Curtiss P-1032-9

Turbojet-Powered Fighter Proposal [ 1946 ]

The Curtiss P-1032-9 was the second of four designs intended to interest the USAAF in an early jet-powered fighter.

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The Curtiss P-1032-9 was the second of four proposals attempting to interest United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) authorities in one of their first turbojet-powered single-seat fighters during the latter stages of World War 2 (1939-1945). The P-1032 design series, as a whole, emerged in February of 1944 while the war was still in doubt and the turbojet was showing itself to be the future of aerial combat. Like the P-1032-7 before it, the P-1032-9 was not evolved beyond its "paper" stage and eventually fell to the pages of aviation history.

In the original P-1032-7, a single turbojet engine was the focus of the design, the unit to be buried within the fuselage and aspirated by wing leading edge intakes. The P-1032-9 took on a different approach, instead centering on two turbojet engines for maximum power / performance while leaving these as easily accessible nacelles under each mainplane member. The arrangement was similar to what the Germans used in their Messeschmitt Me 262 "Schwalbe" wartime jet fighter.

Beyond the relocation of the engine(s), the P-1032-9 retained the general form and function of the original offering. The pilot sat aft of a lengthened nosecone assembly which housed an array of 4 x 20mm internal automatic cannons. The cockpit was covered over in a lightly-framed canopy. The mainplanes were low-mounted, straight structures with clipped tips. The empennage featured a single vertical tailfin and low-set horizontal planes. A tricycle undercarriage (wheeled and retractable) would satisfy ground-running actions.

The exterior placement of the engine nacelles would make maintenance / replacement in the field or depot relatively easy as accessibility was second-to-none in such a configuration. While the use of two turbojets simultaneously enhanced performance and outright power, early turbojet forms were also exceedingly fuel-thirsty, meaning that operational ranges were not entirely addressed utilizing the original P-1032 design. The original model would carry twin jettisonable fuel tanks, one under each wing, while the P-1032-9 was to rely on a centerline exterior fuel tank to enhance range.

On the whole, the P-1032-9 variant was dimensionally larger than the first, having a wingspan of 45.8 feet and a running length of 44.10 feet. Its estimated maximum speed was 620 miles-per-hour in ideal conditions, able to reach altitudes over 40,000 feet (necessitating an ejection seat and cockpit pressurization), and range out to 1,500 miles with the central fuel tank in place.

Beyond its proposal work, little else was had on the P-1032-9. The P-1032-11 that followed attempted to mate the power of an early-form turboprop engine with a single turbojet. The P-1032-13 centered two turbojets along the ventral fuselage line for concentrated power output. Neither of these design fared any better.©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

Curtiss Aeroplane Company - USA
Manufacturer(s)

United States (cancelled)
Operators

1946
Service Year

United States
National Origin

Cancelled
Project Status

1
Crew

0
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.

MULTI-ENGINE
Incorporates two or more engines, enhancing survivability and / or performance.

HIGH-SPEED PERFORMANCE
Can accelerate to higher speeds than average aircraft of its time.

HIGH-ALTITUDE PERFORMANCE
Can reach and operate at higher altitudes than average aircraft of its time.

PILOT / CREW EJECTION SYSTEM
Assisted process of allowing its pilot and / or crew to eject in the event of an airborne emergency.

CREWSPACE PRESSURIZATION
Supports pressurization required at higher operating altitudes for crew survival.

ENCLOSED CREWSPACE(S)
Features partially- or wholly-enclosed crew workspaces.

RETRACTABLE UNDERCARRIAGE
Features retracting / retractable undercarriage to preserve aerodynamic efficiency.

44.9 ft
(13.69 meters)
Length

45.8 ft
(13.95 meters)
Width/Span

21,010 lb
(9,530 kilograms)
Empty Weight

25,386 lb
(11,515 kilograms)
Maximum Take-Off Weight

+4,376 lb
(+1,985 kg)
Weight Difference

monoplane / low-mounted / straight, tapered
Mainplane Arrangement

Monoplane
Design utilizes a single primary wing mainplane; this represents the most popular modern mainplane arrangement.

Low-Mounted
Mainplanes are low-mounted along the sides of the fuselage.

Straight
The planform involves use of basic, straight mainplane members.

Straight, Tapered
The planform uses straight mainplane members which taper towards the wing tips.

2 x Turbojet engines of unknown make, model, and output power mounted under the wing mainplanes. Presumably the GE/Allison J35 of about 4,000lb of thrust each.
Propulsion

621 mph
(1,000 kph | 540 knots)
Max Speed

404 mph
(650 kph | 351 knots)
Cruise Speed

+217 mph
(+350 kph | 189 knots)
Speed Difference

40,026 ft
(12,200 m | 8 miles)
Ceiling

1,491 miles
(2,400 km | 1,296 nm)
Range

6,650 ft/min
(2,027 m/min)
Rate-of-Climb

MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

PROPOSED:
4 x 20mm Internal automatic cannons in nose assembly.

OPTIONAL:
1 x External jettisonable fuel tank supported at a single ventral centerline (belly) hardpoint.

0
Hardpoints

P-1032-9 - Base Project Designation.

P-1032-7 - Original design form with single, embedded turbojet engine; leading wing root intakes.

P-1032-11 - Proposed combination powered fighter with inline turboprop engine and turbojet engine arrangement.

P-1032-13 - Final proposal featuring twin turbojet engine arranged as a pair (side-by-side) under the fuselage.

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