Kittyhawk Aircraft - The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk is an American single-engine, single-seat, all-metal attack aircraft that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the earlier Curtiss P-36 Hawk, a lower version of the earlier Curtiss P-36 Hawk. Development time and fast turnaround time allowed for production and operational support. The Warhawk was used by most of the Allied powers during World War II and remained in front-line service until the end of the war. It was the third most produced American fighter of World War II, behind the P-51 and P-47; In November 1944, when P-40 production ceased, 13,738 were built.
The P-40 Warhawk is the designation given to the aircraft by the United States Air Force, and after June 1941, the USAAF adopted this designation for all models, making it the official designation for all US P-40 aircraft. The British Union and USSR Air Forces used the Tomahawk designation for the P-40, P-40B and P-40C counterparts, and the Kittyhawk designation for the P-40D counterpart and all later variants.
Kittyhawk Aircraft
The P-40s first flew in June 1941 with British Desert Air Force squadrons in the Middle East and North Africa campaigns.
P 40e Kittyhawk 1/72
Royal Air Force No. 112 was one of the first to fly Tomahawks in North Africa, and the unit was the first Allied air force to carry the "whale's mouth" logo.
The lack of a two-speed loader made the P-40 inferior to Luftwaffe fighters such as the Messerschmitt Bf 109 or Focke-Wulf Fw 190 in high-altitude combat, and it was rarely used in Northwest European operations. However, between 1941 and 1944, the P-40 played an important role in Allied air forces in three major theaters of operations: North Africa, the South West Pacific, and China. It also played an important role in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, Alaska and Italy. The high-altitude performance of the P-40 in those theaters of operations where it served as an air superiority fighter, escort bomber, and fighter-bomber was of little consequence. Although it gained fame after the war as an intermediate design suitable only for close air support, closer examination, including analysis of individual Allied squadron data, shows that this was not the case: the P-40 proved to be surprisingly good as an air superiority fighter. , sometimes causing great losses, but also inflicting massive damage to enemy aircraft.
More than 200 Allied fighter pilots—from Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, the United States, and the Soviet Union—became aces flying the P-40 on the basis of wartime victory declarations. This includes at least 20 double aces,
Mainly in North Africa, China, Myanmar and India, Southwest Pacific and Eastern Europe. The P-40 offered the added advantages of low cost and durability that kept it produced as an attack aircraft long after it had become obsolete as a fighter.
P 40n Kittyhawk 1/72 Die Cast Model
On October 14, 1938, test pilot Curtis Edward Elliott made his first flight with the XP-40 prototype in Buffalo.
With a Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp 14-cylinder radial engine under Chief Engineer Don R. The Berlin was replaced with a liquid-cooled, supercharged Allison V-1710 V-12. The first prototype placed a glycol radiator in a spot under the belly of the fighter, just behind the trailing edge of the wing.
USAAC Combat Designs Officer Lieutenant Benjamin S. Kelsey flew this prototype approximately 300 miles in 57 minutes, approximately 315 miles per hour (507 km/h). Concealing his disappointment, he told reporters that future versions would likely go 100 mph (160 km/h) faster.
Kelsey was attracted to Allison Gina because it was solid and dependable and had a smooth and predictable powerline. The V-12 fighter offered the same power as a radial, but had a smaller frontal area and allowed for easier coverage of a radial than an aircraft with a radial, giving a theoretical speed increase of 5%.
Aircraft Photo Of Zk Rmh / 663
Curtis engineers worked to improve the speed of the XP-40 by moving the radiator forward. Seeing little benefit, Kelsey commissioned an NACA wind tunnel evaluation of the aircraft to identify solutions for improved aerodynamic performance. From March 28 to April 11, 1939, the prototype was tested by NACA.
Based on the information obtained, Curtis moved the glycol cooler to the chin; Its new air intake is also positioned to receive oil cooling air. Other improvements to the landing gear doors and exhaust manifolds were combined, and performance was satisfactory to the USAAC.
With no tailwind, Kelsey flew the XP-40 from Wright Field to the Curtiss factory in Buffalo at an average speed of 354 miles per hour (570 km/h).
An unusual feature of the production was a special truck that accelerated Curtis's main factory in Buffalo, New York. The facility transported newly built P-40s in two major components, the main wing and fuselage, eight miles from the factory to the airfield, where the two units were coupled for launch and delivery.
