Boeing XP-15

At the end of the 20. years was Boeing's obvious that the era of dvouplošníků will soon be past his prime and has begun to explore options jednoplošníků. In 1928 started the first monoplane fighter, XP-9, but failed utterly, and the company decided to build another machine at his own expense, on the basis of the verified elements. A new project initially looked like a Model 89 (XF4B-1), modified for a high-wing, with the wing slightly displaced for the sake of keeping the center of gravity, and was designated Model 96. But soon it was decided to use all-metal construction, with poloskořepinovým hull derived from the XP-9, and the designation was changed to Model 202 (numbers 104-199 was meanwhile reserved for marking the profiles of the wings). In the final form of a Model 202 still reminded P-12/F4B without the bottom wings and the top enlarged, now with aluminum alloy structure instead of the wooden and duralovým coating. The rear part of the fuselage was modeled after the XP-9 poloskořepinová duralumin, the front had a skeleton of welded tubes covered duralovým sheet. The tail surfaces, of course, duralumin, were originally smooth. As a civilian machine never carried weapons, but it was calculated with the usual two machine guns.

As a factory machine carrying Model 202 only the civil registration of X-270V, and also got a civilian coloring, which at that time the factory used a - hull in green color, with the tail surfaces and the bottom surface of the wings grey, and the upper surface of the orange. First flew in January 1930, which was ahead of its problematic jednoplošného predecessor. Engine Wasp soon got cover the type of Townend, which greatly influenced the maximum speed, and also got a new rudder, because the original had a lack of desktop. A new taller rudder was rounded and was covered with corrugated sheet metal. In this form the Model was 202 on the basis of the contract of lease delivered on the Wright Field where was 10. march 1930 adopted under the unofficial designation XP-15. XP-15 excelled over the P-12B speed, it has worsened but the rate of climb and maneuverability, and, of course, also the landing speed. This led to the fact that neither the XP-15 was finally ordered, and even a prototype was never army purchased.

After returning to the factory was the XP-15 used to further development in an effort to eventually achieve mass production. All the hopes but they were dashed 7. February, 1931, when he was the XP-15 is destroyed in an accident near Seattle. During the vertical climb had failed one of the blades, the vibration came off the engine. A little bit better with the led Model 205, which was basically the 202 modified for service on aircraft carriers, and who, though he did not get into mass production, he was a navy at least purchased. Another consolation was that many of the elements used on the XP-15 was then successfully used to konzervativnějším, dvouplošném demonstrator Model 208, which became the prototype for more than 200 P-12E and F and F4B-3 and -4..