Curtiss P-36C Hawk
Curtiss · United States · first flew 1935 · fighter
The Curtiss P-36C Hawk was a single-seat radial-engined pursuit fighter that equipped the US Army Air Corps in the late 1930s. It was one of the most capable American fighters of its era before being supplanted by more advanced designs.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Low-mounted, tapered |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Short stubby fuselage with large engine nacelle |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Radial-engined monoplane with blunt cowling
- Low tapered wings with rounded tips
- Short stubby fuselage with large engine nacelle
Distinguished by its large radial cowling, low tapered wings, and enclosed cockpit with a framed canopy; the rounded fuselage cross-section and spatted undercarriage are distinctive period features.
Specifications
- The Curtiss P-36C Hawk has a length of 8.69 m (29 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 11.38 m (37 ft).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Developed from the Curtiss Model 75, the P-36 first flew in 1935 and entered USAAC service in 1938. The P-36C was a refined variant with additional wing-mounted guns and an uprated Pratt & Whitney R-1830 engine. Hawk fighters saw combat at Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, being among the few American aircraft to score kills that day.
Variants
The Hawk 75 family encompassed the P-36A through P-36C for the USAAC, plus extensive export variants sold to France as the Hawk 75A, where they achieved notable success against Luftwaffe aircraft in 1940.
Where you'll see it
France operated the Hawk 75A in large numbers and credited it with over 300 aerial victories during the Battle of France; surviving French aircraft were later used by Finland and other Allied nations.
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- Curtiss P-36 Hawk
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