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[Kilo]

Lockheed L-133:

The Lockheed L-133 was designed to be the first jet fighter of the US Forces during the first half of World War II.
Development

The Lockheed aviation company was the first in the United States to start work on a jet-powered aircraft, the L-133 design started in 1939 as a number of "Paper Projects" by engineers Clarence "Kelly" Johnson, Willis Hawkins and Hall J Hibbard. By 1940 preliminary work on a company financed jet fighter had been started, which progressed to several different versions on the drawing board. In the meantime Lockheed were working on an axial-flow L-1000 turbojet engine of their own design, which was intended to power the culmination of the jet fighter project, the Model L-133-02-01.
Throughout World War II, the development of a jet-powered fighter had the potential to bring a decisive advantage in the air battles of the war; as history played out only the Luftwaffe built significant numbers of jet fighters before World War II ended, and they reached service too late to make a difference.
On March 30, 1942, Lockheed formally submitted the L-133-02-01 to the United States Army Air Forces for consideration.[1] Powered by two L-1000 turbojets and featuring a futuristic-appearing canard design with slotted flaps to enhance lift, the single-seat fighter was expected to have a top speed of 612 mph (985 km/h) in level flight[1], but a range of only 310 mi (500 km) [2]
The L-133 had a main wing shape that should be familiar to World War II aviation buffs: essentially the outer wing sections of a Lockheed P-38. In many respects the L-133 was far ahead of its time, with futuristic features including:
canard layout
blended wing-body planform
two engines in a very low-drag integral fuselage location
The USAAF considered the L-133 to be too advanced for the time, and did not pursue the project.[1] However the experience gained with the design would serve Lockheed well in the development of the USAAF's first operational jet fighter, the P-80 Shooting Star. Although entering service after World War II had ended, the P-80 was less advanced than the L-133. Because the USAAF didn't give the L-133 project the go-ahead, the advanced engines intended for the L-133 had long pauses in their development. The most expedient engine choice for the P-80 thus became the Allison J33 based on British centrifugal compressor designs. The P-80 was a cheap-to-build single-engined aircraft with a very conventional wing and tailplane design, not using the blended wing-body and canard layout of the L-133.
[edit]Specifications (L-133-02-01)

Data from [3]
General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 48 ft 4 in (14.73 m)
Wingspan: 46 ft 8 in (14.22 m)
Wing area: 325 ft2 (30.194 m2)
Powerplant: 2 × Lockheed L-1000 axial-flow turbojets, 5100 lbf (23 kN) each each
Performance
Maximum speed: 625 mph (985 km/h)
Armament
4 × 20mm nose-mounted cannon

[asheshouse]

Maybe not the "worlds" first jet project, but interesting nevertheless.

Ashe

[Bizu]

Does the name "Henri Coanda" ring any bell to you?

The Me P 1070 was originaly his creation but the germans took it and developed it into the famous me-262.

[Kilo]

Yep. I heard about him, the creator of the first jet. I'm getting angry when i hear these lies that the creator is somebody else. I'll change the name of the thread to "The first supersonic jet project"

He built the first jet aircraft out of wood with a jet engine in 1910!


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coand%C4%83-1910

[asheshouse]

Supersonic implies 1,235 km/h speed at sea level.
Since the design speed of the L-133 was 985km/h it was not intended to be supersonic.

First US jet project might be accurate. The Germans, British and Italians lead the way I think.

Not sure how Coanda was linked to the Me P 1070 project? I think he was more involved with ducted fan engines rather than true jet engines, but I'll be pleased to be corrected.

[Kilo]

This is my opinion:
Romania was an ally of Germany. With the experience gained from the Coanda-1910 project, he designed the plane we now know as "Messerschmit P.1070" and sent the blueprints to Messerschmit.

[asheshouse]

My opinion 

Coanda was working mainly in France in the inter war years. There is no evidence that he designed the Me P.1070. There was no Rumanian involvement.

The development of the engines preceded the development of the Me262 airframe.
The original turbojet engines were by (BMW 003) but were changed for Jumo engines (Junkers Jumo 004).
There is no evidence that Coanda was involved with either of the engine designs.

The feasibility of jet propulsion had been demonstrated in Germany in early 1937 by Hans von Ohain working with the Heinkel company. Most of the Reich Air Ministry (RLM) remained uninterested, but Helmut Schelp and Hans Mauch saw the potential of the concept and encouraged Germany's aero engine manufacturers to begin their own programmes of jet engine development.

[Verhängnis]

Supersonic implies 1,235 km/h speed at sea level.
Since the design speed of the L-133 was 985km/h it was not intended to be supersonic.

First US jet project might be accurate. The Germans, British and Italians lead the way I think.

Not sure how Coanda was linked to the Me P 1070 project? I think he was more involved with ducted fan engines rather than true jet engines, but I'll be pleased to be corrected.

Actually, there's a lesser known part of history and it was the Russian designers that created the worlds first supersonic designs on paper, although I believe these were mainly rocket or ram-jet powered. However these projects were dropped when Stalin came into power as he preferred a more "Mass>Technology" approach to the war and had them thrown in Jails where they remained to work on conventional designs.

Again though, I am unsure as to how Henri Coanda is linked to any design projects. The Chief Aerodynamics Engineer on the Me-262 project was not him, and the design was most likely influenced out of Messerschmitt's previous high speed projects and some of the ex-Heinkel team. Apparently it was in parallel development with the Messerschmitt conceptual team but there is no information to support the existence of such an indigenous "Me-P.1070".

As far as I understand, Mr. Coanda spent the war essentially building leaf blowers attached to sleds.

[Bizu]

I read an article couple of mounths ago whcih said that romania had a jet plane factory which produced a me p.1070 and send it to the luftwaffe which developed it further.
The factory was moved by the russians in '44 or '45 in Kiev or Siberia and the ramains of the factory were transformed in a tractor factory. i'm not sure of this because I don't have the article link anymore.

Anyways I found a different article: http://www.eutimes.net/2007/08/romanian-jet-airplanes-from-ww2/

Hope that I helped.

[asheshouse]

Is the European Union Times a reliable source?

[Verhängnis]

There are no citations or references and the article is obviously biased anyway, so to answer Asheshouse, no... not really.

[GerritJ9]

EU Times are probably just as reliable as the EU itself LOL.