XB-1

The Dayton‑Wright XB‑1 was the United States Army Air Service’s first purpose‑built bomber prototype, emerging from the post‑World War I effort to create a dedicated strategic aircraft. Designed and constructed by the Dayton‑Wright Airplane Company in 1919, the XB‑1 was a conventional two‑bay biplane that borrowed heavily from the successful DH‑4 fighter‑bomber, but it introduced a dual‑engine layout using two 400‑hp Liberty V‑12 powerplants mounted on the lower wing. This configuration gave the machine a markedly higher payload capacity and longer range than its single‑engine predecessors. The aircraft featured a forward‑facing pilot’s cockpit, a spacious central bomb bay capable of holding up to 2,200 pounds of ordnance, and three defensive gun positions—one in the nose, one amidships, and one in the rear—each equipped with .30‑caliber machine guns. Its first flight on 2 May 1920 demonstrated reliable handling and the practicality of multi‑engine bombers. Although the XB‑1 never entered production, its design insights directly influenced later heavy bombers such as the Martin MB‑2 and the Boeing B‑9. In aviation history the XB‑1 is significant as a pioneering step toward the era of strategic, long‑range bombing, laying the technical groundwork for America’s interwar bomber development.