The XP-54 (nicknamed the Swoose Goose) is the third competitor in the early 1940s fighter competition with rivals XP-55 Ascender and XP-56 Black Bullet. The XP-54 started out as an improvement of the Consolidated-Vultee Model 78 which became the Model 84. It was a twin-boom design like the P-38 but vastly more complex with a ducted wing section, pivoting nose for two 37mm T-9 cannons plus two .50s that adjusted for trajectory balance, cabin pressurization, and a 2300 hp Lycoming XH-2470-1 24 cylinder pusher engine. It first flew in Jan 1943 and then a second one in May 1944. The design had severe performance problems with low climb and low speed despite a powerful engine, reaching 290 mph cruising and 381 max at a time when most fighters were crossing the 400 mph line. All three competitors failed as unorthodox and costly while the P-38J, P-47D, and P-51D were produced in large numbers as escorts for the USAAF daylight bombing campaign.

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