History: The P-40 fighter/bomber was the last of the famous "Hawk" line produced by Curtiss Aircraft in the 1930s and 1940s, and it shared certain design elements with its predecessors, the Hawk and Sparrowhawk. It was the third-most numerous US fighter of World War II. An early prototype version of the P-40 was the first American fighter capable of speeds greater than 300 mph. Design work on the aircraft began in 1937, but numerous experimental versions were tested and refined before the first production version of the P-40, the Model 81, appeared in May 1940. By September of that year, over 200 had been delivered to the Army Air Corps. 185 more were delivered to the United Kingdom in the fall of 1940, where they were designated the Tomahawk Mk I.
Early combat operations pointed to the need for more armor and self-sealing fuel tanks, which were included in the P-40B (called the Tomahawk Mk IIA in the UK). These improvements came at price: a significant loss of performance due to the extra weight. Further armor additions and fuel tank improvements added even more weight in the P-40C (Tomahawk Mk IIB). Curtiss addressed the airplane's mounting performance problems with the introduction of the P-40D (Kittyhawk Mk I), which was powered by a more powerful version of the Allison V-1710 engine, and had two additional wing-mounted guns. The engine change resulted in a slightly different external appearance, which was the reason the RAF renamed it from the Tomahawk to the Kittyhawk. Later, two more guns were added in the P-40E (Kittyhawk Mk IA), and this version was used with great success (along with their mainstays, the earlier B-models) by General Claire Chenault's American Volunteer Group (The Flying Tigers) in China.
Some additional models, each with slight improvements in engine power and armament, were the P-40F (with a 1300 hp Rolls-Royce Merlin engine), the P-40G, P-40K (Kittyhawk Mk III), P-40L, P-40M and finally, the P-40N, of which 5200 were built (more than any other version.) While it was put to good use and was certainly numerous in most theaters of action in WWII, the P-40's performance was quickly eclipsed by the newer aircraft of the time, and it was not considered one of the "great fighters" of the war.
Nicknames: Gipsy Rose Lee (UK nickname for the P-40L)
Specifications: (P-40N):
Engine: 1360hp Allison V-1710-81 inline piston engine
Weight: Empty 6,000 lbs., Max Takeoff 11,400 lbs
Wing Span: 37ft. 4in.
Length: 33ft. 4in.
Height: 12ft. 4in.
Performance:
Maximum Speed at 10,000ft: 378mph
Ceiling: 38,000ft
Range: 840 miles (with no external tanks)
Armament:
Six 12.7mm (0.5-inch) wing-mounted machine guns
Up to 1,500lbs of bombs on three wing hard-points
Number Built: Approximately 15,000
Number Still Airworthy: 29
The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk is one of the best-liked airplanes of World War II, even though its performance was never quite up to that of its opponents. The most important thing about the P-40 to the United States was that it was available in ever-growing quantity to fight a war when no other fighters were.
 The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk was a plane that refused to die. After 1943 it was superseded by more advanced fighters, yet it remained in production until the end of 1944. See more flight pictures. |
The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk was derived from the Curtiss P-36 that the veteran designer, Don Berlin, had conceived in 1934 as the means by which Curtiss Corporation would regain its position as the premier manufacturer of fighter aircraft in the United States. The P-36 got off to a rocky start, being bested in competition by the Seversky P-35, but it was ordered in quantity by the Air Corps and by foreign buyers.
 The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk was tough and virtually trouble-free. It was the most important American fighter plane of 1942-1943. It saw continual improvements to arms and armor. Engines, too, were regularly uprated. |
When the Allison V-1710 liquid-cooled V-12 engine became available, Don Berlin modified the tenth P-36A to accept it, and the XP-40 was born. It received the largest order yet placed for an American fighter: 524 P-40s at a total price of $13 million. The P-40 went through 19 different model designations, and stayed in production through 1944. A total of 16,802 was built.
The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk achieved its greatest fame while flying with Claire Chennault's American Volunteer Group (AVG) in China, the Flying Tigers. Under Chennault's stern tutelage, the AVG used dive and zoom tactics to defeat the Japanese, who were flying Nakajima Oscars for the most part.
 The first Curtiss P-40 Warhawk was a P-36 running with a supercharged Allison engine. The blend was successful, and a great plane was born. |
The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk performed well in the Pacific, Alaska, Africa, and Russia. Its strong construction, heavy firepower, and ability to dive enabled it to compete with enemy fighters. It was a formidable ground-attack aircraft, as well.
Don Berlin had indeed revived his company's fortunes with the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, but the firm seemed jinxed: The Warhawk was the last Curtiss fighter to reach production status, an ironic end for what had been a great company.
Length: 33 ft. 4 in.
Height: 12 ft. 4 in.
Empty Weight: 6,000 lbs
Gross Weight: 8,850 lbs
Top Speed: 378 mph
Service Ceiling: 38,000 ft.
Range: 240 miles
Engine/Horsepower: One Allison V-1710/1360
Crew: 1
Armament: Six .50-inch Browning machine guns; one 500-lb bomb
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