Curtiss XF-87 Blackhawk

Curtiss-Wright · United States · first flew 1948 · fighter

The Curtiss XF-87 Blackhawk was an all-weather interceptor prototype representing Curtiss-Wright's final military aircraft design. It used four turbojet engines buried in pairs inside the fuselage roots, fed by cheek intakes.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Mid-mounted, straight
E — Engines	4 × turbojet, fuselage-mounted
F — Fuselage	Curtiss's last fighter design — four turbojets buried in the fuselage in two pairs
T — Tail	Conventional

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

Curtiss's last fighter design — four turbojets buried in the fuselage in two pairs
Straight mid-wing jet all-weather interceptor with a nose radar pod
Two-seat tandem cockpit with long glazed canopy

A large straight-wing jet with four engines exhausting from the lower fuselage flanks, giving the rear fuselage a cluster of exhaust nozzles. The nose radome and long two-seat canopy are also distinctive.

Specifications

The Curtiss XF-87 Blackhawk has a length of 19.15 m (63 ft).
It has a wingspan of 18.29 m (60 ft).
Its maximum speed is 966 km/h (600 mph).
Typical crew: 2 (tandem).

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

Developed from a 1945 USAAF requirement, the XF-87 first flew in March 1948. It competed against the Northrop F-89 Scorpion for the all-weather interceptor role and lost. The programme was cancelled that same year, effectively ending Curtiss-Wright's career as a military aircraft manufacturer — a company that had produced fighters since WWI.

Variants

Only two prototypes were built; no production variant was ordered.

Where you'll see it

Never entered service. Both prototypes were scrapped after programme cancellation in 1948.

Related aircraft

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