Curtiss XP-60C/60E

[Justo Miranda]

Curtiss XP-60C (Model 95C) technical data

Power plant: one 2,100 hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800-53, 18 cylinder,air-cooled radial engine, with General Electric turbo-supercharger, driving a six-bladed contra-rotating propeller with 12.1 ft of diameter, wingspan: 41.4 ft (12.62 m), length: 34 ft (10.38 m), height: 12.3 ft (3.75 m), wing area: 284 sq.ft (25.54 sq.m), maximum speed: 414 mph (666 kph), maximum weight: 11,835 lbs (5,368 kg), climb rate: 3,890 ft/min (1,186 m/min), service ceiling: 37,900 ft (11,552 m), armament: four 0.50 cal M2 wing mounted machine guns.

Curtiss XP-60E (Model 95D) technical data

Power plant: one 2,000 hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800-10, 18 cylinder, air-cooled radial engine, with General Electric turbo-supercharger, driving a four-bladed propeller, wingspan: 41.4 ft (12.62 m), length: 33.9 ft (10.33 m), height: 12.3 ft (3.75 m), wing area: 284 sq.ft (25.54 sq.m), maximum speed: 405 mph (652 kph), maximum weight: 10,320 lbs (4,681 kg), climb rate: 4,000 ft/min (1,220 m/min), service ceiling: 38,000 ft (11,582 m), armament: four 0.50 cal M2 wing mounted machine guns with 250 rounds per gun.

 

[blackkite]

Hi!
http://www.luftfahrtmuseum-hannover.de/images/wehrmann/Curtiss P-60.pdf

From Japanese blog.
XP-53
In-house name CW-88 (model 88). It was an improved version of XP-46, equipped with Continental XIV-1430-3 with laminar flow wing. Contracted on October 1, 1940, but canceled in November 1941 due to XP-60 plan. Two were built, one was converted to XP-60 and the other was used for ground testing.
XP-60
In-house name CW-90 (model 90). Prototype of XP-60 series completed with Rolls-Royce Merlin Mk.28. Eight 12.7mm machine guns were installed, and it made its first flight on September 18, 1941. Modified to XP-60D.
XP-60A
In-house name CW-95A (model 95A). Equipped with an Allison V-1710-75 and B-14 turbocharger, it made its first flight in November 1942. The maximum speed was 676km/h. One aircraft was manufactured and converted to XP-60B.
P-60A
XP-60A mass production plan type. 1900 aircraft were ordered, but all were cancelled.
YP-60A-1
Prototype of P-60A-1. Equipped with a single propeller. 26 aircraft were ordered, 2 of which were completed. One was remodeled into XP-60E.
P-60A-1
A model that was planned to be equipped with a counter-rotating propeller. Equipped with Pratt & Witney R-2800-10 engine. Armament were 4×12.7mm machine guns. 500 were ordered, but all were canceled prior to production.
XP-60B
In-house name CW-95B (model 95B). An aircraft that replaces the XP-60A turbocharger with SU-504-1 made by Wright. Equipped with 6 12.7mm machine guns. Finally refurbished as XP-60E.
XP-60C
In-house name CW-95C (model 95C). It had a contra rotating propeller, and was equipped with the Pratt & Witney R-2800-53 engine, but was scheduled to be equipped with the Chrysler XIV-2220 engine later. First flight in January 1943 with 6 12.7mm machine guns. The maximum speed was 666km/h. 1 aircraft producted.
XP-60D
In-house name CW-90B (model 90B). XP-60 with Packard V-1650-3 engine. Crashed on May 6, 1943.
XP-60E
In-house name CW-95D (model 95D). It was modified from XP-60B. XP-60C contra rotating propeller was changed to a 4-wing propeller, and it made its first flight in May 1943. The maximum speed was 660km/h. It was discarded due to an accident during the test, and the XP-60C aircraft was refurbished and the test continued.
YP-60E
An improved version of the YP-60A-1 that uses a bubble canopy, replacing the engine with the slightly more powerful R-2800-18 as a nominal mass-produced model. It made its first flight on July 15, 1944, but was canceled on December 22.
XP-60F
A modified version of YP-60A-1 with a different model of R-2800. Canceled before modification.

