Vought V-141

When, on 30 July 1935, the experimental Northrop 3A single-seat fighter was lost over the Pacific, the Northrop Corporation elected to discontinue development of this type. Anxious to participate in the USAAC single-seat pursuit contest for which it had been designed, Chance Vought Aircraft acquired the rights to the Northrop 3A early in 1936, and, on 29 March, 43 days after the decision to build the aircraft had been taken, a modified prototype was flown as the V-141. The Vought aircraft adhered closely to the Northrop design, apart from having a new undercarriage and a shorter-chord engine cowling housing a marginally more powerful Pratt & Whitney R-1535-A5G Twin Wasp Junior 14-cylinder radial rated at 750hp. The V-141 displayed poor directional control and spinning characteristics and was rejected by the USAAC. In an attempt to improve the handling characteristics of the V-141, the rudder was substantially enlarged and the tailplane redesigned, the fighter being redesignated V-143.