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Curtiss XP-31 Swift

1932 GOLDEN AGE X-PLANE

History of Curtiss XP-31 Swift

The Curtiss Aircraft and Motor Company was a major player in the fighter jet industry in the 1920s and 1930s. One of the many contributions of this period became the prototype of the XP-31 "Swift" monoplane.

Only one was built because it lost the competition to the Boeing design that would later become the famous P-26 "Pea Shooter" monoplane (detailed elsewhere on this page).

The XP-31 was a product of its time, and appeared between the two world wars when painted landing gear, enclosed cockpits and metal casings became the norm. Curtis began work in 1931, which included a braced, low-position monoplane wing structure with a conventional single-tail stabilizer. The main landing gear legs (from the outriggers to the wheels) go through massive fairings, and the engines are housed in a streamlined nose.

The lone pilot sits in the enclosed cockpit space directly behind the main wing aircraft.

In its original form, the Swift was powered by a 700-horsepower air-cooled Wright T-1820 "Whirlwind" radial engine in the nose, driving a two-bladed propeller unit. The first flight was recorded in July 1932.

The aircraft has retractable full-span slats and trailing edge flaps for maximum low-speed control. When the first iteration found insufficient performance, the aircraft was converted to a Curtiss GIV-1570-F "Conqueror" 12-cylinder, 600-horsepower, Commonstone-cooled engine (now driving a three-bladed propeller).

The model was officially accepted for USAAC's competition with Boeing.

However, despite being planned for testing in the 1933 Game 1, the XP-31 had already been surpassed by the superior Boeing design and was chosen as the next fighter for the USAAC. As a result, the XP-31 quickly became history, and the only example was eventually scrapped in 1935.

When completed, the XP-31 will have a length of 8 meters, a wingspan of 11 meters and a height of 2.4 meters. Curb weight is 1,512kg and MTOW is 1,880kg. Top speed reaches 335 km/h (208 mph) and range is 595 km (370 miles). Service is capped at 7,440 meters (24,400 feet).

The proposed weapons are 2 x 7.62mm M1919 Browning machine guns, mounted on fixed forward-firing mounts in the nose hood, and 2 x 7.62mm M1919 Browning machine guns, fixed in the "cheek" position of the fuselage on the front bracket.