 

[Apteryx]

Hi!
http://www.luftfahrtmuseum-hannover.de/images/wehrmann/Curtiss P-60.pdf

From Japanese blog...

...

Thank you for the link and translation, Blackkite. A helpful list.

 

[blackkite]

Hi! I made a table for P-53/P-60 fighter.
It was difficult to make a table, especially P&W R-2800 engine data.
I'm not sure each R-2800 turbocharged or not.
Perhaps this table include some mistakes. I will correct them.

 

[blackkite]

Hi! XP-60C pictures and three side view drawing.
I can see turbocharger bottom of the fuselage as Justo-san contributed.
https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Upcoming/Photos/igphoto/2000538829/
https://www.sas1946.com/main/index.php?topic=33096.0

 

[blackkite]

This book contains also detailed information for P-60 fighter.
U.S.EXPERIMENTAL & PROTOTYPE AIRCRAFT PROJECTS FIGHTERS 1939-1945, Bill Norton.
https://books.google.co.jp/books?id=4EAcBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA85&lpg=PA85&dq=curtiss+YP-60E&source=bl&ots=KubGE2Qr9-&sig=ACfU3U3Oey4VFS_3gw623RMX-d7PHtaXrg&hl=ja&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj395ap-OzpAhXLdd4KHSOIBAkQ6AEwEnoECBQQAQ#v=onepage&q=curtiss YP-60E&f=false

 

[blackkite]

Hi!

 

[blackkite]

I reviewed the table of P-60 series fighters, referring to justo-san's wonderful data. It's a very difficult task for me.

 

[blackkite]

Hi YP-60E pictures.
http://www.airwar.ru/image/idop/fww2/p60e/

 

[Archibald]

What went wrong with Curtiss, that sunk them in ten years ? 1937-47 ?

 

[Johnbr]

https://flic.kr/p/2j37zER

 

[blackkite]

This aircraft must be YP-60A-1 or XP-60E .
Thanks a lot Johnbr-san. You have many amazing pictures.

 

[dan_inbox]

This aircraft must be YP-60A-1 or XP-60E .
Thanks a lot Johnbr-san. You have many amazing pictures.

BuNo 42-79425 is a Curtiss XP-60E. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curti...Ray_Wagner_Collection_Image_(28022763845).jpg

 

[blackkite]

Oh XP-60E!! Thanks a lot dan_inbox-san.
Bubble canopy is YP-60E.

 

[blackkite]

Hi! Difficult.....I will continue the investigation.

 

[Antonio]

What went wrong with Curtiss, that sunk them in ten years ? 1937-47 ?

From Wikipedia, and related to this topic:

"Curtiss-Wright failed to make the transition to design and production of jet aircraft, despite several attempts. During the war, the company had expended only small amounts on aircraft research and development, instead concentrating on incremental improvements in conventional aircraft already in wartime production. This was especially true in the first two years of the war. Curtiss' failure to research and develop more advanced wing and airframe designs provided an opening for North American, Bell, Lockheed, Northrop, and other U.S. aircraft manufacturers to submit newer and more advanced aircraft designs. The P-60, the firm's last prop-driven fighter design, was merely an extrapolation of its 1930s P-36 Hawk, offering no advantage over other designs already in service. With the rapid development of jet engine technology and near-supersonic flight, this technological lag resulted in Curtiss losing a number of critical postwar military aircraft orders. The final nail in the coffin was the choice of the Northrop F-89 Scorpion over the XF-87 Blackhawk; after the F-87 was cancelled October 10, 1948, Curtiss-Wright shut down its entire Aeroplane Division and sold the assets to North American Aviation."

Curtiss-Wright - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The company already exists in 2020

Curtiss-Wright Corporation - Company - History

www.curtisswright.com

 

[Archibald]

Hi! Difficult.....I will be keeping to try.

Joe Baugher agree with you... http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_fighters/p60.html

and sold the assets to North American Aviation.

