Curtiss XP-46

Fighter Aircraft Prototype [ 1941 ]

The Curtiss XP-46 fighter program would be doomed from the start, effectively dooming the Curtiss company itself.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 06/26/2017 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

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The smallish XP-46 was to be the answer for the deficiencies encountered in the P-40 Warhawk platform. Unfortunately for Curtiss, the XP-46 would be doomed by underperformance and sluggish capabilities - essentially dooming the company itself form ever producing fighters for the military.

The XP-46 was to take everything right about the P-40 and make it better. Along the way, the drawbacks of the 1930s-era system would be ironed out. The result was to be a small nimble fighter capable of a dreamed-up speed of over 400 miles per hour and built in the same vein as the successful Bf 109 and the Supermarine Spitfires - a fighter the American forces could call upon to conduct most any type of operation on any front.

With production of the P-40 Warhawk in full swing, designers at Curtiss had sold the idea of a more powerful successor to the US Army Air Corps, to which two prototypes were ordered. The design called for the system to be powered by an Allison brand liquid-cooled engine capable of 1,150 horsepower fitted into a smallish frame. Armament - proposed but never fitted to either prototype - was consist of eight .30 caliber machine guns mounted in the wings with an additional two .50 caliber systems in the nose.

By the time the second prototype had flown as the XP-46A, the system was already showing clear signs of never really matching even the outdated P-40 it was to replace. Looking every bit like the P-40 itself, the XP-46 proved to be slow-responding for a fighter and the 400mph speed was never close to being reached. The samples were later scrapped and the Curtiss company was finished - leaving the P-40 Warhawk as the single symbol of their fighter-designing days of success behind.©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

Service Year

1941

Origin

United States

Crew

1

Production

2
UNITS

Curtiss - 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

30.2 ft
(9.20 m)

Width/Span

34.4 ft
(10.50 m)

Height

13.0 ft
(3.96 m)

Empty Wgt

5,624 lb
(2,551 kg)

MTOW

7,663 lb
(3,476 kg)

Wgt Diff

+2,039 lb
(+925 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the base Curtiss XP-46 production variant)

Installed: 1 x Allison V-1710-39 liquid-cooled inline piston engine developing 1,150 horsepower.

Max Speed

355 mph
(571 kph | 308 kts)

Ceiling

27,999 ft
(8,534 m | 5 mi)

Range

325 mi
(523 km | 969 nm)

Rate-of-Climb

2,000 ft/min
(610 m/min)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base Curtiss XP-46 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:
8 x 7.62mm machine guns in wings
2 x 12.7mm machine guns in nose

Supported Types

Graphical image of an aircraft medium machine gun

Graphical image of an aircraft heavy machine gun

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

Hardpoint Mountings: 0

XP-46 - S/N 40-3053; first prototype sans armament.

XP-46A - S/N 40-3054; second prototype (flyable); no armament fitted.

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