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A quarter view of a P-40B, X-804 (s/n 39-184) in flight. This aircraft served in a training unit at Luke Field, Arizona.
The P-40 was designed as a stealth fighter and was agile at low to medium altitudes, but suffered from a lack of power at higher altitudes. At medium to high speeds, it was one of the most difficult monoplane designs of the early war.
And can face most of the opposition in North Africa and on the Russian front. In the Pacific, it was replaced by the lower speed A6M Zero and Nakajima Ki-43 "Oscar" light fighters. The commander of the American volunteer group Claire Chnault reported that the long dogfight with the Japanese fighters was due to the reduction of speed in favor of the Japanese.
The Allison V-1710 engines produced 1,040 kW (780 kW) at sea level and 14,000 ft (4,300 m). It was not powerful compared to modern fighters, and the top speed of the P-40 variants was only average. The single-stage and single-speed loader meant the P-40 was a high-altitude fighter. Later versions, with 1,200 hp (890 kW) Allisons or more powerful 1,400 hp. The Packard Merlin was more powerful. Climbing scores ranged from average to poor, depending on the subgroup.
Curtiss P 40f Kittyhawk Fighter Aircraft That Served With The 44th Fighter Squadron, 18th Fighter Group Of The Us Army Air Corps A Editorial Stock Image
Leading P-40 ace Clive Caldwell (RAAF), who scored 22 of his 28½ kills in the type, said the P-40 had "almost no faults" although "it was a bit difficult to control in the terminal". .
The P-40 had one of the highest speeds of any fighter of the early war and excellent handling at high speeds.
Proof of P-40 durability: in 1944 F/O TR Jacklin (pictured) flew this No. 75 Squadron RAAF P-40N-5 over 200 miles (322 km) after losing her left ailerons and 25%. wing area, due to a mid-air collision with another P-40N-5.
The P-40 endured harsh conditions and varied climates. Its semi-modular design was easy to maintain in the field. It lacked innovations such as powerful ailerons or advanced automatic flaps, but its massive design included a five-span wing that allowed the P-40 to make high-g turns and survive some mid-air collisions. Offensive attacks on military aircraft were sometimes recorded as victories for the Desert Air Force and the Soviet Air Force.
Family's Fury As 'lost' World War 2 Kittyhawk Is Given 'hideous' Shark's Teeth Makeover And Displayed In Egypt Museum With No Mention Of Brit Hero Flyer
Operational range was good by early war standards, almost twice that of the Supermarine Spitfire or Messerschmitt Bf 109, though inferior to the Mitsubishi A6M Zero, Nakajima Ki-43 and Lockheed P-38 Lightning.
Caldwell found that the armament of the P-40C Tomahawk lacked two synchronized 50 in (12.7 mm) nose-mounted Browning AN/M2 machine guns and two 303 caliber Browning machine guns in each wing.
This was improved on the P-40D (Kittyhawk I), which dropped the synchronized gun mounts and instead had two 0.50 in (12.7 mm) guns in each wing, although Caldwell still preferred the Tomahawk in other respects. The D had armor around the power plant and cabin that was able to withstand significant damage. This allowed Allied pilots in Asia and the Pacific to engage Japanese fighters instead of trying to outflank and outflank their opponents. Late model P-40s were well armored. Visibility was adequate, although the folded bolt-on frame was compromised, and the turtle-shell elevator was fully enclosed at the rear on early models. Poor ground visibility and a relatively narrow landing gear path resulted in heavy casualties on the ground.
Curtiss tested a later design, the Curtiss XP-46, but had little improvement over the newer P-40 models and was cancelled.
Curtiss Kittyhawk Iv Raaf Paper Model
In April 1939, the US Air Corps, seeing a new, sleek, high-speed fighter on par with European air forces, placed the largest ever order for 524 P-40 fighters.
An early order came from the French Armée de l'Air, which was already operating the P-36. The Armée de l'Air ordered 100 as the Hawk 81A-1 (the order was later increased to 230) but Frch failed before the aircraft left the factory and the aircraft was transferred to British and Commonwealth service (as the Tomahawk I was given), in some cases along with metric flight instruments.
In late 1942, when Frch forces in North Africa defected from the Vichy government to the Allies, US forces transferred the P-40F from the 33rd FG to the GC II/5.
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