Curtiss-Wright XP-87 / XF-87 Blackhawk

Prototype Interceptor / Night-Fighter Aircraft

United States | 1948

"The end of the Curtiss XP-87 Blackhawk project signaled the end of Curtiss-Wright as an aircraft-maker."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 05/21/2018 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

The XF-87 was a failed proposal attempted by the Curtiss-Wright aircraft design bureau to meet an Air Force requirement for the world's first dedicated radar interceptor aircraft crewed by two personnel and operating under jet propulsion. The system was developed into prototype type form, ordered for production but was promptly cancelled in favor of a competing Northrop design in the F-89 Scorpion. The cancellation of the XF-87 effectively signaled the end of Curtiss-Wright as a prominent player in the military aircraft market, becoming the Aeroplane Division's final flyable aircraft.

The Curtiss-Wright company was already a well-established name in the realm of military aviation, accounting for such memorable aircraft designs as the Curtiss "Jenny" and the Curtiss P-40 "Warhawk". With the XA-43 attack platform version already developed to some extent, the XP-87/XF-87 was a further development of that system. The aircraft proved rather large by conventional thinking and featured a side-by-side two-man cockpit. With turbojet technology in its relative infancy at this stage, the XP-87 was propelled by no fewer than four Westinghouse jet engines mounted near the wing roots, capable of up to 3,000 pounds of thrust each. Top speed was reported to be about 585 miles per hour with a ceiling of over 40,000 feet.

The original XA-43 design produced by the Curtiss-Wright company was designed to an altogether different specification, calling for a single-seat, twin-engine fighter platform available for all-weather and high-altitude service. With a requirement change, the XA-43 developed into the XP-87, or the more accurately the XF-87, and offered up in two prototype S/N identifiers as the 45-59600 and the 46-522. The 46-522 was modified to become the single XF-87A production system.

Design of the XF-87 was quite traditional, painted in all black for optimal night time operation. Wings were of the mid-mount variety with a standard "T" type tail assembly and a tricycle landing gear system. The nose was to contain a proposed battery of 4 x 20mm cannons in a remote-controlled turret with variable angle of attack. Though promising, this armament was never fitted into the first flyable prototype. A second prototype, to be know as the "Blackhawk", was under consideration and was to be fitted with two improved-power turbojets in place of the four found in the base XF-87 design.

In the end, the cancellation of the XP-87 spelled doom for the Curtiss-Wright company. The XP-87 effectively became the last aircraft production attempt for the firm and had a lot riding on its success. The Nighthawk and its Blackhawk counterpart were later be scrapped, ending one of the more glorious chapters in the life of one of America's founding aircraft design firms. Some 58 F-87A models were on order, along with 30 reconnaissance RF-87 variants when the project was officially cancelled.

Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.

Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Curtiss-Wright XP-87 / XF-87 Blackhawk Prototype Interceptor / Night-Fighter Aircraft.

4 x Westinghouse XJ34-WE-7 turbojet engines developing 3,000lb of thrust each.
Propulsion

585 mph
941 kph | 508 kts
Max Speed

40,026 ft
12,200 m | 8 miles
Service Ceiling

1,000 miles
1,609 km | 869 nm
Operational Range

2,535 ft/min
773 m/min
Rate-of-Climb

City-to-City Ranges
Operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).

NYC

LON

PAR

BER

MOS

TOK

SYD

LAX

NYC

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Curtiss-Wright XP-87 / XF-87 Blackhawk Prototype Interceptor / Night-Fighter Aircraft.

2
(MANNED)
Crew

62.0 ft
18.91 m
O/A Length

60.0 ft
(18.30 m)
O/A Width

20.0 ft
(6.10 m)
O/A Height

25,981 lb
(11,785 kg)
Empty Weight

50,023 lb
(22,690 kg)
MTOW

Design Balance
The three qualities reflected below are altitude, speed, and range. The more full the box, the more balanced the design.

RANGE

ALT

SPEED

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Curtiss-Wright XP-87 / XF-87 Blackhawk Prototype Interceptor / Night-Fighter Aircraft .

PROPOSED:
4 x 20mm cannons in nose-mounted powered turret

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Curtiss-Wright XP-87 / XF-87 Blackhawk family line.

XA-43 - Early Attack Variant Design Designation on which the XP-87 was derived from; redesignated to the XP-87.

XF-87 - 2 Prototype Examples Produced.

XF-87A - Prototype Model Designation modified from the second XF-87 prototype design.

F-87A - Proposed Fighter Designation based on the XF-87A prototype design.

RF-87A - Proposed Reconnaissance Model Variant of the base F-87A.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Curtiss-Wright XP-87 / XF-87 Blackhawk. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 2 Units
Contractor(s): Curtiss-Wright - USA

[ United States (cancelled) ]

Relative Max Speed

Hi: 750mph

Lo: 375mph

Aircraft Max Listed Speed (585mph).

Graph Average of 563 MPH.

Era Crossover

Showcasing Aircraft Era Crossover (if any)

Max Alt Visualization

Production Comparison

2

36183

44000

Entry compared against Ilyushin IL-2 (military) and Cessna 172 (civilian) total production.

MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

Aviation Timeline

EarlyYrs

WWI

Interwar

WWII

ColdWar

Postwar

Modern

Future

♦

1 / 1

Image of the Curtiss-Wright XP-87 / XF-87 Blackhawk

Image from the Public Domain.

Mission Roles
Some designs are single-minded in their approach while others offer a more versatile solution to airborne requirements.

AIR-TO-AIR COMBAT

INTERCEPTION

X-PLANE

Recognition
Some designs stand the test of time while others are doomed to never advance beyond the drawing board; let history be their judge.

Going Further...
The Curtiss-Wright XP-87 / XF-87 Blackhawk Prototype Interceptor / Night-Fighter Aircraft appears in the following collections:

HOME

AVIATION INDEX

AIRCRAFT BY COUNTRY

AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURERS

Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies

2025 Military Pay Scale Military Ranks U.S. DoD Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols US 5-Star Generals WW2 Weapons by Country

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.

Part of a network of sites that includes Global Firepower, WDMMA.org, WDMMW.org, and World War Next.

©2024 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2024 (21yrs)