The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk Fighters Essay - 1024 Words

The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk was a single-engine, single-seat, metal fighter plane and ground-attack aircraft that was made by the Americans. The P-40 Warhawk fighters first flew in 1938 and caught the attention of the United States Army Air Corps, who placed the largest fighter plane order it had ever made for fighters for a count of 524 at a cost of US$13 million. This was the earliest serious fighter in WWII and did its job until better fighters came out. It was known as a safe and secure aircraft that was able to fly pilots back home after being shot up in action. Many variants of this plane were later created. In addition, the shark teeth graphics were a big feature on this plane. The first flight of the XP40 was in Buffalo, NY by a man†¦show more content†¦A P-40 would out-roll a Zero at high speeds, and a good P-40 pilot could use this to great effect if the Zero pilot fell for it. Another thing was that for every good Zero model, the P-40 had a variant that was faster. Therefore, the P-40 pilot could always break off an attack. The P-40, of course, had an even greater advantage in diving speeds, with well over 400 miles per hour attainable with no risk of damage to the planes strong airframe. Early Zeros couldnt hit 350 miles per hour without the risk of damage to their plane. To get back on topic of the P-40’s design, the P-40’s rudder had red, white, and blue stripes. The engine cowling had a large shark mouth and eye. There were actually only 199 P-40s made. The rest were variants of it. The next step in the P-40 developmental stage was the P-40A. The P-40A received a camera installation near the rear of the fuselage. The P-40B received a better protected fuel system to keep it from possibly being blown up. The P-40C then was given the ability to carry bombs and received self-sealing gas tanks. Less than 50 P-40 Ds were made, and they basically got a complete overhaul. They had a completely redesigned canopy, better cockpit, and all had two machine guns added, one in each wing and the distinctive chin air scoop was made bigger so they could properly cool the large Allison engines .The P-40E and P-40 E-I was a lot like the P-40D except the engines were a littleShow MoreRelatedJapan s Attack On Pearl Harbor Essay2361 Words   |  10 Pagesâ€Å"The Chopper† Finally, the aircrafts that were used over the course of the war also had a large impact on the outcome of the war. Three examples of these aircraft were the Grumman F6F Hellcat, the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk and finally the Boeing B-29 Super Fortress. The Hellcat was a fighter that was designed to take off of aircraft carriers. The Hellcat was known for it’s ability to secure air superiority over the Japanese in the Pacific. Throughout the entire war, the Hellcats were creditedRead MoreThe Safety Of Military Equipment1902 Words   |  8 Pagesassigning enlisted men. Most of them had been in training for aircrew duties in other fields such as pilots, navigators and bombardiers better know as flight clerks. The flight clerks were assigned to a special flight called â€Å"Red Ball.† This flight was set p to deliver crucial aircraft parts to ATC (Air Traffic Control) units.By the end of the war flight clerks where flying on mostly four-engine transports to be responsible for c argo and passengers as well. In the late 1940’s the term ‘loadmaster’ had been