P-40 part 1

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The first mass produced USAAF single-seat fighter, the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, together with the Bell P-39 Airacobra, constituted more than half the USAAF fighter strength for the first half of the second world war, in addition to being supplied in considerable numbers to the RAF (Royal Air Force) and other Allied air forces. It was not a brilliant aircraft, and was inferior technically and in performance to many of its contemporaries, yet it acquired a justifiable reputation for ruggedness and dependability and was the subject of extensive development as the war progressed. The Curtiss XP-40, derived from the P-36A (Model 75) Hawk and powered by a 1160 hp Allison V-1710-19 engine, flew in the autumn of 1938 and the P-40 was put into production the following year. (There were no YP-40s, three P-40s being used as test aircraft). The P-40 was produced in moderate numbers for the USAAF, for the RAF (as the Tomahawk Mk 1, Mk IA and Mk IB) and for France — these last being ultimately taken over by the RAF. Only a small number of P-40B (there was no P-40A) went to the USAAF, the bulk of the production going either to the RAF (Tomahawk Mk IIA and Mk IIB) or to Soviet Union, and the P-40C and D (Kittyhawk Mk I) were likewise built in comparatively small numbers. The P-40, P-40B and P-40C (engine: Allison V-1710-33) were basically similar except for armament and internal variations. The P-40D introduced the 1150 hp V-1710-39 engine in a slightly shorter fuselage, and carried an armament of four 12,7 mm wing guns, with provision for a drop-tank or single 500 lb. bomb beneath the fuselage and six 20 lb. bombs underwing. The first large-scale production model was the P-40E (Kittyhawk Mk IA), of which 2320 were built. This version, similar to the D but with two additional 12,7 mm wing guns, was a marked improvement over the P-40B which it replaced, and a small number were later converted as tandem two-seat trainers.

The first version to be named Warhawk by the USAAF. was the P-40F (Kittyhawk Mk II). This model, of which 1311 were completed, marked a change in powerplant to the 1300 hp Packard-Merlin 28 engine and, on later examples, a lengthened fuselage; armament was similar to the P-40E. There was only one P-40H, arid the P-40J supercharged high altitude project was abandoned. The next major production version being the P-40K (Kittyhawk Mk III). This had the 1325 hp V-1710-73 engine and, on later examples, the long fuselage of the P-40F. A number of P-40K were “winterised” for service for the USAAF and RCAF in Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. Following the K, the P-40L (Kittyhawk Mk II) was a lighter-weight F development with the Packard Merlin 28 engine and the longer fuselage. 700 of these were completed. From the batch of 600 P-40M (Kittyhawk Mk III and Mk IV), similar to the K model apart from a 1200 hp V-1710-81 engine, one squadron was supplied to the South African Air Force. The final and most numerous production version of the Warhawk was the P-40N (Kittyhawk Mk IV), a development of the lightweight P-40L. Altogether more than 5200 P-40Ns were completed, utilising various Allison engines and permutations of armament. This version was supplied to several Allied air forces, including the RNZAF (Royal New Zealand Air Force), and saw most of its service in the Pacific theatre. The designation P-40R covered the conversion of some 300 P-40F and L Warhawks from Packard-Merlin powerplants to Allisons. Total production of the P-40 series reached over 14,000 aircraft, including a number of experimental projects which never attained production status. Among these were the XP-40Q (a modified K with 1425 hp. V-1710-121, cut-down rear fuselage and blister canopy), the XP-46 (two only completed), the XP-60 (five prototypes for a P-40 replacement, with various inline or radial engines) and the XP-62 (a radial-engined fighter-bomber development of the XP-60).

