-The P-40 Warhawk-
-Summary-
The Warhawk was the first fighter America had at the onset of the war. It was also the first
that was mass produced. Compared to other fighters of he time it wasn't the fastest or the
most agile, but it was very sturdy as far as absorbing damage and keep on flying. The first
prototype was built in 1938 and they werestill produced until 1944. The united Staes was not
the only country that the Warhawks flew with. The Soviet Union, France, and Britain who
changed the name to Tomohawk. The Warhawk entered into several diffrent theatres with
diffrent countries. The most famous scenario would be the Flying Tigers. The flying Tigers
were a group of volunteer pilots who flew on behalf of Britain, the Soviet Union and China
before the United States entered the war. The group commander General Claire Chennault
headed up the recruitment of his volunteer group. There were 90 P-40B's and about 80
volunteers that arrived at Kunming. There first action was on the morning of December 20th
when a formation of Japenese bombers were spotted 60 miles out from the base. The results
were all but one bomber made it back to base not even being able to get close to their target.
There were no American casualties.
One of the most significant steps in P-40 development came in 1941, when a British-built
Rolls-Royce Merlin 28 engine with a single-stage, two-speed supercharger was installed in a
Kittyhawk I airframe to improve its high-altitude performance. The Curtiss H-87-D, or XP-40F,
as the Merlin-powered prototype became known, then had 1,300 hp available for takeoff, and
1,120 hp at 18,500 feet, which offered vast improvements over earlier models and endowed a
maximum speed of 373 mph. This was reduced slightly in the YP-40F, which, like later
variants, had the Packard-built Merlin V-1650-1 and revised cooling, the air intake above the
cowling being incorporated in the radiator scoop. Gross weight climbed to 9,870 lb.
The P-40 Warhawk Stats
______________________________
Origin: Curtiss-Wright Corporation
Type: Single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber
Dimensions:
Span: 37' 4" (11.36 metres)
Length: 31' 9" (9.7 metres)
Height: 12' 4" (3.75 metres)
Weight empty: 5,812 lb (2,636 kg) Weight loaded: 7,459 lb (3,393 kg)
Engine:
One 1,040 hp Allison V-1710-33 vee-12 liquid-cooled
Armament
Two x 0.50 caliber Browning machine-guns in fuselage plus four x 0.30 caliber Browning
machine-guns (two in each wing) or (British Tomahawk II) Six x 0.303 Browning machine-guns
Performance:
Maximum speed 345 mph (555 km/hour) Initial climb 2,650 feet (807 metres) per minute
Service ceiling approximately 30,000 feet(9,145 metres) Range 730 miles / 1,175 kilometres
-Summary-
The Warhawk was the first fighter America had at the onset of the war. It was also the first
that was mass produced. Compared to other fighters of he time it wasn't the fastest or the
most agile, but it was very sturdy as far as absorbing damage and keep on flying. The first
prototype was built in 1938 and they werestill produced until 1944. The united Staes was not
the only country that the Warhawks flew with. The Soviet Union, France, and Britain who
changed the name to Tomohawk. The Warhawk entered into several diffrent theatres with
diffrent countries. The most famous scenario would be the Flying Tigers. The flying Tigers
were a group of volunteer pilots who flew on behalf of Britain, the Soviet Union and China
before the United States entered the war. The group commander General Claire Chennault
headed up the recruitment of his volunteer group. There were 90 P-40B's and about 80
volunteers that arrived at Kunming. There first action was on the morning of December 20th
when a formation of Japenese bombers were spotted 60 miles out from the base. The results
were all but one bomber made it back to base not even being able to get close to their target.
There were no American casualties.
One of the most significant steps in P-40 development came in 1941, when a British-built
Rolls-Royce Merlin 28 engine with a single-stage, two-speed supercharger was installed in a
Kittyhawk I airframe to improve its high-altitude performance. The Curtiss H-87-D, or XP-40F,
as the Merlin-powered prototype became known, then had 1,300 hp available for takeoff, and
1,120 hp at 18,500 feet, which offered vast improvements over earlier models and endowed a
maximum speed of 373 mph. This was reduced slightly in the YP-40F, which, like later
variants, had the Packard-built Merlin V-1650-1 and revised cooling, the air intake above the
cowling being incorporated in the radiator scoop. Gross weight climbed to 9,870 lb.
The P-40 Warhawk Stats
______________________________
Origin: Curtiss-Wright Corporation
Type: Single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber
Dimensions:
Span: 37' 4" (11.36 metres)
Length: 31' 9" (9.7 metres)
Height: 12' 4" (3.75 metres)
Weight empty: 5,812 lb (2,636 kg) Weight loaded: 7,459 lb (3,393 kg)
Engine:
One 1,040 hp Allison V-1710-33 vee-12 liquid-cooled
Armament
Two x 0.50 caliber Browning machine-guns in fuselage plus four x 0.30 caliber Browning
machine-guns (two in each wing) or (British Tomahawk II) Six x 0.303 Browning machine-guns
Performance:
Maximum speed 345 mph (555 km/hour) Initial climb 2,650 feet (807 metres) per minute
Service ceiling approximately 30,000 feet(9,145 metres) Range 730 miles / 1,175 kilometres
