The dedicated ship-based floatplanes the United States Navy (USN) operated at their entrance to the war was the aging Curtiss SOC biplane and the Vought OS2U Kingfisher. Most of America’s larger warships were equipped with catapults at the time for this purpose. These missions included long range scouting, spotting for the warships’ main guns and also providing anti-submarine protection using depth charges or torpedoes. A concept that originated in the 1920s and 1930s, it involved the use of small floatplanes that were carried aboard large warships and could be deployed via catapults for a number of tasks to assist their mothership. One such piece of equipment would be the ship launched floatplane. Many aircraft were unable to compete with their contemporaries around the world. History Photo of the mockup XOSE-1.īefore America had entered the Second World War, it was realized that many assets in the United States arsenal were outdated to some degree. Testing showed the design was riddled with flaws and, with the end of the war making the observation floatplane obsolete and unnecessary, the XOSE-1 program was cancelled. Although development was slow, the aircraft would finally fly after the war had ended. Before being built, the type seemed promising and ten prototypes were ordered. The XOSE-1 was an observation float plane built by the Edo float company during World War II and was intended to be a possible replacement for the OS2U Kingfisher. Notice it is painted in the wartime colors.
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