Main Menu
United States' Curtiss P-36 Hawk fighter1
Curtiss P-36 Hawk:
Curtiss P-36A Hawk:
Design
The Curtiss Model 75 Hawk was to compete for a United States Army Air Corps competition for a monoplane fighter.1 It lost to the Seversky P-35.1
Three were later ordered, for evaluation, by the Army Air Corps and they had Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp engines.1 This was flown in February 1937 and a contract was placed shortly afterwards.1
Prototype
The prototype Curtis Model 75 flew for the first time on May 15, 1935.1
The Y1P-36 prototype flew in February 1937.1
Production
- Y1P-36: 31
- P-36A: 1781
- P-36C: 311
- P-36G: 301
- Total: 1,4241
Variants
- Model 75: Prototype.1 Had a Wright R-1820 radial engine (900 HP).1
- Y1P-36: Prototype.1
- XP-36D: Prototype with different armament.1
- XP-36F: Prototype with different armament.1
- P-36:
- P-36A:
- P-36B: Experimental conversion to use more powerful Twin Wasp.1
- P-36C:
- P-36G: Had Wright Cyclone engines.1 Were originally intended for the Norwegian Air Force but was taken over by the United States.1
- Hawk 75: Export version with fixed undercarriage.1 Had Wright Cyclone engine.1 Sent to Argentina, China, and Thailand.1
- Hawk 75A: Export version that had Twin Wasp engine.1
- Hawk 75-R: Experimental version with turbocharged engine.1
Usage
The countries that used the Hawk were Argentina, Britain, China, Finland, France, Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Portugal, South Africa, Thailand, and United States.1
20 Hawk 75s were assembled by FMA in Argentina.1 30-40 Hawk 75As assembled by CAMCO in China.1 5 Hawk 75As assembled in India by Hindustan Aircraft.1
France
350 of 620 ordered were received by France by the time of the German invasion.1 They claimed to have shot down 311 Luftwaffe aircraft.1
The rest that weren't delivered were sent to the Royal Air Force and were designated the Mohawk.1
First Japanese
The Curtis P-36 was the first to shoot down a Japanese aircraft at Pearl Harbor.1
| Curtiss P-36 Hawk1 | Curtiss P-36A Hawk1 | Curtiss P-36C Hawk1 | Curtiss Hawk 75A1 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Fighter bomber1 | |||
| Crew | 11 | |||
| Engine (Type) | Pratt & Whitney R-1830-13 Twin Wasp1 | |||
| Cylinders | Radial 141 | |||
| Cooling | ||||
| HP | 1,0501 | |||
| Propeller blades | 31 | |||
| Dimensions | ||||
| Span | 37' 3.5"1 11.37 m1 |
|||
| Length | 28' 6"1 8.69 m1 |
|||
| Height | 12' 2"1 3.71 m1 |
|||
| Wing area | ||||
| Weight | ||||
| Empty | 4,567 lb1 2,072 kg1 |
|||
| Loaded | 6,010 lb1 2,726 kg1 |
|||
| Performance | ||||
| Speed @ 10,000' / 3,048 m |
300 mph1 483 kph1 |
|||
| Cruising speed | 200 mph1 322 kph1 |
|||
| Climb to 15,000' / 4,572 m |
4.9 minutes1 | |||
| Service ceiling | 33,000'1 10,058 m1 |
|||
| Range | 825 miles1 1,328 km1 |
|||
| Armament | 6: MGs1 | |||
| Nose | 1: 0.3" MG1 1: 0.5" MG1 |
1: 0.3" MG1 1: 05" MG1 |
||
| Wings | 2: 0.3" MG1 | |||
| Bombs - under wing | 400 lb1 181 kg1 |
Sources:
- Aircraft of WWII, Stewart Wilson, 1998
