The nickname “Peashooter” is believed to come from either its gun sight or its light armament. After producing this model, Boeing did not build another fighter for nearly seven decades until it became involved with the FA-18 Super Hornet program in 2002.
Boeing’s P-26 featured a semi-monocoque metal fuselage but used wire-braced wings similar to those found on earlier biplanes. The cockpit was open and landing gear remained fixed—a choice that reduced complexity but increased drag. Early versions lacked flaps, making landings challenging due to higher approach speeds compared to previous aircraft.
Later production models added split-flaps and reinforced headrests after an accident involving a test pilot. These updates lowered landing speeds from around 82 mph to approximately 73 mph and improved safety.
Production began after successful testing: Boeing received orders for 111 P-26As between 1934 and 1936. Additional variants included minor changes in engines and equipment based on user requirements or export destinations.
In terms of operational history, the P-26 served with multiple units within the USAAC through much of the late 1930s into World War II. They were stationed in places like Hawaii, Panama, and the Philippines before being replaced by newer fighters such as the Curtiss P-40s by May 1941; however, some continued flying until at least May 1943.
Outside of American service, China received eleven export models that saw action during the Second Sino-Japanese War before being destroyed by their crews in December 1941 to prevent capture by Japanese forces. In the Philippines during World War II, Captain Jesus Villamor led P-26 pilots who managed to down Japanese planes despite being outmatched technologically. Guatemala acquired six surplus aircraft in 1943; these remained operational into the late 1940s and even participated during political unrest in 1954.
Today only two original Peashooters survive: one is displayed at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center while another remains airworthy at Planes Of Fame Air Museum in Chino, California. The latter—serial number 33-123—was restored after serving both U.S. forces and later Guatemala’s air force before returning stateside for preservation work starting in the late 1950s.
Efforts continue among aviation museums and volunteers to maintain reproductions or restore surviving examples of this historically significant fighter so future generations can experience early advances in monoplane combat aviation firsthand.
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