Curtiss P-40 Warhawk. A photo. Characteristics.

USA

A type: single-engine fighter

Crew: one pilot

Caught in the shadow of other more successful types of US Air Force fighters, such as the F-38, F-47 and F-51, plane F-40 companies "Curtis" was, however, the main fighter of the US Air Force at the time of a surprise attack by the Japanese fleet Pearl -Harbora December 7 1941 years.

The Warhawk (war hawk) aircraft held back the furious air attacks by the Japanese in the Pacific for most of the year 1942. The last of the long series of fighters, called Hawk-Hawk, the R-40 family aircraft emerged as a result of combining the fuselage of the R-ZbA fighter with the new V-1710-19 series in-line liquid-cooling engine from Ellison. When it first took off under the designation Hawk 81, none of the engineers of the company "Curtis" could not imagine that from the beginning of 1939 and until December 1944 will be produced about 13 800 aircraft that will be used in virtually all theaters of military operations of World War II .

Although at first the Ellison engine was a strong place for the R-40, it soon became its Achilles' heel, as it quickly lost power at altitudes above 4572 m due to a lack of supercharging. This led to the fact that at a high altitude, the Warhawk aircraft was inferior to almost all the Axis fighters (Germany-Italy-Japan), and as a result it was used as a stormtrooper, where good vitality and brilliant control made him the favorite of the pilots of the Allied Troops. Up to 1990-ies, there were about 20 capable R-40 (various modifications), most of which are in the USA.

Basic data

Dimensions:

• Length: 10,16 m
• Wingspan: 11,38 m
• Height: 3,76 m

The weight:

• BLANK: 2903 kg
• Maximum take-off: 5216 kg

Aircraft performance characteristics:

• Maximum speed: 552 km / h
• Range: 1207 km
• Powerplant: Engine V-1710-39 (P-on modifications 40E), V-1710-73 (namodifikatsii 40K-P) and V-1710-81 / -99 / -115 (modifications to P-40M / N) of the company "Allison"
• Power: 1150 l. from. (857,33 kW), 1325 l. from. (1106 kW) and 1200 l. from. (895 kW), respectively,

Date of first flight:

• 14 1938 October, the

The surviving airworthy modifications:

• 40E P, P-40K, 40M P, P-40N and TP-40N