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Curtiss-Wright CW-21 Demon

1939 WORLD WAR 2

History

In the pre-World War II world, Curtiss-Wright engineers began work on an export-oriented, single-seat, single-engine interceptor influenced by the company's earlier two-seat Type 19 utility aircraft. Performance should be a key quality in lightweight designespecially rate of climballowing pilots to take off in short bursts, encounter incoming bomber formations, and dodge potential fighter duels when pressed.

The aircraft was designated the "Type 21" and was released under the official designation CW-21 "Devil".

The aircraft was in a configuration typical of the time, with low-slung monoplane wings. Metal is used throughout the building. The radial piston engine that drives the three-bladed propeller unit is installed in the forward compartment. The pilot sits in the midship cockpit, facing the rather long nose assembly.

There is a raised fuselage spine behind the cockpit to accommodate the required interior space, but this also limits rear visibility. The cockpit is covered with a framed canopy for a good view of the surroundings - again limited by the spine, long nose and monoplane wing below. As usual, the fuselage tapers to the rear, and the tail is completed by a small circular rudder unit and a low-set fin. The landing gear is in a "trailer" configuration, consisting of two main legs under the wings and a small tail wheel.

All three systems are retractable into the design, with the main legs retracted into the underwing fairings. Power is provided by a 1,000-horsepower Wright R-1820-G5 9-cylinder, air-cooled radial piston engine, and it performs as expectedtop speed is 315 mph with a high rate of climb.

The aircraft will be equipped with a combined machine gun installation. When it first flew on September 22, 1938, it had a 1 x .50 heavy machine gun and a 1 x .30 medium machine gun in the fairing.

Instead, the customer can assume the fighter is armed with 2 x .50 machine guns or 2 x .30 machine guns, depending on the needs. In each case, both machine gun mounts were synchronized to fire through the rotating propeller blades, limiting their rate of fire but reducing wing loading.

It's worth noting here that Curtiss-Wright decided to omit several key life-saving features from the design in order to maintain its impressively lightweight stature and performance. The plane lacks cockpit armor and self-sealing fuel tankstwo qualities that are commonplace with any classic WWII fighter design.

The weapons are deliberately light, limiting the offensive "shock" of the aircraft, and the overall structure is not as strong as military fighter jets require.

Budget-conscious China showed early interest in the CW-21 and delivered a prototype for testing. The Chinese liked what they saw and pushed for a procurement contract with Curtis-Wright.

During this period, the prototype was actually used against the Japanese army, with good results reported when the aircraft successfully shot down enemy bombers. The contract called for the retention of a single prototype and the addition of three airworthiness units. In addition to this, there is a contract to supply 27 combat-quality aircraft with 2 x .50 and 2 x .30 machine guns as standard armament.

Production of this batch will be done locally at the Chinese factory using kits provided by Curtis-Wright.

Three evaluation models were introduced in May 1940. It was an omen for the series when all four pigeons acquired early on, including the prototype, were lost in an accident.

An order for 27 people, which never materialized during the expansion in Japan, quickly offset the expected manufacturing facility. So the CW-21 Demon was not used by the Chinese to rage in the war with Japan.

Despite setbacks, Curtiss-Wright continues to develop their product. Subsequent changes to the landing gear (now flush with the wing line) and flaps (now hydraulically operated) resulted in a slightly heavier fuselage and reduced rate of climb, but still achieved roughly the same top speed (314 mph). The original Wright engine was retained, and armament included 4 x .30 caliber machine guns.

It turned out that enough design changes warranted the variant designation "CW-21B".

In April 1940, 24 Model Bs were sold to the Dutch Army. However, the country surrendered to Germany the following month and was forced to assign tasks to the Dutch East Indies. While the CW-21Bs were successful in killing the Japanese, they proved to be fodder for the more experienced and combative Japanese pilots.

The lack of self-sealing fuel tanks means the fuselage could catch fire or explode immediately if hit, and the lack of cockpit armor puts the pilot at mortal risk. Standard light weapons meant the plane was difficult to match with heavier Japanese designs, and the fuselage was fragile, with some planes grounded due to fractures. The only category in which the CW-21B excels is rate of climb - but that proved to be of little value to the faltering Dutch army.

The plane is also remembered for its poor landing qualities - in part due to its long nose.

This was the reign of the CW-21, only 62 examples were made (including the B-type). Curtiss-Wright introduced the two-seat version, the CW-22, in time, and the aircraft in turn controlled a 1 x .30 limited armament arrangement in a fixed forward firing position, and in trainable The training ones are installed in the rear cockpit.

The cockpits are all located under a long greenhouse-like canopy, and visibility is generally good.

The Netherlands became the main customer for the CW-22, but when the Netherlands fell to Germany, these were also transferred to the Dutch East Indies. The country ordered 36, and when Japanese expansion forced it, the examples ended up on Australian soil. The U.S. Army eventually fielded the CW-22 in 12 examples. US Navigator operates some as SNC-1 "Falcon" trainers.

An additional 75 CW-22 airframes were built and shipped to Turkey (as CW-22B) and some selected Central American countries.