×
Aircraft / Aviation Vehicles & Artillery Small Arms Warships & Submarines Military Ranks Military Pay Chart (2024) Special Forces
HOME
AVIATION INDEX
MODERN AIR FORCES
AIRCRAFT BY COUNTRY
AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURERS
COMPARE AIRCRAFT
AIRCRAFT BY CONFLICT
AIRCRAFT BY TYPE
AIRCRAFT BY DECADE
WWII AIRCRAFT
X-PLANE AIRCRAFT
Aviation / Aerospace

Curtiss-Wright XP-71


Twin-Engine Heavy Fighter / Bomber Escort Aircraft [ 1943 ]



The Curtiss XP-71 was developed along the lines of a heavy fighter with solely cannon armament - though the need for such an aircraft type was over by the end of 1943.



Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 07/13/2018 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

VIEW SPECIFICATIONS [+]
Prior to America's entry into World War 2 (1939-1945) in 1941, the war was viewed from an "outside-looking-in" perspective. Observations were keenly focused on the evolving (and deteriorating) situation in Europe where quick-bombing strikes paralyzed military forces and populations alike. German and Axis elements made their way across Poland, Norway, the Low Countries and, finally, France to give real rise to the threat of American soil being attacked once Britain had fallen. Such thinking then spurred development into heavy fighter types designed to meet the threat of bomber formations head on and one such accepted submission by the United States Army was from Curtiss-Wright who sold them on the idea of its two-seat XP-71 heavy concept.

The primary role for the new aircraft was in intercepting bomber formations, cutting through their ranks with cannon fire while avoiding enemy guns and escort fighters. Its secondary role would see the mount used as an escort for Allied bombers in turn for when the battle turned against the invader. The design would have to possess the necessary speed, agility, firepower and range to meet the challenges it would eventually face. As proved common practice during the war, the Army contracted for two working prototypes in the XP-71 mold based on the company's "Model CW-29" proposal. The contract appeared on October 28th, 1941 - just months before the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

A mockup of the XP-71 was completed and reviewed during November 1942 and the interesting design decision was made to make the XP-71 a single-seat heavy fighter. This allowed for more internal space to be maximized for components such as avionics, fuel and electronics but also increased the pilot's workload in flight. Overall dimensions produced a very large fighter aircraft with a wingspan reaching 82.25 feet, a length of 61.8 feet and a height of 19 feet. Engineers elected for a conventional arrangement in which the fuselage made up most of the continuous length of the aircraft. Wings were shoulder-mounted amidships and each held an engine nacelle running ahead of the leading edge and through the trailing edge. The cockpit sat just forward of the main wing element which offered excellent vision forward, to the sides and to the rear thanks to a lightly-framed bubble-style canopy. The cockpit sat well aft of the nose cone assembly which was to house a potent cannon armament. The fuselage then tapered at the empennage which was capped by a rounded single vertical tail fin and low horizontal planes. The undercarriage was of the tricycle arrangement which made ground running easier for the pilot to handle while offering the necessary clearance for the spinning propeller blades selected. A first flight was tentatively scheduled for June of 1944.

Power for the XP-71 came from a pair of large and powerful Pratt & Whitney R-4360-13 "Wasp Major" radial piston engines developing 3,450 horsepower each while coupled to General Electric turbochargers. This became 6,900 total horsepower when combined which required a stiff mounting structure and large propeller blades for optimal thrust output. As such, Hamilton Standard 13.5-foot diameter blades were installed and each engine drove these in a contra-rotating configuration set within a "pusher" arrangement. That is, the propellers were fitted at the wing trailing edges as opposed to a position ahead of the wing leading edges - common to many other aircraft. In this fashion, the engines "pushed" the aircraft through the air instead of "pulling" it. Undoubtedly, this was one of the more unique design qualities of the Curtiss design. The twin engine installation provided the airframe with a maximum reported speed of 430 miles per hour with a range out to 3,000 miles. Its service ceiling was 40,000 feet which necessitated a fully-pressurized cockpit for the pilot.©MilitaryFactory.com
At the heart of this "bomber destroyer" was its armament - led by a 75mm cannon in the nose. This was supplemented by 2 x 37mm cannons in the nose as well, giving the XP-71 a potent "one-two" punch against all known bomber targets in service with Axis forces - primarily those of Germany. The 75mm cannon was fed through an automated feeder which supplied 20 projectiles while the 37mm guns were afforded 60 rounds each. This ammunition stock was rather limiting, requiring the pilot to utilized short, controlled bursts to good effect.

