Curtiss XP-10

XP-10

The sole Curtiss XP-10 (s/n 28-387)
Role	Biplane fighter
Manufacturer	Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company
Retired	1928
Status	Cancelled
Primary user	United States Army Air Corps
Number built	One

The Curtiss XP-10 was an American experimental biplane fighter developed by Curtiss and tested by the United States Army Air Corps.

Design and development

Ordered on 18 June 1928, it was intended to be fast and maneuverable enough to win a dogfight. The XP-10 used a gull wing top wing, joined at the fuselage; this offered much better pilot visibility than the traditional biplane configuration. Coincidentally, this also permitted the wing and fuselage to meet at the optimum angle for minimizing drag.^[1] The wings were plywood-covered (rather than doped fabric, as used in World War I), and the fuselage was fabric-covered steel tubing.

The XP-10 used a 600 hp (447 kW) Curtiss V-1570-15 Conqueror water-cooled V12 engine. To overcome the drag of a radiator (a quite serious issue before the introduction of ethylene glycol), Curtiss incorporated it into the upper wing. It was formed of corrugated brass sheets through which cooling water was run. While ingenious, this introduced technical and mechanical problems, especially vulnerability to enemy fire in a combat aircraft.

Operational history

Delivered to the Army Air Corps in August 1928, the XP-10 first flew in September.^[2] Despite excellent maneuverability, with the XP-10 proving superior to the Curtiss Hawk in testing,^[2] persistent problems with cooling and the plumbing of the surface radiator led to the XP-10 being abandoned.

Operators

United States

United States Army Air Corps

Specifications

Data from U.S.Fighters, Lloyd Jones, Aero Publishers 1975, Fighters of the United States Air Force.^[2]

General characteristics

Crew: one pilot
Length: 24 ft 6 in (7.47m)
Wingspan: 33 ft (10.06 m)
Height: 10 ft 10 in (3.30 m)
Wing area: 238 ft² (21.1 m²)
Empty weight: approx. 2,900 lb (1,315 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 3,400 lb (1,542 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Curtiss V-1570-15 Conqueror water-cooled 12-cylinder vee, 600 hp (448 kW)

Performance

Maximum speed: 150 knots (173 mph, 279 km/h)
Cruise speed: 113 knots (130 mph, 209 km/h)
Range: 195 mi (170 NM, 314 km)
Service ceiling: 19,610 ft (5,977 m)
Rate of climb: 1,940 ft/min (9.86 m/s)

Armament

none installed (one 0.3 in and one 0.5 in machine guns planned

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Curtiss XP-10.

Notes

↑ Green 1973, p. 188.
1 2 3 Dorr and Bishop 1990, p. 41.

Bibliography

Dorr, Robert F. and David Donald. Fighters of the United States Air Force. London: Temple, 1990. ISBN 0-600-55094-X.
Green, William. War Planes of the Second World War, Fighters. Volume Four. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, 1973.
Jones, Lloyd S. U.S. Fighters: 1925-1980s. Fallbrook, California: Aero Publishers, Inc., 1975. ISBN 0-8168-9200-8.

Aircraft produced by Curtiss and Curtiss-Wright

Manufacturer
designations

Early types	Golden Flier Reims Racer Hudson Flyer Gordon Bennett Monoplane Beachey Special

Model letters	C D E F FL G GS H HA J K L M MF N NC O JN R S T

Model numbers	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27¹ 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45¹ 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59A/59B 60 61 62 63 64 65¹ 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74¹ 75 76 77 78¹ 79 80¹ 81 82 83¹ 84 85 86 87 88 89¹ 90 91 92¹ 93¹ 94 95 96 97 98 99

"CA" series	CA-1

"CW" series	CW-1 CW-2 CW-3 CW-4 CW-5 CW-6 CW-7 CW-8 CW-9 CW-10 CW-11 CW-12 CW-14 CW-15 CW-16 CW-17 CW-18 CW-19 CW-20 CW-21 CW-22 CW-23 CW-24 CW-25 CW-27 CW-29 CW-32

