Ryan Aeronautical Company, San Diego, Calif., responding to urgent requests from Navy air commanders with our task forces opposing the Japs, rushed into production during the Summer of 1945 its new, jet-pushed, propeller-pulled Fireball fighter. Designed to out-perform any enemy fighter, the FR-I Fireball was considered the possible means of downing the all-too-successful suicide plane attacks which the Japs launched in desperation as our forces neared the home islands. First conceived late in 1942, the Navy Bureau of Aeronautics called upon Ryan to assist in the design, development and production of a new combat plane which would combine the advantages of jet propulsion (which is most efficient at high altitudes and high speeds) for peak performance, with the well-known merits of the conventional piston engine and propeller for the short take-off and long cruising range necessary for aircraft carrier operation. The Ryan FR-l Fireball not only was the first plane in the world to combine conventional reciprocating engine power with jet propulsion; it also was the Navy's first airplane to utilize jet propulsion. Because of the urgency of the Navy's need for advanced type combat planes, Ryan continued in full production right up to V-J Day and was one of the few plants in the country which still was on an accelerating production and employment program when the Japanese signed the surrender terms. At that time reconversion officials asked the Army and Navy for a realistic downward readjustment of aircraft production programs and accordingly the full $103,000,000 Fireball contracts were not completed.

Despite decreased need for combat planes, the Ryan Aeronautical Company continued into peacetime its military airplane program. New development work for the Navy was in progress and was being carried along on an expanding basis.

Manufacture of specialized stainless steel products, principally exhaust manifolds and allied aircraft engine accessories, in which Ryan was a pioneer, was continuing, though not on as high a level as formerly.

Studies were being conducted in the commercial and private airplane markets with a view to reentering that manufacturing field. Ryan already had readjusted its total personnel and production to the realistic demands of peacetime requirements, but retained 1,700 employees, which was a substantial employment level compared with postwar years. Ryan went through a very progressive development during the war, having gone from building small numbers of relatively simple primary training planes to design, engineering and volume production of its Navy Fireball jet-pushed, propeller-pulled fighters of extremely advanced design. With this experience and with the necessary key personnel retained in the Ryan organization, the company planned to continue to serve the nation's preparedness program by development of new military aircraft types. This was evidenced by the high employment in the engineering department where much in new and advanced development work was in progress. Importance of the activities in new design was illustrated by the nature of work being accomplished in advanced applications of jet propulsion, supersonic speeds and electronics.

The Ryan-developed Fireball fighter had many unique characteristics. It could be operated on either its jet engine alone or on the conventional power plant only, but for peak performance the two power sources were used together. Flying on the jet engine alone, the Ryan Fireball had a speed of more than 300 m.p.h., on the conventional engine alone, 320 m.p.h. Speed with both engines. operating together at peak power was a Navy secret. Because its conventional engine was most efficient for take-off and at lower altitudes, and the jet engine most efficient at higher levels and speeds, performance of the Fireball on both engines was extremely high at all altitudes. It was very maneuverable, and had a very high sustained rate of climb. As a result, the pilot of the FR-I was able to maintain combat advantage at all times.

The unique engine combination in the Fireball made it possible to operate a jet plane from an aircraft carrier. Without the added power and thrust of the conventional engine, a plane powered with jet alone could not operate effectively from a carrier deck. In all jet engines, efficiency increased with speed. But once speed had been reduced, all-jet planes lacked full combat effectiveness. The Fireball fighter had the best combination of desirable fighter plane characteristics-high speed over the widest range of altitudes, high sustained rate of climb at all altitudes, short take-off, extreme maneuverability, slow landing speed, good combat radius and heavy firepower-each with its relative degree of importance to the others. It could climb a mile a minute. Although this first Navy fighter to use jet propulsion never saw combat, knowledge gained from its manufacture and flight performance was immediately translated into an improved Fireball design as well as utilized in developing other new planes.

The Fireball's unique power combination embraced a Wright Cyclone radial engine in the front and a General Electric jet propulsion engine in the rear. Because the speed curve varied very little from sea level to 25,000 ft., the Fireball pilot would not have to hunt a favorable altitude at which to tackle an enemy. Firepower of the Fireball included four 50-cal. machine guns, each fed by 300 rounds of ammunition. The guns could be serviced with the wings of the Fireball folded. Two 1000-lb. bombs could be carried under the wings, and detachable rocket mounting posts could be installed under each outer panel. Steel armor plate and laminated bullet resistant glass in the windshield front panel protected the pilot.

The Fireball was a conventional appearing, low-wing, single-seat monoplane with a tricycle landing gear. At first glance, it appeared to be a single-engine plane. The air intakes for the jet unit were in the leading edge of the wing near the fuselage. The jet unit was enclosed in the after section of the fuselage with the jet exhaust opening coming out under the tail. Because of the more even distribution of the weight longitudinally-with an engine at each end-the Fireball's plastic-canopied cockpit was installed slightly forward of the leading edges of the wings, permitting a greater range of vision. Interior of the cockpit was compact-yet roomy enough for the pilot to stretch his legs and relax. An oxygen system for high flying and equipment to service the pilot's anti-blackout suit which were necessary to make full use of the short turning radius and sharp pull-ups possible with the Fireball, were provided. The tricycle gear permitted the plane to approach and land within a wide range of speeds. For land-based operation, the tricycle gear permitted cross-wind takeoffs and landings without danger, and "on-a-dime" turns in taxiing. Placement of the cockpit and the high visibility permitted by the canopy gave the pilot an unusual range of vision. He could look straight ahead without being blinded by the nose or look down directly under his wings. Because of the exceptional forward vision, it was possible to keep the number one arresting wire in view over the nose until the pilot had nearly reached the "cut" position before setting down on the deck of a carrier.

The Fireball had the lighter weight of a single-engine plane, but if one of its power plants was knocked out, it could continue to fly without the pilot having to counteract the swing which follows the loss of power from one engine in a twin-engine aircraft. This resulted in a tremendous safety margin over a single-engine fighter, and also an advantage over planes of conventional, twin-engine arrangement. Rated at 1350 h.p., the Wright Cyclone model R-1820 engine could be boosted with water injection. It made possible a maximum range of I,500 miles (with droppable tanks). The front engine was fitted with a Curtiss Electric fast feathering, three-blade constant speed propeller. Far more powerful than a conventional engine of the same weight was the General Electric-designed I-l6 thermal jet engine. Like all jet engines, its efficiency increased with speed. The conventional engine, however, prevented loss of speed upon which the jet depended for its best performance. The first Navy carrier fighter squadron to be equipped with the Ryan Fireball was VF-66, which was in combat training at the time of the Japanese surrender.