Curtiss P-40F 'Warhawk', Duxford 2012 ©Nigel Key
ROLE
Fighter.
FIRST FLIGHT
22 May 1941.
The Curtiss P-40 ‘Warhawk’ design was based upon the Curtiss P-36 Hawk. On 14 October 1938, prototype XP-40 had its first test flight flown by Edward Elliott.
From March to April 1939, the prototype was evaluated in a wind tunnel leading to moving the radiator forward, improvements to the landing gear doors and modifications to the exhausts.
Initially powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp radial engine it was changed to a supercharged Allison V-1710 V-12 engine as it was smaller and allowed a better streamlined cowl to be fitted increasing the top speed by some 5%.
USAAC Fighter Projects Officer Lieutenant Benjamin S. Kelsey, flew the XP-40 from Wright Field to the Curtiss plant at an average speed of 354 mph (570 km/h). After further tests in December 1939 the aircraft reached a speed of 366 mph (589 km/h).
The design of the P-40 was easy to maintain in the field and with its five spar wing it was able to pull high-G turns and even able to survive some mid-air collisions leading to some intentional ramming attacks against the enemy.
The P-40 proved to be agile at low and medium altitudes and was one of the tightest-turning monoplanes, however it suffered from a lack of power at higher altitudes.
Later versions of the P-40 were fitted with Packard Merlin engine, producing 1,400 hp making the aircraft more capable.
PRODUCTION
The P-40 was produced between 1939 and 1944, with 13,738 built.
ENGINE
Allison V-1710-81, producing 1,200 hp.
Press play to hear the P-40
ARMAMENT
6 x Browning 0.5” machine guns
1,500 lb (680 kg) bomb load
The P-40's lack of a two-speed supercharger made it inferior to Luftwaffe fighters such as the Messerschmitt Bf 109 or the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 in high-altitude combat and it was rarely used in operations in Northwest Europe.
However, between 1941 and 1944, the P-40 played a critical role with Allied air forces in three major theatres, North Africa, the Southwest Pacific, and China.
It also had a significant role in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, Alaska and Italy.
The P-40's performance at high altitudes was not as important in these theatres, as it served as an air superiority fighter, bomber escort and fighter-bomber.
Crew - 1 |
Length - 33ft 4in (10.16m) |
Wingspan - 37ft 4in (11.38m) |
Height - 12ft 4in (3.76m) |
Empty Weight - 6,200lb (2,903kg) |
Max. Weight - 8,850lb (4,014kg) |
Max. Speed - 343 mph (552 km/h) |
Range - 750 miles (1,207 km) |