space/click use with credit dumbest plane design ever basically a mosquito The P-56 Commander was made to fulfill the USAAF's request for a 2 seat multirole fighter in 1943. Before the P-56A was made, 5 concepts were made, all using the PW R-2800. The rear seat was meant for additional operations, like bombing, radar, etc. and rear gunning. The XP-56-5 concept, which had 2 engines, two rudders, and a rear turret, was selected, built, and approved by the USAAF. Afterwards, a minor design change to the fuselage was made for the production P-56A. The P-56A had a total of 14 guns, 8 on the nose, 4 on the sides, and 2 in the rear. 400 were built. An additional design variant, with a glass nose, was also made, adding a third crew member to the plane, although they would either be always sitting, squatting, or lying down on the floor. A pillow was often brought by this third crew member, earning them the name "Lazy Boys." 100 of these glass nose versions were made. An additional experiment was made, with the XP-56B. It was given a RR Merlin engine, but the USAAF argued that the R-2800 was better, due to its more robust build. The P-56 managed to survive into the postwar era, and was now designated the F-56. The F-56C was given additional fuel tanks on the wings. 200 were made. The F-56D, however was given more modifications. The second seat was seen as useless now, and the F-56 was given a bubble canopy and also a four bladed prop. 700 were made. The F-56E was given another modification; a turboprop engine. 1,000 of these were made. The A-56, was the most produced P-56 variant. It was given 6 more bomb racks, adding to the 4 it already had originally. 3,500 of these were made, with at least 250 in service today. The TF-56E is a training variant of the F-56E, with a taller tail and an additional seat. 2,000 were made for the USAF, with 150 still in use. It is still being produced for the civilian market, as the Model 56.
