Curtiss B-2 Condor
1929 bomber aircraft family by Curtiss
| B-2 Condor | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Role | Heavy bomber Type of aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company |
| Introduction | 1929 |
| Retired | 1934 |
| Status | No known survivors |
| Primary user | United States Army Air Corps |
| Produced | 1929-1930 |
| Number built | 13 |
| Developed into | T-32 Condor II |
The Curtiss B-2 Condor was a 1920s United States bomber aircraft. It was a descendant of the Martin NBS-1, which was built by the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company for the Glenn L. Martin Company. There were a few differences, such as stronger materials and different engines, but they were relatively minor.
Development
The B-2 was a large fabric-covered biplane aircraft. Its two engines sat in nacelles between the wings, flanking the fuselage. It had a twin set of rudders on a twin tail, a configuration which was becoming obsolete by that time. At the rear of each nacelle was a gunner position. In previous planes, the back-facing gunners had been in the fuselage, but their view there was obstructed. A similar arrangement (using nacelle-mounted gun platforms) was adopted in the competing Keystone XB-1 aircraft.
The XB-2 competed for a United States Army Air Corps production contract with the similar Keystone XB-1, Sikorsky S-37, and Fokker XLB-2. The other three were immediately ruled out, but the Army board appointed to make the contracts was strongly supportive of the smaller Keystone XLB-6, which cost a third as much as the B-2. Furthermore, the B-2 was large for the time and difficult to fit into existing hangars. However, the superior performance of the XB-2 soon wrought a policy change, and in 1928 a production run of 12 was ordered.
One modified B-2, dubbed the B-2A, featured dual controls for both the pilot and the copilot. Previously, the control wheel and the pitch controls could only be handled by one person at a time. This "dual control" setup became standard on all bombers by the 1930s. There was no production line for the B-2A. The B-2 design was also used as a transport.
The B-2 was quickly made obsolete by technological advances of the 1930s, and served only briefly with the Army Air Corps, being removed from service by 1934. Following production of the B-2, Curtiss Aircraft left the bomber business, and concentrated on the Hawk series of pursuit aircraft in the 1930s.
Variants
- Model 52
- Company designation of the B-2.
- XB-2
- Prototype.
- B-2
- Twin-engined heavy bomber biplane. Initial production version; 12 built.
- B-2A
- Redesignation of one B-2 fitted with dual controls.
- Model 53 Condor 18
- Civil version of the B-2. Six built.
Military operators
- US Army Air Corps
- 7th Bombardment Group, Rockwell Field, California
- 11th Bomb Squadron - operated 1928-1931
- 7th Bombardment Group, Rockwell Field, California
Specifications (B-2)
Data from Curtiss aircraft : 1907-1947[1]
General characteristics
- Crew: 5
- Length: 47 ft 4 in (14.43 m)
- Wingspan: 90 ft 0 in (27.43 m)
- Airfoil: root: Curtiss C-72; tip: Curtiss C-72[2]
- Empty weight: 9,300 lb (4,218 kg)
- Gross weight: 16,951 lb (7,689 kg)
- Powerplant: 2 × Curtiss GV-1570-7 Conqueror V-12 water-cooled piston engine, 600 hp (450 kW) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 132 mph (212 km/h, 115 kn)
- Cruise speed: 105.5 mph (169.8 km/h, 91.7 kn)
- Range: 805 mi (1,296 km, 700 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 17,100 ft (5,200 m)
- Rate of climb: 850 ft/min (4.3 m/s)
Armament
- Guns: 6x 0.30 in (7.62 mm) Lewis machine-guns
- Bombs: 2,508 lb (1,138 kg) of bombs.
See also
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists
References
Bibliography
- Bowers, Peter M. Curtiss Aircraft 1907-1947. London: Putnam & Company, 1979. ISBN 0-370-10029-8.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Curtiss B-2.
- Curtis B-2 Condor page of Joe Baugher, part of his Encyclopedia of American Aircraft
- USAF Museum article on B-2
- "New Flying Battleship". Modern Mechanix. October 1927. Archived from the original on 2016-03-12. Retrieved 2016-03-11.
- v
- t
- e
(1924–1930)
| Light Bomber | |
|---|---|
| Medium Bomber |
|
| Heavy Bomber |
(1930–1962)
- B-1
- B-2
- B-3
- B-4
- B-5
- B-6
- B-7
- B-8
- B-9
- B-10
- B-11
- B-12
- B-13
- B-14
- B-15
- B-16
- B-17
- B-18
- B-19
- B-20
- B-21
- B-22
- B-23
- B-24
- B-25
- B-26
- B-27
- B-28
- B-29
- B-30
- B-31
- B-32
- B-33
- B-34
- B-35
- B-36
- B-37
- B-38
- B-39
- B-40
- B-41
- B-42
- B-43
- B-44
- B-45
- B-46
- B-47
- B-48
- B-49
- B-50
- B-51
- B-52
- B-53
- B-54
- B-55
- B-56
- B-57
- B-58
- B-59
- B-60
- B-61
- B-62
- B-63
- B-64
- B-65
- B-66
- B-67
- B-68
- B-69
- B-70
- B-71
(1935–1936)
(1962–current)
| Redesignated A-series | |
|---|---|
| Fighter-bomber, in F-series | |
| Other |
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