Never realized this before... what a bitting irony, considering the NA-73 origins, in 1940... NAA victory over Curtiss was complete.

 

[Apteryx]

What went wrong with Curtiss, that sunk them in ten years ? 1937-47 ?

From Wikipedia, and related to this topic:


...Curtiss' failure to research and develop more advanced wing and airframe designs provided an opening for North American, Bell, Lockheed, Northrop, and other U.S. aircraft manufacturers to submit newer and more advanced aircraft designs. The P-60, the firm's last prop-driven fighter design, was merely an extrapolation of its 1930s P-36 Hawk, offering no advantage over other designs already in service....

Curtiss-Wright - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The rap on Curtiss-Wright has long been that they tried to get by on the cheap and that they relied too long on stretching old designs. This doesn't seem to me like an adequate explanation. They tried to replace the P-40 with a totally new design, the P-46. The remarkable fact is that it performed so poorly, and there's no obvious reason. Its general layout is remarkably similar to NAA's competing NA-73, which, of course, became the excellent P-51. NAA's ventral radiator design is cited as a big part of its aerodynamic edge, but is that the only real difference?
As for the P-60, dismissing it as a mere "extrapolation" ignores the fact that it also used a completely new wing and, in its later versions, new everything. I think Curtiss' management might be forgiven for not rolling the dice on another totally new prototype after the loss of time and money they experienced on the P-46. Granted, their engineers may not have had the genius of an Ed Heinemann leading the way, and their later designs were, let's just say, uninspired (XP-62, for example). It may be that Curtiss had one clear shot at beating its rivals in the Air Force fighter game, and the XP-46 was it. After that failed, it was either play it safe or take even bigger risks.

 

[blackkite]

We have same topic here. Excellent contribution!! Especially good tables.

https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/some-photo-or-artist-impression-about-curtiss-xp-60.9213/

 

[hesham]

We have same topic here. Excellent contribution!! Especially good tables.

I said that before.

 

[fightingirish]

Curtiss XP-60E, Connie II, No. 80 at the SDASM Archives

https://flic.kr/p/eR3aEo

See also:

Flickr Search — “XP-60 aircraft”

www.flickr.com

Flickr Search — “XP-60A”

www.flickr.com

Flickr Search — “YP-60A”

www.flickr.com

Flickr Search — “XP-60B”

www.flickr.com

Flickr Search — “XP-60C”

www.flickr.com

Flickr Search — “XP-60D”

www.flickr.com

Flickr Search — “XP-60E”

www.flickr.com

Flickr Search — “YP-60E”

www.flickr.com

The labels and picture descriptions might be false. Also some of these pictures have been posted before, either here in this topic or somewhere else in this forum. That is the main reason, why I won't attach or link each individual picture here in this forum.

 

[blackkite]

Hi! XP-60E.
I can see fuselage bottom air outlet and fuselage side air outlet (before US Army Aviation International Sign).
I imagine that fuselage bottom air outlet is turbocharger drive gas outlet (engine exhaust gas) and fuselage side air outlet is intercooler cooling air outlet.
Also I imagine that fuselage bottom air intake is for turbocharger and intercooler. Perhaps oil cooler is located bottom of the engine.
I want to know your opinion.

https://www.mediastorehouse.com/mar...urtiss-model-95-xp-60e-42-79425-10631986.html

 

[blackkite]

Hi! YP-60E.
I imagine the YP-60E's oil cooler, turbocharger, and intercooler are all packed underneath the engine.
https://www.shu-aero.com/AeroPhotos_Shu_Aero/Aircraft_C/Curtiss/YP_60E_43_32763_01.html

 

[HoHun]

Hi,

In-house name CW-95C (model 95C). It had a contra rotating propeller, and was equipped with the Pratt & Witney R-2800-53 engine, but was scheduled to be equipped with the Chrysler XIV-2220 engine later.

I just stumbled upon this article on contra-rotating propellers, which might be relevant for the type: https://enginehistory.org/Propellers/Curtiss/CEContra/CEContra.shtml

Regards,

Henning (HoHun)

 

[hesham]

From the book, The American Fighter The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft from 1917 to the Present.