<hi style=afpcap>The forerunner of the Douglas XB-43 jet bomber test bed was the radial engined XB-42 with the odd looking rear housing a V-1710 powerplant mounted aft as a pusher. Two XB-42s were ordered in 1943, with the first performing its maiden flight in May 1944. Illustrated is the second of the two, which formed the basis for the designwork associated with the XB-43. Both Douglas types were evaluated at Muroc Field by the Army, and later the Air Force. </hi>
