The plucky little P-26 “Peashooter” first flew March 20, 1932. It was the first Boeing all-metal, low-wing monoplane fighter with its wings braced by wires, rather than struts.

Powered by a 600-horsepower engine, the 23-foot 7-inch long airplane could fly 234 mph. Its initial high landing speeds were reduced by the addition of wing flaps in the production models.

The U.S. Army ordered 126 production-model P-26s, and Boeing built 12 for export. One of a group of P26As, turned over to the Philippine Army late in 1941, was among the first Allied fighters to down a Japanese airplane.