Design and Structure

  • Type: Single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber.
  • Wings:
    • Configuration: Low-wing cantilever monoplane.
    • Aerofoil Section: NACA 2215 at the root, 2209 at the tip.
    • Structure: Two panels joined at the fuselage centerline, consisting of aluminium-alloy longitudinal stringers, shear beams, Alclad bulkheads, and flush-riveted Alclad skin. The ailerons have Alclad frames and are covered with fabric. Split trailing-edge flaps, hydraulically operated, extend between the ailerons and fuselage.
  • Fuselage:
    • Design: Semi-monocoque structure with Alclad bulkheads, aluminium-alloy stringers, and flush-riveted Alclad skin.
  • Tail Unit:
    • Type: Cantilever monoplane type with all-metal framework. Fixed surfaces are metal-covered, while movable surfaces are fabric-covered. Rudder and elevators have adjustable trim-tabs.
  • Landing Gear:
    • Type: Retractable with Curtiss oleo-pneumatic shock absorber legs. Main wheels retract hydraulically aft and upward, locking automatically in both positions. The tail-wheel is fully retractable and steerable with a hinged fairing that covers the aperture when retracted.

Power Plant

  • Engine Options:
    • Allison V-1710 or Packard V-1650-1 (Merlin 28) twelve-cylinder Vee liquid-cooled engines.
    • Propeller: Three-bladed Curtiss electrically-controlled multi-position constant-speed airscrew.
    • Cooling: Ducted coolant and oil radiators beneath the engine with controllable air exit.
  • Fuel System:
    • Tanks: Two wing tanks, a fuselage tank, and an auxiliary “belly” tank, all self-sealing and housed in aluminium-alloy shells.

Accommodation and Equipment

  • Cockpit:
    • Located over the wing’s trailing-edge, featuring a bullet-proof windscreen with glycol spray and warm air defrosting. The cockpit has a sliding cover with rear vision panels, armour plate protection, and a heating/ventilating system that also heats the gun compartments.
  • Electrical and Communication:
    • 24-volt electrical system with radio equipment.

Armament

  • Guns:
    • Six .50-cal. machine guns, three in each wing, firing outside the propeller arc with 235 rounds per gun.
  • Bombs:
    • A bomb rack beneath the fuselage can carry a single bomb (100-600 lbs). Additional racks under the wings can carry two 100-500 lb bombs or two auxiliary fuel tanks.

Dimensions

  • Span: 37 ft. 3.5 in. (11.36 m)
  • Length:
    • Short fuselage: 31 ft. 8.5 in. (9.68 m)
    • Long fuselage: 33 ft. 3.5 in. (10.14 m)
  • Height: 12 ft. 2 in. (3.7 m)
  • Wing Area: 236 sq. ft. (21.9 sq. m.)

Weights

  • Empty Weight: 6,550 lbs. (2,974 kg)
  • Loaded Weight: 8,720 lbs. (3,960 kg)

Performance (P-40F with Packard V-1650-1 engine)

  • Maximum Speed: 364 mph (582 km/h) at 20,000 ft (6,100 m)
  • Cruising Speed: 300 mph (480 km/h) at critical height
  • Economical Cruising Speed: 220-245 mph (352-392 km/h)
  • Climb Rate:
    • To 15,000 ft (4,575 m): 7.5 mins
    • To 20,000 ft (6,100 m): 10 mins
  • Service Ceiling: 33,000 ft (10,060 m)
  • Normal Range: 610 miles (976 km) at 310 mph (496 km/h)
  • Maximum Range: 1,200 miles (1,920 km) at 210 mph (336 km/h) with auxiliary fuel tank

Bibliography:

