Curtiss XP-37 (Allison Hawk)

Fighter Prototype [ 1937 ]

The Curtiss XP-37 was an attempt by the USAAC to transform the radial-powered P-36 Hawk into an inline piston-engined fighter.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 05/13/2016 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

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The American Curtiss P-36 "Hawk" marked one of the earliest of the all-modern fighters to appear in the years leading up to World War 2 (1939-1945). It was joined by the likes of the British Hawker Hurricane and the German Messerschmitt Bf 109 but failed to find the same wartime success as its contemporaries. Completed with a Pratt & Whitney "Twin Wasp" air-cooled radial piston engine, 215 examples were built as the P.36 and a further 900 were exported under the "Hawk 75" designation. The design was eventually developed into the classic P-40 "Warhawk".

The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) sought additional value in their P-36 to the point that they commissioned Curtiss in 1937 to develop the aircraft with the Allison V-1710 turbo-supercharged inline piston engine of 1,150 horsepower. This begat the prototype "XP-37" monoplane fighter which retained much of the original's components including its well-streamlined airframe. To compensate for the length and weight of the new engine installation at the nose (and to better balance the revised center-of-gravity), the cockpit was positioned further aft along the dorsal spine which immediately differentiated it from the earlier P-36.

In this configuration, the aircraft was flown for the first time during April 1937 and managed a maximum speed of 340 miles per hour against the P-36A's 313 mph top speed. However, the all-important turbo-supercharger proved troublesome during testing and there grew concern about the nose length and position of the wing mainplanes which considerably inhibited the pilot's forward vision. Views to the rear of the aircraft were no better as the raised fuselage spine and tail planes further masked any approaching danger from the rear.

Nevertheless, USAAC authorities were sold on the potential performance gains of this sleek entry and ordered the XP-37 in a service test form as the "YP-37" through a thirteen-strong batch order. Engineers continued to work on the turbo-supercharger but reliability remained an issue. A developmental-minded YP-37 managed a first flight during June of 1939 but the temperamental aircraft was soon passed over for a more promising - and conventional - venture, this to become the P-40 Warhawk which became an ultra-critical American fighter of the early-war years.©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

Service Year

1937

Origin

United States

Crew

1

Production

14
UNITS

Curtiss-Wright - USA

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

United States (cancelled)

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Air-to-Air Combat, Fighter
General ability to actively engage other aircraft of similar form and function, typically through guns, missiles, and/or aerial rockets.

✓ X-Plane (Developmental, Prototype, Technology Demonstrator)
Aircraft developed for the role of prototyping, technology demonstration, or research / data collection.

Length

28.5 ft
(8.70 m)

Width/Span

37.7 ft
(11.50 m)

Height

8.2 ft
(2.50 m)

Empty Wgt

4,575 lb
(2,075 kg)

MTOW

6,030 lb
(2,735 kg)

Wgt Diff

+1,455 lb
(+660 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the Curtiss YP-37 production variant)

Installed: 1 x Allison V-1710 inline piston engine developing 1,150 horsepower and driving a three-bladed propeller in the nose.

Max Speed

342 mph
(550 kph | 297 kts)

Ceiling

32,808 ft
(10,000 m | 6 mi)

Range

621 mi
(1,000 km | 1,852 nm)

Rate-of-Climb

3,400 ft/min
(1,036 m/min)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the Curtiss YP-37 production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)

None Fitted.

Supported Types

(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)

XP-37 - Prototype designation

YP-37 - Service Test aircraft; batch of thirteen ordered.

P-37 - Assumed in-service designation

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Images Gallery

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Image of the Curtiss XP-37 (Allison Hawk)

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