- Yes
- No
TL;DR:
Fighter, reserve tier competitor to the P-26, has weird cockpit gunpods.
Overview:
In 1932, the US Army issued contracts for a monoplane pursuit aircraft, with the army providing the engine and other military equipment. Curtiss answered this with their Model 66, designated the XP-934 and later XP-31, with the name of Swift. Only Curtiss’ second monoplane, after the A-8 Shrike, the XP-31 contained many similar features, namely the enclosed cockpit, flaps, and wing slats. Originally designed for the inline Curtiss Conqueror, the Army insisted on the newer radial Wright Cyclone. One notable feature of the XP-31 was the gunpods on the sides of the cockpit, which each contained a .30cal machine gun, which along with the two nose MGs, gave the XP-31 double the firepower of the P-26. It could also carried an external fuel tank between the fixed landing gear.
The XP-31 was completed in July 1932, but initial flight tests showed that it had poor performance, and very quickly the Cyclone engine was replaced with the originally intended Conqueror engine, which improved performance a little although the plane in general was way overweight. It was delivered to the Army in February 1933, with the civilian engine replaced by an equivalent military variant. It was expectedly rejected, and was in fact redesignated the ZXP-31, with the Z meaning obsolete. It was kept around until July 1936 when it was given to an aircraft mechanics school. Afterwards it was scrapped.
Specifications:
Weight:
Empty: 1512kg
Take-off: 1879kgDimensions:
Length: 8m
Wing Span: 10.97m
Wing Area: 18.85m²
Height: 2.36mEngine:
1x Curtiss V-1570-53 Conqueror Inline V-12 piston engine
600hp
Max Fuel: 473L + ?L External Fuel Tank
Liquid-cooledPerformance:
Max Speed:
346km/h at sea level
Ceiling: 6919m
Range: 637km
Rate of Climb: 649.2m/minCrew: 1
Armament:
4x1 7.62mm Browning
Images:
Sources:
Bowers, P. M. (1979). Curtiss Aircraft 1907-1947 (pp. 333-335). Putnam.
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