  • P-40 Warhawk Walk Around, Walk Around 8 – Lou Drendel, Squadron/Signal Publications 1996
  • Curtiss P-40 Vol. I – Janowicz, Wieliczko Kagero Monografie 36
  • Curtiss P-40 Long-nosed Tomahawks – Carl Molesworth Osprey Air Vanguard 8
  • P-40 Warhawk vs Ki-43 Oscar: China 1944-45 – Carl Molesworth Osprey Duel 8
  • Curtiss P-40 Snub-nosed Kittyhawks and Warhawks –  Carl Molesworth Osprey Air Vanguard 11
  • Curtiss P-40 – Vlastimil Ehrman, Valerij Roman, MBI
  • P-40 Warhawk vs Bf 109 MTO 1942–44 –  Carl Molesworth, Osprey Duel 38
  • P-40 Warhawk in World War II Color – Jeffrey L. Ethell, Motorbooks International 1994
  • P-40 Warhawk Aces of the MTO – Carl Molesworth Osprey Aircraft of the Aces 43
  • The Curtiss P 36 and P 40 in USAAC/USAAF Service 1939-1945 – H.C. Bridgwater, Scale Aircraft Modelling Combat Colours Number 3
  • Modelling the P-40: Hawk 81, Tomahawk, Warhawk, Kittyhawk – Brett Green Osprey
  • Curtiss P-40 in Action – Ernest R. McDowell, Squadron/Signal Publications Aircraft 26
  • P-40 Warhawk Aces of the CBI – Carl Molesworth, Osprey Aircraft of the Aces 35
  • Curtiss P-40 cz. 1 Tomahawk / Kittyhawk / Warhawk – Marek Ryś, Monografie Lotnicze 64 AJ-Press
  • Curtiss P-40 cz. 2 XP-46, XP-60 – Zbigniew Kolacha, Marek Ryś, Monografie Lotnicze 65 AJ-Press
  • Curtiss P-40 cz. 3 -Krzysztof janowicz, Monografie Lotnicze 66 AJ-Press
  • P-40 Warhawk in detail & scale, Part 1: Y1P-36 through P-40C – Bert Kinzey, Squadron/Signal Publications 1999 Detail & Scale Vol 61
  • P-40 Warhawk in detail & scale, Part 2: P-40D through XP-40Q – Bert Kinzey, Squadron/Signal Publications 1999 Detail & Scale Vol 62
  • Pilot Trainig Manual for the P-40 – 1943
  • The P-40 Kittyhawk – Ernest R. McDowell, Famous Aircraft Series
  • Curtiss P-40: From 1939 to 1945 – Anis El Bied, Daniel Laurelut, Planes and Pilots 3 Histoire & Collections 2003
  • P-40 Warhawk Aces of the Pacific – Carl Molesworth, Osprey Aircraft of the Aces 55
  • Curtiss P-40 Warhawk – Famous Airplanes Of The World 13, Bunrin Do 1974
  • The Curtiss P-40 Tomahawk – Ray Wagner, Aircraft Profile Number 35 Profile Publications 1965
  • Curtiss P-40 – Aero Series 3
  • The P-40 Kittyhawk in service – Geoffrey Pentland Kookaburra Technical Publications 1974
  • The Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk I-IV – Ray Wagner, Aircraft Profile Number 136, Profile Publications 1971
  • Tomahawk and Kittyhawk Aces of the RAF and Commonwealth – Andrew Thomas, Osprey Aircraft of the Aces 38
  • Tomahawk, Airacobra & Mohawk. RAF Northern Europe 1936 – 45 – Robert C. Jones, Camouflage & Markings Number 12
  • Soviet Lend-Lease Fighter Aces of World War 2 – George Mellinger, Aircraft of the Aces 74
  • Curtiss Kittyhawk Mk I-IV in R.A.F., S.A.A.F., R.A.A.F., R.N.Z.A.F., R.C.A.F.and N.E.I.A.F.Service – Christopher Shores, Osprey Aircam Aviation 6
  • Flying Tigers: Claire Chennault and the American Volunteer Group – Daniel Ford, Smithsonian Institution Press 1995
  • The Flying Tigers; Chennault’s American Volunteer Group in China
  • American Volunteer Group “Flying Tigers” Aces – Terrill Clements, Osprey Aircraft of the Aces 41
  • Flying Scoreboards: Aircraft Mission and Kill Markings – Ernest R. McDowell, Squadron/Signal Publications 6061, 1993
  • The Burma Air Campaign: December 1941 – August 1945 – Michael Pearson 2007
  • USAAF Aircraft Markings and Camouflage 1941-1947: The History of USAAF Aircraft Markings, Insignia, Camouflage, and Colors – Victor G. Archer, Robert D. Archer, Schiffer Publishing 1997
  • USAAF Fighters Units MTO 1942-45 – Christopher Shores, Osprey Aircam/Airwar 12