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Additional Information from
Internet Encyclopedia
The Curtiss-Wright Model 21
(also known as the Curtiss-Wright Model 21 Demonstrator, the Curtiss-Wright
CW-21 Interceptor, the Curtiss-Wright CW-21 Demon) was a United States-built
fighter-interceptor, developed by the St. Louis Airplane Division of Curtiss-Wright
Corporation during the 1930s.
Design and development
In 1938, George A. Page, head of
the Saint Louis Airplane Division of Curtiss-Wright, decided to develop a
fighter aircraft based on Carl W. Scott's two seater Model 19. Page's concept
was a lightweight fighter interceptor with as high a rate of climb as possible
in order to allow bomber formations to be attacked with minimal warning. If
faced with fighter opposition, it was intended not to dogfight, but to use its
superior climb rate to escape. While this was a direct contradiction to the
United States Army Air Corps′ requirements for fighters (which stressed
low-level performance), this did not concern Page, since the new fighter was
intended for export.
Detailed design of the new
fighter, the Model 21, or CW-21, was carried out by a team led by chief
engineer Willis Wells. It was a single-seat, all-metal cantilever low-wing
monoplane with retractable tailwheel landing gear, where the mainwheels
retracted rearwards into fairings under the wing. The fuselage was a
semi-monocoque structure that tapered sharply behind the pilot's cockpit. It
was powered by a 1,000 hp (750 kW) Wright R-1820-G5 nine-cylinder air-cooled
radial engine. It was designed to carry various combinations of two .30 in
(7.62 mm) or .50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns, mounted in the nose and
synchronized to fire through the propeller, while no armor or fuel tank
protection was fitted in order to save weight and hence improve performance.
The prototype first flew on 22
September 1938, carrying the civil experimental registration NX19431. Although
the CW-21 was not commissioned by the U.S. military, it was test flown at
Wright Field in Dayton, Ohio. The Army Air Corps immediately rejected the
aircraft, with one officer commenting that it took a genius to land it.
Operational history
The prototype CW-21 was
delivered to China for evaluation by the Chinese Air Force. The Chinese were
impressed by the CW-21's performance, and negotiation started on a Chinese
purchase. While these negotiations were ongoing, the CW-21 prototype was flown
in combat against Japanese bombers attacking Chungking, with Curtiss test pilot
Bob Fausel claiming a Fiat BR.20 bomber shot down on 4 April 1939. In May 1939,
a contract was signed, with China receiving the prototype and three complete
examples built by Curtiss, as well as kits for 27 more aircraft. Assembly would
be undertaken by the Central Aircraft Manufacturing Company (CAMCO) at Loiwing,
near the China-Burma border. These were to be armed with two .50 in (12.7 mm)
and two .30 in (7.62 mm) machine guns.
The three Curtiss-built aircraft
were shipped to China in May 1940 and were eventually handed over to the 1st
American Volunteer Group (Flying Tigers), who intended to use them to tackle
high-flying Japanese reconnaissance aircraft. These crashed and were destroyed,
due to poor visibility, on a flight from Rangoon to Kunming on 23 December
1941. Of the 27 to be assembled by CAMCO, none were completed before CAMCO was
forced by advancing Japanese forces to evacuate its Loiwing factory to India in
1942.
Curtiss had meanwhile developed
an improved version of the CW-21, the CW-21B. The main difference was a new
undercarriage with inward-retracting mainwheels and a semi-retractable tail
wheel which had been developed for the Curtiss-Wright CW-23 armed trainer, with
other changes including hydraulically operated flaps. Although heavier, the
CW-21B was 18 mph (29 km/h) faster than the original CW-21, albeit with a
reduced rate of climb.
In April 1940, the Dutch Army
Aviation Brigade Luchtvaartbrigade, desperate for modern combat aircraft,
placed an order for 24 CW-21Bs from Curtiss-Wright. After the Battle of the
Netherlands, which resulted in the Dutch Army surrendering to the invading
Germans on 15 May 1940, the order for the CW-21Bs (together with a number of
Curtiss Model 75 fighters and Curtiss-Wright CW-22 trainers), was transferred
to the government of the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia), for the Militaire
Luchtvaart van het Koninklijk Nederlands-Indisch Leger ("Military Aviation
of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army"; ML-KNIL).
The 24 CW-21Bs were assembled at
Andir airfield, Bandung, Java, in February 1941, equipping Vliegtuiggroep IV,
Afdeling 2 ("Air Group IV, No. 2 Squadron"; 2-VLG IV). The
lightweight construction of the Curtiss-Wrights gave rise to structural problems,
and several aircraft were grounded by cracks in the undercarriage, and were
still awaiting repair when war with Japan began on 8 December 1941.
With its light construction,
radial engine, low wing loading, limited pilot protection and lack of
self-sealing fuel tanks, the CW-21B was the Allied fighter most similar to the
opposing Japanese fighters. It had a rate of climb superior to the Nakajima Ki-43-I
("Oscar") and Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero. The CW-21B had similar firepower
to the "Oscar", but worse than the cannon-armed Zero. 2-VLG IV
claimed four aerial victories during the Netherlands East Indies campaign, but
the ML-KNIL was overwhelmed by the sheer number of Japanese aircraft; almost
all of its fighters were soon lost in combat or destroyed on the ground.
Variants
Model 21
Interceptor. One prototype built
in 1938 (c/n 21-1 / NX19431). Three production units and a total of 27 sets of
components shipped to the Republic of China to be assembled by CAMCO. Easily
identifiable by the Seversky P-35 type of main undercarriage fairings; 31 built
(unknown number assembled and flown).
Model 21A
Interceptor. Proposed design to
use the Allison V-1710; not built.
Model 21B
Interceptor. A total of 24 built
for the Netherlands East Indies, easily identifiable by the inward retracting
main landing gear, that eliminated the need for the undercarriage fairings
notable on the Model 21.
Operators
China
Chinese Nationalist Air Force
American Volunteer Group
1st American Volunteer Group
(Flying Tigers)
Netherlands Dutch East Indies
Royal
Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force