"X" series	X-100 X-200

Operator & role

Civil

Experimental	No. 1 Model C Tanager

Racers & record	No. 2 Cox Racer

Airliners	Eagle Condor 18 Condor II Kingbird Thrush Commando

Utility	Model D Model E Model F Carrier Pigeon Falcon Robin Lark 6B CW-10 CW-12 CW-15 Sedan CW-16 CW-19W

Army

Ground attack	A-3 A-4 A-5 A-6 A-8 YA-10 A-12 YA-14 A-18 A-25 A-40 XA-43

Bombers	NBS-1 B-2 XNBS-4

Transports	XC-10 C-30 Condor C-46 Commando C-55 Commando C-76 C-113 Commando

Fighters	S 18 PN-1 PW-8 P-1 to P-6 XP-10 P-11 P-14² P-17 XP-18² XP-19² YP-20 XP-21 XP-22 XP-23 XP-31 P-36 P-37 P-40 XP-42 XP-46 XP-53 XP-55 YP-60 XP-62 XP-71 XP-87

Observation	O-1 O-11 O-12 O-13 O-16 O-18 XO-24² O-26 XO-30² O-39 O-40 O-52

Racers	R-6 R-8

Trainers	J L JN Fledgling AT-4 Hawk AT-5 Hawk BT-4 AT-9 Jeep

Experimental	X-19

Licensed	USAO-1 NBS-1/model 30

Navy

Bombers	CT BFC BF2C SBC SB2C XSB3C² XBTC XBT2C

Fighters	HA GS TS-1 FC F2C F3C F4C F5C¹ F6C F7C F8C F9C F10C F11C XF12C F13C XF14C XF15C

Observation/scout	CS/SC S2C XS3C S4C SC OC O2C O3C SOC SO2C SO3C

Trainers	N-9 N2C CW-16 SNC

Transports	RC R4C R5C

Maritime patrol	H-16 F5L HS-1L & HS-2L

Racers & record	NC CR R2C R3C

Export

Bombers	Canada CW-14 Osprey

Martime patrol	H-2, H-4, H-8 & H-16 F5L HS-2L

Fighters	CW-17² CW-21 Demon

Trainers	Canuck CW-14 Osprey CW-16 CW-22

¹ Designation skipped ² Not built

USAAS/USAAC/USAAF/USAF fighter designations 1924–1962

Pursuit (pre-1948) Fighter (post-1948)	P-1 P-2 P-3 XP-4 P-5 P-6 XP-7 XP-8 XP-9 XP-10 P-11 P-12 XP-13 XP-14 XP-15 P-16 P-17 YP-18 YP-19 YP-20 P-21 XP-22 P-23 YP-24 P-25 P-26 P-27 P-28 P-29 P-30 XP-31 P-32 P-33 XP-34 P-35 P-36 P-37 P-38 P-39 P-40 XP-41 P-42 P-43 P-44 P-45 XP-46 P-47 XP-48 XP-49 XP-50 P-51 XP-52 P-53 XP-54 XP-55 XP-56 XP-57 XP-58 P-59 P-60 P-61/C XP-62 P-63 P-64 P-65 P-66 XP-67 XP-68 P-69 P-70 XP-71 XP-72 P-73 P-74¹ P-75 XP-76 XP-77 P-78 XP-79 P-80 XP-81 F-82 XP-83 F-84 F-85 F-86/D XF-87 F-88 F-89 XF-90 XF-91 XF-92 YF-93 F-94 F-95 F-96 F-97 F-98 F-99 F-100 F-101 F-102 XF-103 F-104 F-105 F-106 F-107 XF-108 XF-109 F-110 F-111/B

Pursuit, Biplace	PB-1 PB-2 PB-3

Fighter, Multiplace	FM-1 FM-2

¹ Not assigned See also: F-24 • F-117 • P-400 • post-1962 sequence

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