Curtiss XP-36F Hawk — The 23 mm Madsen Experiment

[Nostalgistic]

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🇺🇸 Curtiss XP-36F Hawk 🇺🇸

History

The Curtiss P-36 (Model 75) was the most numerous US Army fighter at the opening of the war, until it was displaced in 1941 by the P-40. When introduced in 1938, it achieved more than 300 mph and for a main landing gear that rotated 90 degrees when retracting aft to lie flat within the wing. However, its speed and weapons complement were badly outdated by December 1941. Yet, the P-36 was exported in the hundreds as late as 1942, allowing the design to become the first American fighter of the period to exceed 1,000 built. It fought in several theaters with many combatants as the Hawk 75, bearing a variety of engines and armament, with some featuring fixed landing gear.

In France, on 8 September 1939, Hawk 75s achieved the first Allied kills of the war by downing a pair of Bf 109s. Their only actions with the Americans were a few engagements during the Pearl Harbor attack, achieving four of the 10 kills made on 7 December 1941. Experimental P-36 models were created by adding guns and swapping engines until 1942, but no more were produced or deployed.

One of the experimental P-36 models with unique weapons was the P-36 Hawk with Danish-built 23 mm Madsen cannons. The 172nd P-36A was selected and modified, designated XP-36F, to install a 23 mm Madsen cannon under each wing while retaining the original machine guns in the cowling. These two Madsen cannons were installed directly into the underwing gondolas.

The XP-36F was completed and appeared in photographs as early as November 5, 1938. Curtiss sent the XP-36F to the US Army Air Corps for trials of the 23 mm Madsen cannons. While the firepower was tremendously improved, testing revealed that the aircraft’s maximum speed fell by 29 mph (46 km/h) compared to the standard P-36A due to the added weight.

Consequently, the experimental armament was not adopted by the US Army, as it was decided that the weight gain was detrimental to the P-36 airframe. The XP-36F appeared and was featured in an exhibition of fighters at Bolling AFB, Washington, DC, in January 1940. Afterward, the XP-36F was reverted to the P-36A standard by removing the 23 mm cannons and was scrapped at some point after October 1944.

Specifications

Curtiss XP-36F Hawk

General Characteristics

• Crew: 1 (Pilot)
• Dimensions: Identical to the in-game P-36A
• Powerplant:
  • Type: 1 x Pratt & Whitney R-1830-17 air-cooled radial piston engine
  • Power Output: 1,200 BHP (1,216.64 PS)
• Fuel/Oil: Identical to the in-game P-36A
• Weight (P-36A Standard):
  • Empty: 4,504 lb (2,043 kg)
  • Gross: 5,650 lb (2,563 kg)
  • Max. Takeoff: 5,840 lb (2,649 kg)

Engine Ratings w/ 100/130 octane

• Takeoff/Military
  → 1,200 BHP (1,216.64 PS) @ 2,700 RPM @ S.L.
• Continuous
  → 1,025 BHP (1,039.22 PS) @ 2,550 RPM @ S.L.
  → 1,050 BHP (1,064.56 PS) @ 2,550 RPM @ 6,500 ft (1,981 m)

Flight Performance

• Power-to-Weight Ratio: 0.21 hp/lb (0.47 ps/kg)
• Wing Loading: 23.9 lb/sq ft (116.9 kg/sq m)
• Max Speed: 284 mph @ 10,000 ft (3,048 m)
• Service Ceiling: 34,000 ft (10,363 m)

Armament

• Guns:

  • 1 x 0.50-cal M2 Browning machine gun in cowling (200 rds)
  • 1 x 0.30-cal M1919 Browning machine gun in cowling (500 rds)
    OR
  • 2 x 0.30-cal M1919 Browning machine guns in cowling (500 rpg; 1,000 rds)
    AND
  • 2 x 23-mm Madsen cannons (100 rpg; 200 rds)

• Bombs:

  • 10 x 30 lb M5 fragmentation bombs (wing)
  • 6 x 50 lb demolition bombs (wing)
  • 2 x 100 lb bombs (wing)
  • 1 x 500 lb bomb (centerline)

Images

This photo was taken at an exhibition of fighters at Bolling AFB, Washington, DC, in January 1940. It’s believed that the XP-36F is in this photo, top leftmost and nearest to the B-18 Bolo.

Sources

• No.6895-A Detail Specifications for Curtiss Hawk 75-A Pursuit Airplane (1938)
• William Green, Warplanes of the Second World War: Fighters Volume Four (1973)
• Peter M. Bowers, Curtiss Aircraft 1907-1947 (1979)
• Ray Wagner, American Combat Planes, Third Edition (1982)
• Enzo Angelucci, The American Fighter (1987)
• Robert F. Dorr, US Fighters of World War Two (1991)
• Bill Norton, U.S. Experimental & Prototype Aircraft Projects: Fighters 1939-1945 (2008)
• https://migflug.com/aircraft/curtiss-p-36-hawk/
• Curtiss P-36 Model 75 | World War Photos

Thank you for taking the time to read my suggestion! 😃

[AydanL44_Hunter]

+1 funny plane
I love planes with big guns

[ScimitarsCurse]

New suggestion from nostalgistic?

Instant +1

[Krza_Q]

Vote +1 of course
Big guns - big fun. It could be dangerous around 2.7 material with “meme plane” potential

[CharAznable3]

+1 for big guns! I’m sure they can top pen a tank

[JamesPond1200-psn]

Any excuse to have the 23mm Madsen guns in the game! +1