page_title: Bristol F.2 Fighter
section_title: American versions
hierarchical_section_title: Bristol F.2 Fighter / Development / American versions
caption_attribution_description: English: 13th Squadron (Attack) - Dayton-Wright XB-1A, Kelly Field, Texas, 1921
context_page_description: The Bristol F.2 Fighter was a British two-seat biplane fighter and reconnaissance aircraft of the First World War developed by Frank Barnwell at the Bristol Aeroplane Company. It is often simply called the Bristol Fighter, other popular names include the "Brisfit" or "Biff".
  Although the type was intended initially as a replacement for the pre-war Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2c reconnaissance aircraft, the newly available Rolls-Royce Falcon V12 engine gave it the performance of a two-seat fighter.
  Despite a disastrous start to its career, the definitive F.2B version proved to be an agile aircraft that was able to hold its own against opposing single-seat fighters; its robust design ensured that it remained in military service into the 1930s. Some surplus aircraft were registered for civilian use, and dedicated civilian versions proved popular.
context_section_description: Upon America's entry into the First World War, the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps of the United States Army lacked any competitive combat aircraft either in inventory or under construction at that time. On 1 August 1917, General John J. Pershing, the commander of the American Expeditionary Forces on the Western Front, issued his personal recommendation for the Bristol Fighter to be domestically manufactured in the United States, leading to plans being assembled for the development and production of an American version of the Fighter by the United States Army Engineering Division.
  Original proposals for the American production had the 200 hp (149 kW) Hispano-Suiza engine. On 5 September 1917, a single F.2B Fighter was delivered to the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, United States. However, efforts to commence production in the United States floundered due to the decision by Colonel V.E. Clark of the Bolling Commission to redesign the Fighter to be powered with the 400 hp (298 kW) Liberty L-12 engine. The Liberty was a totally unsuitable engine for the Bristol, as it was far too heavy and bulky, and the resulting aircraft had a nose-heavy attitude during flight.
  A contract for 1,000 aircraft was placed initially with the Fisher Body Corporation, but this was subsequently cancelled and reallocated to the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company instead. On 7 December 1917, the order was doubled to 2,000 aircraft. On 25 January 1918, the first aircraft, which was given the designation U.S.A 0-1, was completed, despite the warnings and misgivings of Barnwell, who was not satisfied by some of the modifications made, particularly in the use of the Liberty L-12 engine. According to Bruce, misdirections attributed to Major E.J. Hall of the U.S. Signals Corps had led to roughly 1,400 production drawings produced by Curtiss being rendered obsolete. The reputation of the type was also tarnished by three early crashes, although one had been attributed to pilot error, and the other two to faulty workmanship.
  Efforts to change the powerplant of American-built Bristol Fighters to the more suitable Liberty 8 or the 300 hp (224 kW) Wright-Hisso came up against political as well as technical problems. By July 1918, the only specimen of the American-built Hispano-Suiza engine had been installed into a Fighter; the combination soon gained the favour of the U.S. Air Board, which suggested to Curtiss that all work on the Liberty L-12 version of the aircraft be abandoned in favour of the Hispano-Suiza version. In spite of protests by Curtiss, the contracts for the U.S.A. 0-1 were terminated, leading to only a pair of prototypes and 25 production aircraft out of the planned 2,000 aircraft being constructed.
  It was then suggested by W. C. Potter, Assistant Director of Aircraft Production, that the original Bristol Fighter should be produced exactly as per Barnwell's original designs for it, save for the use of either the Liberty 8 or Hispano-Suiza engine. Potter's proposal was overlooked; instead it was decided to produce eight aircraft, four being fitted with the Hispano-Suiza engine, designated as the Engineering Division USB-1A, and four being powered by the Liberty L-8 engine, designated as the Engineering Division USB-1B. However, only one each of each were built.
  When fitted with a new plywood semi-monocoque fuselage designed by the Engineering Division of the US Army Air Service and powered by a Wright-Hispano engine, the US-built Bristol Fighter was designated as the XB-1A and XB-1B. The XB-1A was armed with a pair of Marlin machine guns at the pilot's position while the XB-1B was armed with a pair of Browning machine guns instead. These aircraft were reportedly intended for use as night observation aircraft. Three prototypes were built by the Engineering division at McCook Field, with a further 44 aircraft built by the Dayton-Wright Company. According to Bruce, despite substantial efforts to differentiate and modify the aircraft's design, none of the American-built Fighters performed any better than the original Bristol Fighter.
caption: 13th Squadron (Attack) - Dayton-Wright XB-1A, Kelly Field, Texas, 1921
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