Aircraft: Curtiss P-40N-5-CU Warhawk
Description: Single-engine monoplane fighter
Description: The final production model of the series, the P-40N represented Curtis’ efforts to improve the Warhawk’s performance by decreasing the plane’s weight, installing the new Allison V-1710 engine, lengthening the fuselage, and improving the rearward visibility by expanding the cockpit.
Early-model P-40N-1-CUs had the best performance of any P-40, with notable increases to speed and rate of climb by deleting two of the machine guns from the wings, dropping the armament from 6x M2 0.5 cals to just 4x M2 .50 cals. Later variants from the P-40N-5 onwards started installing them again after pilot reports about the armament’s poor efficacy in combat started flooding in. Nevertheless, “hot rod” P-40Ns with the reduced armament saw speeds of up to 378 mph, while later, heavier blocks saw “just ~345-50 mph.
Despite the improved performance of the P-40N-5’s late-model Allison engine, it was still inadequate for many sorties in the European Theater which involved high-altitude mission profiles. This was primarily due to the lack of a two-stage supercharger. As a result, the P-40N was primarily used for ground attack in Europe (primarily over Italy), although in the Pacific Theater it still saw some success as a fighter.
In addition to seeing service with the USAAF, the P-40N series saw great usage with with Commonwealth nations like the RAAF and RNZAF who used the type as late as 1945.
Fuel and Oil Data:
Internal Fuel Capacity: 157 gallons
Oil Capacity: 8.75 gallons
Engine Data:
Manufacturer: Allison
Designation: V-1710-81
Engine Count: 1
Number of Cylinders: 12
Configuration: Double-row inline, water-cooled
Supercharger: single-stage, single-speed
Power Data:
Takeoff Power (52” Hg): 1200 HP @ 3000 RPM @ SL
Combat Power (57” Hg, ram air): 1480 HP @ 3000 RPM @ 10000 ft
Combat Power (57” Hg, no ram air): 1480 HP @ 3000 RPM @ 7500 ft
Military Power at (44.2” Hg, ram air): 1125 BHP @ 3000 RPM @ 17000 ft
Military Power at (44.2” Hg, no ram air): 1125 BHP @ 3000 RPM @ 15000 ft
Max Continuous Power (38” Hg): 1000 HP @ 2600 RPM @ 14400 ft
Max Cruise Power (31” Hg): 760 HP @ 2300 RPM @ 16600 ft
Propellor Data:
Manufacturer: Curtis
Blade Count: 3
Blade Diameter: 11 ft (?)
Dimensional Data:
Length: 33 ft, 3.72 in
Height: 12 ft, 4.5 in
Wing Span: 37 ft, 3.5 in
Wing Area: 236 sq. ft
Wing Loading (Gross Weight): 35 lbs/sq. Ft
Weight Data:
Empty Weight: 6200 lbs
Gross Weight (clean): 8260 lbs
Maximum Takeoff Weight: 10300 lbs
General Performance Data:
Max Speed (clean condition): 350 mph (563.27 kph)
Power-off, flaps-up, gear up Stall Speed (Gross Weight): 88 mph (141.62 kph)
Power-off, flaps-down, gear down Stall Speed (Gross Weight): 79 mph (127.14 kph)
Service Ceiling: 31000 ft
Maximum Speeds (clean condition, auto-rich mixture, 3000 RPM):
At SL (44.5” Hg): 287 mph (461.88 kph)
At 5000 ft (44.5” Hg): 306 mph (492.46 kph)
At 10000 ft (44.5” Hg): 325.5 mph (523.84 kph)
At 15000 ft (44.5” Hg): 344 mph (553.61 kph)
At 16400 ft (44.5” Hg): 350 mph (563.27 kph)
At 20000 ft (39.2” Hg): 342.5 mph (551.20 kph)
At 25000 ft (32.1” Hg): 326 mph (524.65 kph)
Rate of Climb (clean condition, auto-rich mixture, 3000 RPM, 8300 lbs):
At SL (44.5” Hg): 1860 ft/min (9.45 m/s)
At 5000 ft (44.5” Hg): 1900 ft/min (9.65 m/s)
At 10000 ft (44.5” Hg): 1935 ft/min (9.83 m/s)
At 14000 ft (44.5” Hg): 1960 ft/min (9.96 m/s)
At 20000 ft (39.2” Hg): 1310 ft/min (6.66 m/s)
At 25000 ft (32.1” Hg): 760 ft/min (3.81 m/s)
Armament:
Guns: 6x M2 .50 cal Browning HMG (1410 rounds, 235 RPG)
Bombs: 2x 500 lb OR
2x 1000 lb (wing-mounted) and 1x 500 lb (center rack)
This information was pulled from an old p40n5 posted by Aquila link provided for the old forum post
