Curtiss P-40 Warhawk

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P-40 Warhawk
Tomahawk / Kittyhawk
A restored Warhawk in the "Flying Tigers" paint scheme
Role Fighter aircraft
National origin United States
Manufacturer Curtiss-Wright Corporation
First flight 14 October 1938[1]
Retired Brazilian Air Force (1958)
Primary users United States Army Air Forces
Royal Air Force
Royal Australian Air Force
Royal Canadian Air Force
Produced 1939–1944
Number built 13,738[2]
Unit cost
US$44,892 in 1944[3]
Developed from Curtiss P-36 Hawk
Variants Curtiss XP-46

The Curtiss P-40 (also called the Tomahawk, Warhawk, and Kittyhawk) was a fighter aircraft that could also be used for attacking things on the ground. It was made by Curtiss. It first flew in 1938 and saw combat during World War II. It was not as fast high up as the German Luftwaffe fighters, but was used a lot in other places. It was used not only the United States Army Air Force, but also a mercenary air force called the "Flying Tigers." They put the mouth of a shark on their P-40s. It could fly to 360 miles per hour. In 1948, the United States Air Force stopped using it.

References[change | change source]

  1. Hagen, Brad. "XP-40." Curtiss P-40 Warhawk. Retrieved: 21 August 2011.
  2. Angelucci and Matricardi 1978, p. 48.
  3. "Army Air Forces Statistical Digest, World War II." Archived 2 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine United States Air Force, 2012. Retrieved: 22 October 2012.