Curtiss P-40 Warhawk

what is it?

The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk is an American single-engined, single-seat, all-metal fighter-bomber that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time and enabled a rapid entry into production and operational service. The Warhawk was used by most Allied powers during World War II, and remained in frontline service until the end of the war.

🔎How to recognise it: 1 piston engine with propeller · low wing · 11.4 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 581 km/htop speed
• range 1,100 kmwithout refuelling
• size 3,862 kgmax take-off weight
• built 13,738made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 88 years ago, in 1938.
• 🏎️Top speed is 4.5× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 11.4 m: about 3 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🌍Range of 1,100 km: 6× Amsterdam to Brussels.
• 🏔️Can fly 1.0× higher than Mount Everest (8,849 m).

piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.

spec sheet

first flight

1938-10-14

introduced

1938

retired

1958

status

retired

number built

13,738

role

fighter aircraft

origin

🇺🇸 United States

makers

Curtiss-Wright

engines

1× Allison V-1710-39 / V-1710

length

9.7 m

wingspan

11.4 m

height

3.3 m

max take-off weight

3,862 kg

top speed

581 km/h

cruise speed

496 km/h

range

1,100 km

ceiling

8,870 m

wings

low wing

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.