The Warhawk employed a single Allison V-1710-39 V-12 liquid-cooled piston engine, delivering 1,240hp.
Curtiss produced P-40s in various configurations for 28 Allied countries.
After several modifications, the P-40N arrived in 1944 for use during World War II. Within four years of production, a total of 13,738 of these aircraft were manufactured. No other fighter during the war saw a wider service range than the Warhawk. On 7 December 1941, as the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, several P-40s were able to get airborne and join in scoring the first American pursuit kills on Japanese aircraft.
In 1942, Hill Field started modifying, repairing, and winterizing P-40 aircraft for service in the World War II Alaskan Theater. Hill Field also set up a production line for preparing the P-40 and other aircraft for long-term storage following the war.
The Warhawk on display is a composite of two aircraft: a fiberglass P-40E replica and major parts from a P-40N that crashed in Alaska during World War II and was later retrieved by the Aerospace Heritage Foundation of Utah. Data plates on the recovered airframe were unreadable, so a serial number from a P-40 once stationed at Elmendorf Army Air Force Base, Alaska, was used for this airframe.
One of the most famous groups to fly the P-40 was the American Volunteer Group, or the “Flying Tigers.” General Claire Chennault trained trained this unit and also flew these aircraft in China prior to the United States’ entry into World War II. With their red and white shark mouths, the P-40s went into combat against the Japanese two weeks after Pearl Harbor and confirmed 286 kills with only a loss of eight.
This aircraft is a part of the USAF Heritage Program collection
Serial Number: 42-105270
Manufacturer: Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company
Primary Function: Fighter-Bomber
Crew: One
Engines: One Allison V-1710-81 inline reciprocating; 1,200 horsepower
Wingspan: 37 ft 4 in
Length: 33 ft 4 in
Height: 9 ft 8 in
Weight: 6,300 lbs (empty); 8,850 lbs (maximum takeoff weight)
Speed: 290 mph (cruising); 375 mph
Range: 750 miles
Service Ceiling: 31,000 ft
Armament: Six .50 cal. machine guns
Payload: Up to 700 lbs of bombs
Cost: $44,359 (actual)
Years of Service: 1939 – 1945
In May 1939, following evaluation trials in competition with other pursuit prototypes, the XP-40 was declared the most acceptable and 524 P-40s were ordered. In the winter of 1941–1942, Hill Air Force Base had the responsibility for the overhaul of the P-40. In August 1944, a production line was set up for the storage of various aircraft. The base stored 250 operational-ready P-40s during World War II. The P-40B, which is similar to the British Tomahawk II, introduced armor protection for the pilot and doubled the wing firepower with four .30 caliber machine guns, as well as two .50-caliber guns mounted on the engine bowling.
During the attack on Pearl Harbor, a few P-40s managed to take flight to fight against the Japanese aircraft. The P-40 did fall short on performance compared with other American fighters in the service at the outbreak of the war.
The P-40N at Hill Aerospace Museum is a composite of two aircraft. One is a fiberglass P-40E replica acquired by the museum and the other is major parts from a P-40N that crashed in Alaska during World War II. The data plates on the crashed aircraft were unreadable, so the serial number of another 11th Air Force P-40N from the same base was chosen by the United States Air Force Museum for the air frame. The original aircraft was delivered to the 11th Air Force at Elmendorf AAF in July 1943. It was flown by the 11th Fighter Squadron until October 1944 when it was scrapped.
The Warhawk employed a single Allison V-1710-39 V-12 liquid-cooled piston engine, delivering 1,240hp.
The P-40 was designed by the Curtiss-Wright corporation.
Production lasted from 1939 through to 1944, seeing the aircraft used throughout the Second World War.
The P-40 was able to reach a maximum speed of 334 mph, with a cruise speed of just 308mph.
The Warhawk was armed with 6, 0.5 in M2 Browning machine guns, placed in sets of three inside the wings.
Primary role throughout the war was ground-attack, meaning the Warhawk’s job was to move about and perform ground strikes against key, or target’s of opportunity, depending on mission parameters.
Due to budget considerations and deployment requirements, the Flying Tigers flew hybrid P-40s, built from models B and C.