Bell P-63 Kingcobra facts for kids

Quick facts for kids P-63 Kingcobra

Role	Fighter aircraft
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Bell Aircraft
First flight	7 December 1942
Introduction	October 1943
Status	Retired
Primary users	United States Army Air Forces Soviet Air Force French Air Force
Produced	1943–1945
Number built	3,303
Unit cost	US$65,914 (1945)
Developed from	Bell P-39 Airacobra

The Bell P-63 Kingcobra is a US fighter aircraft of World War II. It is a modernized variant of the P-39 Aircobra. Refused by USA and UK, it was used by Free France and USSR as fighter-bomber. After war some were used by Honduras. More than 3300 examples were built between 1943 and 1945.

Images for kids

Bell assembly line near Niagara Falls, New York
First production P-59A with a P-63 behind.
L-39 with swept wings, extended rear fuselage, ventral tail fin and P-39 prop
USAAF P-63A USAF photo
Bell RP-63C racer Tipsy Miss wearing No. 28 at Oshkosh Wisconsin in 1974.
P-63 with underwing gun pods
L-39-2 with swept wings and four-bladed prop.
RP-63C (ex-"Pinball") Kingcobra in French Air Force markings at the Commemorative Air Force museum at Harlingen Texas in 1975
Bell P-63 King Cobra (identifiable as such by its vertical tail and four-bladed propeller) on display in Victory Park, Moscow, June 2004.
P-63C of the Armée de l'Air
P-63E-1BE 43-11728 "Pinball" of the Air Force Museum