Time Period: Interwar Period, World War II
Country of Origin: United States
Type: Fighter Aircraft
Manufacturer: Curtiss
Curtiss P-36 Hawk Aircraft Overview
The Curtiss P-36 Hawk was a single-engine fighter aircraft designed and built by the Curtiss-Wright Corporation in the 1930s. The P-36 was designed to replace the Curtiss P-6 Hawk as the primary fighter aircraft of the United States Army Air Corps.
The P-36 Hawk had a low-wing monoplane design and was powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp radial engine, giving it a top speed of around 313 mph. It was armed with two .50 caliber machine guns mounted in the fuselage and two more in the wings, and it could carry up to 300 pounds of bombs or other ordnance.
The P-36 Hawk saw limited service with the Army Air Corps and was also exported to several other countries, including China, Finland, and France. The aircraft saw combat in China during the Second Sino-Japanese War and was also used by the French during the early stages of World War II.
The P-36 was eventually replaced by the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, which had a more powerful engine and improved performance. Despite its relatively short service life, the P-36 Hawk played an important role in the development of American fighter aircraft in the years leading up to World War II.
Curtiss P-36 Hawk (P-36A) Specifications
- Crew: One
- Length: 28 ft 6 in (8.69 m)
- Wingspan: 37 ft 4 in (11.38 m)
- Height: 8 ft 5 in (2.57 m)
- Wing area: 235.94 sq ft (21.920 m2)
- Airfoil: root: NACA 2215; tip: NACA 2209
- Empty weight: 4,567 lb (2,072 kg)
- Gross weight: 5,650 lb (2,563 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 6,010 lb (2,726 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney R-1830-17 Twin Wasp 14-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 1,050 hp (780 kW)
- Propellers: 3-bladed constant-speed propeller.
Curtiss P-36 Hawk (P-36A) Performance
- Maximum speed: 313 mph (504 km/h, 272 kn)
- Cruise speed: 270 mph (430 km/h, 230 kn)
- Range: 625 mi (1,006 km, 543 nmi) at 270 mph (230 kn; 430 km/h)
-
- 860 mi (750 nmi; 1,380 km) at 200 mph (170 kn; 320 km/h)
- Service ceiling: 32,700 ft (10,000 m)
- Rate of climb: 3,400 ft/min (17 m/s)
- Wing loading: 23.9 lb/sq ft (117 kg/m2)
- Power/mass: 0.186 hp/lb (0.306 kW/kg)
Curtiss P-36 Hawk (P-36A) Armament
- Guns: ** 1 × 0.30 in (7.62 mm) M1919 Browning machine gun
- 1 × 0.50 in (12.70 mm) M2 Browning machine gun
- Bombs: some later fitted with a hardpoint under each wing that could carry a bomb of up to 100 lb (45 kg) or a light bomb rack for three 50 lb (23 kg), five 20 lb (9.1 kg) or 30 lb (14 kg) bombs.
