Subject: Number Sixty-Two in the Series--Curtiss XP-62

From: [email-masked]
Date: 13 Apr 93 16:29:16 GMT

>From [email-masked]

In January of 1941, the Army issued a requirement for a heavily-armed, 
high-performance interceptor fighter.  The fighter was to be built 
around the 2300 hp Wright R-3350-17 "Duplex Cyclone" twin-row, 
eighteen-cylinder air cooled radial engine.  This was the heaviest 
engine yet to be mounted in a fighter, and was the same engine that 
was to power the B-29 bomber, then under development.  Built-in 
armament was to comprise no less than EIGHT 20-mm cannon or TWELVE 
0.5-inch machine guns.  Guaranteed maximum speed was to be 468 mph at 
27,000 feet.  

Curtiss's proposal was submitted to the Army on April 29, 1941. Their 
design was a cantilever low-wing monoplane with retractable main 
landing gear and tailwheel.  The Wright R-3350 engine was to drive a 
pair of contrarotating three-bladed propellers.  Since the aircraft 
was intended for high altitude operation, the engine was to be fitted 
with a turbosupercharger and the aircraft was to be equipped with a 
pressurized cabin.  The pressurized cabin feature was a design first 
for a new single-seat fighter, the earlier Lockheed XP-38A being an 
adaptation of an existing design.  

On June 27, 1941, the Army ordered two prototypes, one under the 
designation XP-62 and the other under the designation XP-62A.  The XP-62 
prototype was to be delivered within fifteen months, and the XP-62 was 
to be delivered three months later.  

On August 2, 1941, some changes in specifications were submitted for 
approval.  The principal changes were a reduction in maximum speed to 
448 mph and an increase of 1537 pounds in loaded weight.  A mock-up 
inspection took place in December, and ninety changes were 
recommended.  The status of the XP-62 project was reviewed on January 
1, 1942, and it was recommended that the loaded weight be reduced from 
15,568 pounds to 14,000 pounds by revising the structure, by removing 
four of the eight cannon, and by eliminating the propeller anti-icing 
equipment.  

Proposals were submitted on January 13, 1942 for 100 production P-62 
fighters, the first of which was to be delivered in May of 1943.  A 
letter contract for 100 P-62s was approved on May 25, 1942.  However, 
the contract was terminated by the Army on July 27, 1942 since it was 
feared that production of the new P-62 would have adversely affected 
deliveries of critically-needed Curtiss-built P-47G Thunderbolts.  

Even though no production of the P-62 was envisaged, work on the XP-62 
continued.  The pressure cabin proved to be a problem, and delays in 
its delivery caused the first flight to the XP-62 to be pushed back.  
Eventually, it was decided that the first flight testing of the XP-62 
should take place without the pressurized cabin being fitted.  The 
first flight of the XP-62 (serial number 41-35873) took place on July 
21, 1943.  The portion of the contract covering the XP-62A was 
cancelled on September 21, 1943.  

A limited amount of flight testing had been conducted with the XP-62 
by February 1944 when it was decided to install the pressure cabin for 
general development work.  However, by this time the XP-62 project had 
a very low priority and work proceeded very slowly.  In the fall of 
1944, the XP-62 was finally scrapped without any further flight testing.  

The weights of the XP-62 were 11,773 pounds empty, 14,660 pounds 
normal loaded, and 16,651 pounds maximum.  Dimensions were wingspan 53 
feet 7 3/4 inches, length 39 feet 6 inches, height 16 feet 3 inches, 
and wing area 420 square feet.  

The following performance figures are manufacturer's estimates, since 
only limited flight testing of the XP-62 took place.  Maximum speed: 
448 mph at 27,000 feet, 358 mph at 5000 feet.  Normal range: 900 
miles.  Maximum range: 1500 miles.  Climb to 15,000 feet in 6.9 
minutes.  Service ceiling: 35,700 feet.  

Sources: 

  War Planes of the Second World War, Fighters, Volume 4, William Green, 
  Doubleday, 1964.  

  Curtiss Aircraft, 1907-1947, Peter M.  Bowers, Naval Institute Press, 
  1987.  

  The American Fighter, Enzo Angelucci and Peter Bowers, Orion, 1987.  

Joe Baugher		AT&T Bell Laboratories   	
2000 North Naperville Road      Naperville, Illinois 60566-7033