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American Combat Planes of the 20th Century is an incredible reference for anyone who is interested in any American Combat Plane History. There are 758 pages and 1700 b/w photos in this substantial labor of love by Ray Wagner, who has been passionately researching and writing about aircraft for over 50 years. Whether you are already familiar with his past works, or just discovering this accomplished author for the first time... This is the book that you've been waiting for!

If you'd like to see the book's Table of Contents ... Click here. You can also browse the entire Index Section to get an idea of the extensive amount of information that is covered within this book.

Search our site for other combat planes. A- 1 Eaton A- 4 Skyhawk A- 6 & A- 7 Air Weapons AV- 8 to A- 10 A- 20 Havoc A- 22 Martin Maryland A- 23 Martin Baltimore A- 24 Douglas A- 26 Douglas Invader Attack Planes B- 2A, F-111, F-117 Stealth B- 17 Flying Fortress B- 24 Liberator B- 25 North American B- 26 Marauder B- 29 Superfortress B- 32 Dominator B- 35 Flying Wing B- 36 B- 47 Stratojet B- 50 Boeing B- 52 Stratofortress B- 57 Canberra B- 58 Hustler Biplanes Biplanes, Army Pursuits Bombers, B- 70 to Stealth Bombers, First Big Curtiss Falcon CO- 1 DH- 4 De Havilland F3D- Douglas Skyknight F3H- McDonnell Demon F4D- 1 Skyray F4F Grumman Wildcats F- 4U Corsair F6F Grumman F7F Grumman F7U Vought F9F G. Cougar F9F G. Panther F- 16 Fighting Falcon F- 84 F- 86 Sabre F- 89 to F-94 F- 100 to F-108 First Fighters Flying Boats GAX Iraq to Afghanistan Martin Bombers Missile Era Fighters Navy Fighers Navy Flying Boats O- 2 Douglas P- 35 Seversky P- 36 to 42 Curtiss P- 38 Lightning P- 39 Airacobra P- 40 Line P- 47 Thunderbolt P- 51 Mustang Fighter P- 61 Black Widow P- 63 Kingcobra P- 79 to P-81 P- 82 Twin Mustang SB2C Helldiver TBF-TBM Avenger Thomas-Morse Torpedo Planes V- 11 Vultee XB -28 XP -48 / 77

Army Pursuits the Biplane Period, 1920-1932

Curtiss P-1 through XP-4

Page 9

CURTISS P-3A CURTISS P-3A (with ring cowl) Tests indicated that continuous increments of weight had depressed the Hawk’s performance. Cost of the P-lC, $9,862 each, was very low compared to today’s fighters. Navy Hawks of this type were F6C-3s built at Buffalo, while one P-lA was sold to Japan, and Chile bought eight P-lAs and eight P-lBs in 1927.

In addition, 52 of 71 Hawks built as low-powered AT-4 and AT-5 advanced trainers were converted with D-12 engines in 1929 to P-lD, P-lE, and P-lF fighter trainers used at Kelly Field for advanced students. Standard P-l pursuits equipped the four squadrons (17, 27, 94 and 95) of the First Pursuit Group.

While these Hawks went into service, the same basic airframe tested other engine arrangements. Five Curtiss P-2s bought on the first P-l contract and flown in December 1925, had the 505-hp Curtiss V-1400. Like most previous types, this was a water-cooled inline engine, but the Curtiss XP-3 was the last P-lA set aside in October 1926 for a 400-hp air-cooled Curtiss R-1454 radial.

But that power plant failed, so a 410-hp Pratt & Whitney R-1340-9 radial was substituted for the XP-3A (project XP-451) delivered in October 1927. Five P-3As with the R-1340-3 had been ordered December 27, 1927, and delivery began on October 5, 1928. Early flights showed that the naked ring of cylinders handicapped performance, but in May 1929, Air Corps engineers at Wright Field* added a cowl with front shutters and prop spinner to the first P-3A, while Curtiss in Buffalo modified the XP-3A the same month with a deeper cowl of their own design. CURTISS XP-3A (XP-451)

Both were known as XP-3A, but the Army version carried the XP-524 project number, and the Curtiss conversion retained the XP-451 number. The former demonstrated a speed increase of from 153 mph to 171 mph on its May 22, 1929, trials and by June 1930, 190 mph had been achieved. Other P-3As were given simple Townsend ring cowls and the two XP-3As that became temporary test beds for the 300-hp R-985-1 Wasp Jr. in December 1930 were labeled XP-21.

CURTISS XP-3A (XP-524)

Another path of engine development was the turbosupercharger developed by Dr. Sanford A. Moss (1872-1949) of General Electric. After static tests at Pikes Peak in September 1918, flight trials had been made on a LePere fighter in February 1920, and further tests had been made on an MB-2 bomber, the TP-l, a PW-8, and the first P-2. Boeing XP-4

Boeing also delivered a turbosupercharged high-altitude fighter, the XP-4, in July 1926. Actually the last PW-9 reworked with a 510-hp Packard, four-bladed propeller, a new airfoil section and an enlarged lower wing, the overweight XP-4 was grounded after only 4.5 flying hours. An unusual feature was provision for two .30-caliber guns in the lower wings.

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