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XP-31 Swift
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| XP-31 Swift | |
|---|---|
| Curtiss XP-31 in test flight (U.S. Air Force photo) | |
| Type | Experimental monoplane fighter |
| Manufacturer | Curtiss |
| Maiden flight | 1933 |
| Introduced | 1933 |
| Primary user | United States Army Air Corps |
| Number built | 1 |
The Curtiss XP-31 Swift (company model XP-934) was a 1930s American experimental monoplane fighter built by Curtiss for the United States Army Air Corps.
Although the XP-31 featured the first enclosed cockpit on a U.S. pursuit aircraft, it was also the last pursuit aircraft to have fixed landing gear and externally braced wings. Despite its innovations, the XP-31 did not offer any advantages compared to its rival the Boeing P-26 and was not ordered into series production.
Contents
Design and development
Curtiss offered the XP-934 in a 1932 competition with the P-26. It was a low-wing monoplane with fixed, strut-braced landing gear, first flown in July. It was the AAC's first single-seat closed-cockpit fighter, and the last with fixed gear and wing struts. Despite its quite small size, it was badly overweight, and carried 125 U.S. gal (104 Imp gal, 474 liters) fuel. Although Curtiss considered the design significant in that it introduced various new technologies, compared to its contemporaries, the XP-934 was already outmoded, and, more importantly, testing showed that it fell below performance expectations.[1]
Testing and evaluation
Powered by a 700 hp (520 kW) R-1750 Cyclone radial, its performance was dismal, despite retractable slots on the wing leading edge and large trailing-edge flaps, so a 600 hp (450 kW) Curtiss V-1570 Conqueror was substituted. In this form, the Curtiss XP-31 Swift (s/n 33-178) was delivered on 1 March 1933, having already lost to the P-26. The sole example was scrapped in 1935.[1]
Operators
Specifications
Related lists
Lists relating to aviation | |
|---|---|
| General | Timeline of aviation · Aircraft · Aircraft manufacturers · Aircraft engines · Aircraft engine manufacturers · Airports · Airlines |
| Military | Air forces · Aircraft weapons · Missiles · Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) · Experimental aircraft |
| Notable incidents and accidents | Military aviation · Airliners · General aviation · Famous aviation-related deaths |
| Records | Flight airspeed record · Flight distance record · Flight altitude record · Flight endurance record · Most produced aircraft |
References
Notes
Bibliography
- Boeing Company. Pedigree of Champions: Boeing Since 1916, Third Edition. Seattle, WA: The Boeing Company, 1969.
- Donald, David, ed. Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. Etobicoke, ON: Prospero Books, 1997. ISBN 1-85605-375-X.
- Dorr, Robert F. and Donald, David. Fighters of the United States Air Force. London: Aerospace Publishing, 1990. ISBN 0-60055-094-X.
- Jones, Lloyd S. U.S. Fighters: Army-Air Force 1925 to 1980s. Fallbrook, California: Aero Publishers, 1975. ISBN 0-8168-9200-8.
Template:USAF fighters Template:Curtiss aircraft
Lists relating to aviation | |
|---|---|
| General | Timeline of aviation · Aircraft · Aircraft manufacturers · Aircraft engines · Aircraft engine manufacturers · Airports · Airlines |
| Military | Air forces · Aircraft weapons · Missiles · Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) · Experimental aircraft |
| Notable incidents and accidents | Military aviation · Airliners · General aviation · Famous aviation-related deaths |
| Records | Flight airspeed record · Flight distance record · Flight altitude record · Flight endurance record · Most produced aircraft |
| This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "XP-31 Swift". |
