The forth, and final, proposal by the Curtiss Aeroplane Company concerning P-1032 - a single-seat fighter for the then-United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) - arrived in February of 1944 alongside the P-1032-7, the P-1032-9, and the P-1032-11. In the P-132-7, the aircraft was of conventional arrangement and buried its single turbojet engine in the fuselage. The P-1032-9 followed by "podding" its twin-engine arrangement in underslung wing nacelles. The P-1032-11 was to outdo them all by combining the inherent performance power of a turboprop engine at the nose and a turbojet engine in the fuselage.
The P-1032-13 reverted back to a more traditional arrangement in that a pair of turbojet engines were paired under the fuselage, reducing complexity of a long intake duct assembly by way of its straight-thru approach, making the engines readily accessible to ground crew, and concentrating performance power at the center of the aircraft.
Beyond this, the airframe remained largely faithful to the original: the 4 x 20mm internal automatic cannon arrangement was buried in the nose. The single crewman sat under a largely unobstructed canopy just aft of the nose assembly. The mainplanes were of straight, tapering design with clipped tips, and the empennage comprised a single vertical tailplane with low-set horizontal control planes. A fully-wheeled, fully-retractable undercarriage would be used for ground-running.
The engine of choice was the General Electric J35 (TG-180) turbojet engine and these were to be seated in a side-by-side arrangement directly under the fuselage (the belly). The combined power would have provided for rather excellent performance figures in theory, limited only by range as early-form turbojets were fuel-thirsty solutions.
To compensate for the range restriction, it was thought that a pair of 300-gallon jettisonable fuel tanks could be carried under the wings to compensate for the elevated fuel burn.
Beyond this, the P-1032-13 proposal has a wingspan of 45.8 feet and a running length of 44.01 feet. Performance figures were not estimated though may have been similar to the P-1032-9 and its twin-engine arrangement.
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(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.
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.
Length
45.1 ft (13.75 m)
Width/Span
45.8 ft (13.95 m)
Empty Wgt
20,801 lb (9,435 kg)
MTOW
25,188 lb (11,425 kg)
Wgt Diff
+4,387 lb (+1,990 kg)
(Showcased structural values pertain to the base Curtiss P-1032-13 production variant)
monoplane / low-mounted / straight, tapered
Monoplane
Design utilizes a single primary wing mainplane; this represent the most popular 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.
(Structural descriptors pertain to the base Curtiss P-1032-13 production variant)
Installed:
2 x General Electric J35 (TG-180) turbojet engines of unknown thrust output mounted under the belly of the aircraft; presumably around 4,000lb thrust each unit.
(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base Curtiss P-1032-13 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)
PROPOSED:
4 x 20mm automatic cannons in the nose.
OPTIONAL:
2 x 300gal external jettisonable fuel tanks at underwing hardpoints for extended operational ranges.
Supported Types
(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)
Hardpoint Mountings: 0
P-1032-13 - Forth proposal seating twin turbojets in side-by-side formation under the fuselage.
P-1032-7 - Original proposal with single-engine (embedded) turbojet configuration.
P-1032-9 - Second proposal with twin-turbojet (podded) configuration.
P-1032-11 - Third proposal with hybrid / combination turboprop-turbojet (inline) arrangement.
Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective aerial campaigns / operations / aviation periods.
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