation and a jettisonable propeller system for crew bailout.
The innovative design ultimately evolved into jet-powered variants (XB-42A and XB-43 Jetmaster) as aviation transitioned to jet technology, with one prototype preserved today.

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The World War II era was an interesting time to be an aircraft engineer. Piston-engine technology was reaching a pinnacle of power and complexity, huge design and production demands were incoming from the war effort, and the advent of jet power had just emerged. It was a time to push up sleeves, sharpen pencils, and push boundaries.

This was certainly the case at Douglas Aircraft Co. When approached by the military to develop a small bomber that prioritized speed, Douglas responded with the XB-42, nicknamed “Mixmaster”—a decidedly unconventional, piston-powered design that it promised would achieve nearly 500 mph. When the military gave the go-ahead to build and fly two prototypes, it was up to the engineers to deliver the extreme performance.