Curtiss XP-10

Curtiss · United States · first flew 1928 · fighter

The Curtiss XP-10 was a single-seat pursuit aircraft prototype developed for the United States Army Air Corps in the late 1920s. It featured an unusual parasol or gull-wing arrangement to improve the pilot's forward visibility.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — WingsMid-mounted, tapered
E — Engines1 × piston, nose-mounted
F — Fuselage7.09 m fuselage
T — TailConventional

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

Spot it by:

A parasol or inverted gull-wing monoplane with a liquid-cooled inline engine; the distinctive wing arrangement and radiator installation set it apart from Curtiss's biplane pursuit types of the same era.

Specifications

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

History

The XP-10 was built in 1928 to evaluate a gull-wing monoplane configuration for Army Air Corps pursuit duties, powered by the Curtiss V-1570 Conqueror inline engine. Only one prototype was completed and it did not advance to production, as the Army preferred conventional biplane designs of the period.

Variants

A single prototype only; no production variant was ordered.

Where you'll see it

The XP-10 was used purely for evaluation and never entered Air Corps service.

Related aircraft

AircraftIQ — the aircraft field guide: 4,893 recognition guides, live overhead identification, works offline.