Work on the Curtiss aircraft continued into 1943 and its technological edge was becoming a greater issue for engineers to overcome than originally envisioned. During testing in February of 1943, the gun arrangement in the nose proved problematic and applicable gun systems were revealing their own issues. Add to this the changing face of the war during 1943 which did not see the emergence of large scores of German bombers but, in turn, the rise of long-range bomber formations fielded by the Allies - limiting the potential tactical appeal of the XP-71 in the heavy fighter / bomber escort role, particularly when other fighters such as the North American P-51 and Republic P-47 Thunderbolt were equally up to the task.

As such, the XP-71 program - as promising as the heavy fighter was - was officially cancelled during October of 1943. The Army briefly toyed with the idea of converting the XP-71 into a reconnaissance-minded platform but this endeavor turned to naught and no other service branches took serious consideration of the XP-71. It therefore joined the many other American efforts to produce the perfect aircraft for the job during World War 2.

Curtiss factories continued in their support of the war effort through aircraft production of other types.©MilitaryFactory.com
Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.

Specifications



Curtiss-Wright -USA
Manufacturer(s)
United States
Operators National flag of the United States
1943
Service Year
United States
National Origin
Cancelled
Project Status
1
Crew
1
Units


AIR-TO-AIR COMBAT
General ability to actively engage other aircraft of similar form and function, typically through guns, missiles, and/or aerial rockets.
X-PLANE
Aircraft developed for the role of prototyping, technology demonstration, or research / data collection.


61.8 ft
(18.85 meters)
Length
82.0 ft
(25.00 meters)
Width/Span
19.0 ft
(5.80 meters)
Height
31,085 lb
(14,100 kilograms)
Empty Weight
46,958 lb
(21,300 kilograms)
Maximum Take-Off Weight
+15,873 lb
(+7,200 kg)
Weight Difference


2 x Pratt & Whitney R-4360-13 Wasp Major radial piston engines developing 3,450 horsepower each.
Propulsion
429 mph
(690 kph | 373 knots)
Max Speed
40,026 ft
(12,200 m | 8 miles)
Ceiling
2,983 miles
(4,800 km | 2,592 nm)
Range
2,000 ft/min
(610 m/min)
Rate-of-Climb


MACH Regime (Sonic)
Sub
Trans
Super
Hyper
HiHyper
ReEntry
RANGES (MPH) Subsonic: <614mph | Transonic: 614-921 | Supersonic: 921-3836 | Hypersonic: 3836-7673 | Hi-Hypersonic: 7673-19180 | Reentry: >19030


1 x 75mm cannon in the nose
2 x 37mm cannons in the nose


0
Hardpoints


Model CW-29 - Curtiss company model designaton
XP-71 - Formal Project Designation


Military lapel ribbon for Operation Allied Force
Military lapel ribbon for the Arab-Israeli War
Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Britain
Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Midway
Military lapel ribbon for the Berlin Airlift
Military lapel ribbon for the Chaco War
Military lapel ribbon for the Cold War
Military lapel ribbon for the Cuban Missile Crisis
Military lapel ribbon for pioneering aircraft
Military lapel ribbon for the Falklands War
Military lapel ribbon for the French-Indochina War
Military lapel ribbon for the Golden Age of Flight
Military lapel ribbon for the 1991 Gulf War
Military lapel ribbon for the Indo-Pak Wars
Military lapel ribbon for the Iran-Iraq War
Military lapel ribbon for the Korean War
Military lapel ribbon for the 1982 Lebanon War
Military lapel ribbon for the Malayan Emergency
Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft
Military lapel ribbon for the attack on Pearl Harbor
Military lapel ribbon for the Six Day War
Military lapel ribbon for the Soviet-Afghan War
Military lapel ribbon for the Spanish Civil War
Military lapel ribbon for Special Forces
Military lapel ribbon for the Suez Crisis
Military lapel ribbon for the Ukranian-Russian War
Military lapel ribbon for the Vietnam War
Military lapel ribbon for Warsaw Pact of the Cold War-era
Military lapel ribbon for the WASP (WW2)
Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1
Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2
Military lapel ribbon for the Yom Kippur War
Military lapel ribbon for experimental x-plane aircraft

Images



1 / 1
Image of the Curtiss-Wright XP-71
Front right side view of a model representing the Curtiss-Wright XP-71 proposal.

Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies

2024 Military Pay Chart Military Ranks DoD Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols

The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content; site is 100% curated by humans.

Part of a network of sites that includes GlobalFirepower, a data-driven property used in ranking the top military powers of the world, WDMMA.org (World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft), WDMMW.org (World Directory of Modern Military Warships), SR71blackbird.org, detailing the history of the world's most iconic spyplane, and MilitaryRibbons.info, cataloguing military medals and ribbons. Special Interest: RailRoad Junction, the locomotive encyclopedia.


©2023 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2023 (20yrs)