P-6 Hawk
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| P-6 Hawk | |
|---|---|
 Curtiss P-6 Hawk, 17th Pursuit Squadron |
|
| Type | Fighter |
| Manufacturer | Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company |
| Introduced | 1927 |
| Primary user | United States Army Air Corps |
| Produced | 1929 |
| Number built | 70 including modified P-1s |
| Unit cost | $13,000 USD |
The Curtiss P-6 Hawk was an American single-engine biplane fighter introduced into service in the late 1920s with United States Army Air Corps and operated until the late 1930s prior to the outbreak of World War II.
Contents |
[edit] Design and development
The Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company (which became the Curtis-Wright Corporation (15 July 1929) supplied the USAAC with P-6s beginning in 1929.
[edit] Operational history
A fast and highly maneuverable aircraft for its time, the XP-6 prototype took 2nd place in the 1927 U.S. National Air Races, and the XP-6A with wing surface radiators took first place, at 201 mph (323 km/h). The P-6 was flown in a variety of paint schemes depending on the squadron, the most famous being the "Snow Owl" markings of the 17th Pursuit Squadron based at Selfridge Field near Detroit, Michigan.
The P-6Es served between 1932 and 1937 with the 1st Pursuit Group (17th and 94th PS) at Selfridge, and with the 8th Pursuit Group (33rd PS) at Langley Field, Virginia. Numerous accidents claimed at least 27 of the 46 aircraft delivered. As the P-6Es became obsolete, instead of receiving depot overhauls, they were allowed to wear out in service and were scrapped or sold. At least one survived into 1942 in United States Army Air Forces service.[1]
[edit] Variants
- XP-6, Model 34P - modified from a P-1 with a Curtiss V-1570-17 "Conqueror" engine
- XP-6A, Model 34K - same as XP-6 but with untapered wings and wing radiators to reduce drag
- P-6A - 18 ordered by the US Army, 9 were fitted with Prestone- rather than water-cooled V-1670 engines
- XP-6B - a P-1 converted to take the V-1670 engine
- P-6C - cancelled
- XP-6D - the XP-6B converted to take a the Curtiss V-1570-C turbocharged Conqueror engine
- P-6D - re-engined P-6As, (six of the seven surviving P-6A), with the Curtiss V-1570-C turbocharged Conqueror engine installed in 1932 and re-designated P-6D
- XP-6E, Y1P-22, Model 35 - ordered in July 1931 this was the prototype for the P-6E
- P-6E - 46 delivered in 1931–1932, equipped the 17th and 33rd Pursuit Squadrons
- XP-6F - modified XP-6E with a supercharged engine and an enclosed cockpit
- XP-6G - P-6E with a V-1570F engine installed
- XP-6H - P-6E with 4 .30 cal (7.62 mm) machine guns mounted in the wings
- P6-S, Hawk I - 3 sold to Cuba with the 450 hp (336 kW) Wasp radial engine and one to Japan with the Conqueror engine
- P-11 - three ordered with the Curtiss H-1640 Chieftain engine of 600 hp (447 kW), two were completed with the Conqueror and redesignated P-6D
- XP-17 - the first P-1 was used as a testbed for the experimental Wright V-1470 air-cooled inverted Vee engine
- YP-20 - P-11 converted with a Wright Cyclone radial engine
- XP-21 - two conversions from the XP-3A used to test the Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior radial engine of 300 hp (224 kW), one became the XP-21A when modified with the Pratt & Whitney R-975 Wasp Junior, and the other was converted to the P-1F standard
- XP-22 - temporary designation for a P-6A used to test new radiator installations for the Curtiss V-1570-23 and converted back to a P-6A
- XP-23, Model 63 - an unfinished P-6E with light alloy monocoque fuselage, improved tail, and a turbocharged G1V-1570C Conqueror engine and geared propellor, redesignated YP-23 after the turbocharger was removed
[edit] Operators
- Republic of China Air Force operated 50 Hawk II.
- Cuban Air Force received three P-6S fighters with the 450 HP (336 kW) Wasp radial engine.
- Japan bought one P-6S, possibly updated with a Conqueror engine.
- Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force received 8 examples of a P-6D with the Conqurer engine in 1930, another 8 were built in the Netherlands.
[edit] Survivors
A single P-6E survives. It is owned by the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and is on loan and display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB near Dayton, Ohio. Originally s/n 32-261 and assigned to the 33rd Pursuit Squadron, it was dropped from records at Tampa Field, Florida, in September 1939. It was restored and marked as 32-240 of 17th Pursuit Squadron, missing on a flight over Lake Erie on 24 September 1932.
[edit] Specifications (P-6E)
Data from "The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft"
General characteristics
- Crew: one, pilot
- Length: 25 ft 2 in (7.67 m)
- Wingspan: 31 ft 6 in (9.6 m)
- Height: 8 ft 10 in (2.69 m)
- Wing area: 252 ft² (23.41 m²)
- Empty weight: 2,669 lb (1,224 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 3,436 lb (1,559 kg)
- Powerplant: 1× Curtiss V-1570C Conqueror liquid-cooled V12 engine, 700 hp (522 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 177 knots (204 mph, 328.3 km/h)
- Cruise speed: 145 knots (167 mph, 268.7 km/h)
- Range: 248 nm (285 mi, 459 km)
- Service ceiling 24,700 ft (7,529 m)
- Rate of climb: 2.480 ft/min (756 m/s)
Armament
- 2 × .30 cal (7.62 mm) machine guns
[edit] See also
Related lists
[edit] References
[edit] Notes
- ^ Baugher, American Military Aircraft, Curtiss P-6 Hawk
[edit] Bibliography
- Joseph Baugher, American Military Aircraft, Curtiss P-6 Hawk
- Eden, Paul and Moeng, Soph. The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. London: Amber Books Ltd., 2002, ISBN 0-7607-3432-1.
[edit] External links
|
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
