| F11C Goshawk | |
|---|---|
 XF11C-2 Goshawk, piloted by Curtiss test pilot William J. Crosswell, pictured during a test flight, 4 November 1932. | |
| General information | |
| Type | Carrier-basedFighter andfighter-bomber |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company |
| Primary users | United States Navy |
| Number built | 28 plus 2 prototypes |
| History | |
| Manufactured | October 1932 |
| Introduction date | April 1932 |
| First flight | September 1932 |
| Variants | Curtiss BF2C Goshawk |
TheCurtiss F11C Goshawk is an American navalbiplanefighter aircraft that saw limited success. It was part of a long line ofCurtiss Hawkairplanes built by theCurtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company for the American military.
In April 1932, when Curtiss was planning theModel 35B, theUnited States Navy contracted with the manufacturer for an improved derivative of theModel 34C, F6C as theF11C. It contained major changes that included the 600 hp (450 kW)Wright R-1510-98radial engine, single-legcantilever mainlanding-gear units, a slight increase in the interplane gap, metal- rather than fabric-covered control surfaces, and armament based on two .30 in (7.62 mm) fixed forward-firingmachine guns supplemented by ahardpoint under the fuselage for the carriage of a 474 lb (215 kg) bomb, or an auxiliary fuel tank. Curtiss designed the type as theModel 64 Goshawk, with the U.S. Navy designation XF11C-1 (later XBFC-1 after the adoption of the BF for Bomber-Fighter category). The aircraft was of fabric-covered metal construction, used the wing cell structure of the dismantledYP-23, and was delivered in September 1932.[1]
Shortly before ordering theXF11C-1, the Navy had bought a company-ownedModel 64A demonstrator. This had aWright R-1820-78 Cyclone engine, slightly longer main landing-gear legs carrying wheels with low-pressure tires, a tailwheel in place of the tailskid, fabric-covered control surfaces on the tail, and external provision for underwing racks for light bombs as well as an under-fuselagehardpoint for either a 50 gal (189 L) fuel tank or the crutch that would swing a bomb clear of the propeller disc before release in a dive-bombing attack.[1]
Flight trials of thisXF11C-2 (later redesignated as theXBFC-2) revealed the need for a small number of minor changes. After making the changes, theXF11C-2 came to be regarded as the prototype for theF11C-2, of which 28 examples were ordered as dual-role fighter-bombers in October 1932.[1]
From March 1934, the aircraft were revised with a semi-enclosed cockpit and a number of other modifications before they received the revised designationBFC-2 in recognition of theirfighter-bomber or, as the Navy would have it, bomber-fighter role[1] The last aircraft in the XF11C-2 contract was converted to the prototypeXF11C-3, incorporating a more powerful R-1820-80 engine and a hand-operated retractable landing gear.[2]
The only U.S. Navy units to operate theF11C-2 were the Navy's famous "High Hat Squadron",VF-1B, aboard the carrierSaratoga, andVB-6 briefly assigned toEnterprise. In March 1934, when the aircraft were redesignatedBFC-2, the "High Hat Squadron" was renumberedVB-2B, and thenVB-3B, and retained itsBFC-2s until February 1938.VB-6 never actually embarked onEnterprise with theBFC bombers.[3]
The F11C-2 Goshawk was produced in two export versions as theHawk I andHawk II fighters. Essentially a modified XF11C-2, the Hawk II was fitted with a Wright R-1820F-3 Cyclone rated at 710 hp (530 kW) at 1,676 m (5,499 ft) and 356 liters of fuel while the Hawk I had 189 liters of internal fuel. Both versions carried the same armament as the production F11C-2. Only the Hawk II was exported in quantity with Turkey, the first customer taking delivery of 19 on August 30, 1932. Colombia placed an order at the end of October 1932, receiving an initial batch of four twinfloat-equipped Hawk IIs, the first of a total of 26 float fighters delivered by the end of July 1934. TheColombian Air Force used Hawk II and F11C-2 based in floats in theColombia-Peru War in 1932-1933. Nine Hawk IIs were supplied to Bolivia, of which three had interchangeable wheel/float undercarriages; four were delivered to Chile, four to Cuba, two to Germany, one to Norway and 12 to Thailand asHawk IIIs.
TheChinese Nationalist Air Force received 52 F11Cs asHawk IIs and fought against the Japanese during theSecond Sino-Japanese War. Hawk II squadron commander Captain Chan Kee-Wong of the28th Squadron, 5th Fighter Group based atChuyung Airbase for the defense ofNanking at the outbreak of the war against the Imperial Japanese invasion, made a partial claim in the shooting-down of aMitsubishi G3M medium-heavy bomber on 15 August, 1937. He and half of his squadron were soon dispatched toTaiyuan in the northern front of the war in China, and famously shot down Major Hiroshi Miwa (former military flight instructor forZhang Xueliang'sFengtian Army air corps),[4] commander of the 16th Hiko Rentai, 1st Daitai squadron ofKawasaki Ki-10 fighters during theBattle of Taiyuan[5] It was the main battlefield of the F11C in World War II.[6]
Thai Hawk IIIs saw action during World War II, including against the Royal Air Force. On 8 April 1944, a Thai Hawk III was shot down by aNo. 211 Squadron RAFBristol Beaufighter overLamphun, the pilot of the downed aircraft escaping by parachute.[7]
During the spring of 1933, Franz Muller who was a senior official in the Reich Air Ministry, informed Göring that he was approached by Udet to seek approval for the purchase of two Goshawks for dive bombing trials. Göring authorized the funds via the German Embassy in Washington DC. In October 1933 the pair of Goshawks arrived in Bremerhaven aboard the linerSS Europa.[9] Udet used one of these Goshawks (designated D-IRIK) in aerobatic exhibitions held during the1936 Summer Olympics, the aircraft survived the war, was eventually found in a field outsideKraków,[10] now on display in thePolish Aviation Museum.[11]
A BFC-2 is in theNational Naval Aviation Museum on NAS Pensacola, Florida.[12]
A Hawk III, the only one existing, has been restored by theRoyal Thai Air Force Museum. The aircraft on display is painted with (Hanuman, white body) insignia identifying it as belonging to Wing 4. The Hawk III served in the RTAF between 1934–1949.[13]
Data from Curtiss Aircraft 1907–1947,[14] The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft[15]
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
1937年9月21日，击落日军著名飞行员三轮宽的我空军第二十八队队长陈其光 (照片) - 支那事变殊勋录刊登之日本陆军航空兵中佐三轮宽 (照片)
Captain Chan found himself all alone facing three IJAAF Ki-10s led by Major Miwa; in what appeared to a challenge to "single combat" - Miwa dove at him from above, Chan countered by pulling his nose up to face Miwa head-on. Anticipating that Miwa would need to pull out of his dive after they pass - Chan pulled into a tight chandelle - into his manoeuvre even before Miwa passed him - Chan was able turn around - above and behind Miwa - taking advantage of his position for a zero-deflection shooting pass, Chan shot up Miwa's Ki-10, sending it crashing into a field near Ta Meng.
