Douglas XB-42 Mixmaster

The Douglas XB-42 Mixmaster was an experimental American bomber designed for a high top speed. Its unconventional approach was to mount the two engines within the fuselage and drive a pair of contra-rotating propellers at the tail in a pusher configuration, leaving the wing and fuselage clean and free of drag-inducing protrusions. The first of two prototypes was delivered to the Army Air Forces and flew at Palm Springs, California, on 6 May 1944, with performance basically as the original proposal described. The end of World War II changed priorities and the advent of the jet engine offered another route to high speed, so the type did not enter production.