A56 Republic P-43 Lancer
In 1937, the Seversky Aircraft Company fitted a revised wing and a turbo-supercharged engine to the production P-35, this became the XP-41 of 1938. In October 1939, Seversky became known as Republic Aviation.This experimental version was virtually the prototype of the 1940 Republic P-43 Lancer. Production of the Lancers included 54 P-43s, 80 P-43As, and 125 P-43A-1s. In 1942 most Lancers were converted for PR duties and, depending upon the camera installations, were redesignated P-43Bs, Cs, Ds, or Es. A development of the P-43 was the proposed P-44 Rocket which, in turn, led to the famed Republic P-47 Thunderbolt.
In 1942 eight Lancers were delivered to the RAAF to augment the Buffaloes and Lightnings of the Photographic Reconnaissance Unit. Six of the aircraft, A56-1 and 2 (P-43Ds) and A56-3/6 (P-43-A-1s) were received on 31 August 1942, and the remaining two, A56-7 and 8 (P-43Ds) arrived on 10 November 1942. The Lancers operated with PRU until the following year when A56-1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 8 were transferred to the US 5th Air Force at Charters Towers. Of the remaining two Lancers, A56-6 was taken off strength on 8 March 1943, and at the time, A56-7 was officially listed as "Missing. Aircraft left Wagga on 28 April 1943, and has not been sighted since". This mystery was solved 15 years later, in 1958, when Lancer A56-7 was located in the Healesville Hills, north-east of Melbourne.
General characteristics
Performance
Length: 28 ft 6 in (8.7 m)
Wingspan: 36 ft 1 in (11.0 m)
Height: 14 ft 1 in (4.3 m)
Empty weight: 5,982 lb (2,713 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 8,460 lb (3,837 kg)
Powerplant: 1× Pratt & Whitney R-1830-49 14-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 1,200 hp (895 kW)
Range: 650 mi (1,046 km)
Service ceiling: 35,990 ft (10,970 m)
Rate of climb: 2,500 ft/min (13 m/s)