Curtiss Y1A-18 Shrike Crew: 2 Length: 12.50 m (41 ft 0 in) Wingspan: 18.14 m (59 ft 6 in) Height: 3.51 m (11 ft 6 in) Wing area: 48.87 m² (526 ft²) Empty weight: 4,268 kg (9,410 lb) Max. takeoff weight: 5,974 kg (13,170 lb) Powerplant: 2 × Wright R-1820-47 air-cooled radial engines, 850hp (each Performance: Maximum speed: 398 km/h (247 mph) Range: 1,048 km (651 mi ) Service ceiling: 8,370 m (25,650 ft) Armament: 4 × forward-firing .30 in (7.62 mm) M1919 Browning machine guns 1 × aft-firing .30 in (7.62 mm) machine gun | Kawasaki Ki-45 Toryu Crew: 2 Length: 11.00 m (36 ft 1 in) Wingspan: 15.02 m (49 ft 4 in) Height: 3.70 m (12 ft 2 in) Wing area: 32.0 m² (344 ft²) Empty weight: 4,000 kg (8,820 lb) Loaded weight: 5,500 kg (12,125 lb) Powerplant: 2 × Mitsubishi Ha-102 14-cylinder radial engines, 1,050 hp each Performance: Maximum speed: 540 km/h (292 kn, 336 mph) Range: 2,000 km (1,081 nmi, 1,243 mi) Service ceiling: 10,000 m (32,800 ft) Armament: 1 × 37 mm (1.46 in) Ho-203, 1 × 20 mm Ho-3, 1 × 7.92 mm (.312 in) flexible |
JCF: It's a little unfair to call the A-18 "old Curtiss clunk" - in 1934, this was really cutting edge. We tend to judge aircraft of this era by the standards of 1944-45. By that standard: yes, clunk. But this was 4 years BEFORE the Ki 45 prototype flew, at a time when 4 years was an eternity in aerodynamic development.It was a joking comment about aesthetics, an area where Curtiss had more flops than successes. ;D
GTX Admin: I can't find a gross weight for the Bf 110A, but the B was almost exactly the same weight as the A-18 (12,462 pounds for the 110B vs. 13,170 for the A-18). Considering how well streamlined the fuselage of the Shrike seems to be, this leads me to conclude that the wing profile was probably the problem with the A-18.