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Curtiss XP-62

1943 WORLD WAR 2 X-PLANE

History of the Curtis XP-62

Curtiss Aircraft's success in supplying aircraft to US Army fighter jets lies in the classic P-40 "Warhawk" series. However, it was a thoroughly prewar design, and the company's many attempts to secure more orders for the Army's fighter jets ultimately failed.

There were also attempts to improve upon the original P-40 product itself, but these too failed as rivals such as Lockheed, Republic and North America flooded in to bring potentially lucrative Army deals to the negotiating table.

The XP-62 was developed by Curtis to build a very fast combat platform around the largest radial piston engine of its time, the Wright R-3350 "Cyclone 18". The work began even before the United States committed to World War I in December 1941. In January of that year, Curtis presented his plan to U.S.

Army authorities and convinced them of the fighter's potential, allowing him to secure funding for the effort by the end of the month.

The Cyclone engine has been in service since 1936, but it has proven so capricious that delays are commonplace. Despite its bulk, the engine was rated at over 2,000 hp and was used as the powerplant for the famous Boeing B-29 Superfortress heavy bomber (the bomber used four of these engines).

Perhaps more interestingly, it was used to power a more compact fighter - giving it unprecedented speed and a power factor unrivaled at the time. During this period, Wright products were among the most powerful in their class - the Wright R-3350-17 model was chosen to power the XP-62 design and delivered over 2,300 horsepower.

The turbo should also be part of the engine installation. Due to the forces involved, a large diameter (over 13 feet) six-bladed counter-rotating propeller would be mounted on the front of the aircraft.

In addition to the huge radial, the aircraft had a modern metal hull construction, a pressurized cockpit for high altitude flight, and the armament of the then-impressive 12x.50 caliber Browning heavy machine gun. Alternatively, the machine gun can be replaced with a battery pack of four to eight 20mm guns for a more powerful frontal "strike".

The end product became a sturdy monoplane with a deep fuselage and a turbocharged intake duct under the nose that was used to direct air to the midship. A raised fuselage spine at the rear of the cockpit limits rearward visibility but increases internal volume for fuel, avionics and other vital components.

The cockpit is covered with a greenhouse-like canopy behind the engine unit. The caudal fin consists of a circular vertical caudal fin emanating from the dorsal ridge and a centrally joined horizontal plane. The landing gear adopts the typical rear tug arrangement and is fully retractable.

Unlike the expected machine gun arrangement, the weapons are now focused exclusively on those with only eight guns - a maximum of eight.

Curtis developed the aircraft under the product name "Type 91" and presented his streamlined scheme in April 1940. This was approved the following month and included a prototype XP-62 and a production-quality XP-62A - the first of which were ready by the end of 1942.

However, as Curtis engineers got to work, it soon became apparent that the engine in question would not be ready in time.

However, in December 1941, a model was available for verification. By this time, the weight of the product had skyrocketed, and a reduction in weight was called for (which led to a mutually agreed upon 4x20mm artillery weapon). default).

In May 1942, the Army submitted a formal production contract to Curtis to manufacture the finished P-62A. However, the contract was cancelled in July when the Boeing B-29 program required selected Wright engine stocks.

Army authorities are also concerned about undermining Curtis' commitment to producing the P-40 and Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighter jets.

The XP-62 prototype continues to be scaled down as it no longer has the urgency it once had. The first flight was finally recorded on July 21, 1943, but the model was still stripped of its vital components and not representative of a production fighter. Within a few months, the XP-62 program was completely phased out (this happened on September 21, 1943) as the Army had access to better alternatives as it entered the final years of the war.

Curtis is trying to convince the Army of the merits of turning the new aircraft into a low-altitude-to-surface attack platform, but there is already a lot of competition in this area from existing effective types as well as models under development.

At the end of the day, the XP-62 was one of the last Curtiss to launch during the war years. His P-40 design was his only truly classic combat contribution, never surpassed until the conflict ended. Only one XP-62 prototype was realized, and its flight life was short.

When finished, the XP-62 can reach a top speed of 450 mph (closer to 470 mph in the original spec), a range of up to 1,500 miles, and a service ceiling of 35,700 feet (hence the cockpit pressurization system) - which is also proved problematic). Dimensions include a length of 39.5 feet, a wingspan of 54 feet and a height of 16.25 feet.