Quoted: I did not know we had jet fighters that actually saw combat in WWII.
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The USAAF could have had combat jet aircraft from mid 1944!! The Bell P-59 Airacomet was delivered in 1944, but it was decided the performance did not warrant combat service. Interestingly, it's performance was much the same as the British Meteor Mk1 Jet fighter (415mph) that entered front line service in mid 1944!
Bell P-59 "Airacomet"
Development of the P-59, America's first jet-propelled airplane, was ordered personally by General H. H. Arnold on September 4, 1941. The project was conducted under the utmost secrecy, with Bell building the airplane and General Electric the engine. The first P-59 was completed in mid-1942 and on October 1, 1942, it made its initial flight at Muroc Dry Lake (now Edwards Air Force Base), California. One year later, the airplane was ordered into production, to be powered by I-14 and I-16 engines, improved versions of the original I-A.
Bell produced 66 P-59s. Although the airplane's performance was not spectacular and it never got into combat, the P-59 provided training for AAF personnel and invaluable data for subsequent development of higher performance jet airplanes.
SPECIFICATIONS (P-59B)
Span: 45 ft. 6 in.
Length: 38 ft. 10 in.
Height: 11 ft. 11 3/4 in.
Weight: 10,532 lbs. loaded
Armament: One 37mm cannon and three .50-cal machine guns
Engines: Two General Electric I-16s of 1,650 lbs. thrust each
PERFORMANCE
Maximum speed: 420 mph.
Cruising speed: 320 mph.
Range: 440 miles
Service Ceiling: 43,400 ft.
Andy