The Curtiss F11C Goshawk was an American naval
biplane fighter aircraft that saw limited success. It was part of a long line of
Curtiss Hawk
Curtiss Hawk was a name common to many aircraft designed and produced by the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company, most of them fighters:
Curtiss Model 34 & Hawk I
;Model 34
: XPW-8B experimental fighter.
;Model 34A
: P-1 Hawk single-seat fighter.
...
airplane
An airplane or aeroplane (informally plane) is a fixed-wing aircraft that is propelled forward by thrust from a jet engine, Propeller (aircraft), propeller, or rocket engine. Airplanes come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and wing configurat ...
s built by the
Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company for the American military.
Design and development
In April 1932, when Curtiss was planning the Model 35B, the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
contracted with the manufacturer for an improved derivative of the
Model 34C, F6C as the ''F11C''. It contained major changes that included the
Wright R-1510-98 radial engine
The radial engine is a reciprocating type internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. It resembles a stylized star when viewed from the front, and is ...
, single-leg
cantilever
A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is supported at only one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a cant ...
main
landing-gear units, a slight increase in the interplane gap, metal- rather than fabric-covered control surfaces, and armament based on two fixed forward-firing
machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles) ar ...
s supplemented by a
hardpoint under the fuselage for the carriage of a bomb, or an auxiliary fuel tank. Curtiss designed the type as the Model 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 dismantled
YP-23, and was delivered in September 1932.
[Eden and Moeng 2002]
Shortly before ordering the ''XF11C-1'', the Navy had bought a company-owned Model 64A demonstrator. This had a
Wright R-1820
The Wright R-1820 Cyclone 9 is an American radial engine developed by Curtiss-Wright, widely used on aircraft in the 1930s through 1950s. It was produced under license in France as the Hispano-Suiza 9V or Hispano-Wright 9V, and in the Soviet Un ...
-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-fuselage
hardpoint 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.
Flight trials of this XF11C-2 (later redesignated as the XBFC-2) revealed the need for a small number of minor changes. After making the changes, the ''XF11C-2'' came to be regarded as the prototype for the F11C-2, of which 28 examples were ordered as dual-role fighter-bombers in October 1932.
From March 1934, the aircraft were revised with a semi-enclosed cockpit and a number of other modifications before they received the revised designation BFC-2 in recognition of their
fighter-bomber or, as the Navy would have it, bomber-fighter role
The last aircraft in the XF11C-2 contract was converted to the prototype
XF11C-3, incorporating a more powerful R-1820-80 engine and a hand-operated retractable landing gear.
Operational history
The only U.S. Navy units to operate the F11C-2 were the Navy's famous "High Hat Squadron", ''VF-1B'', aboard the carrier , and ''VB-6'' briefly assigned to . In March 1934, when the aircraft were redesignated BFC-2, the "High Hat Squadron" was renumbered VB-2B, and then VB-3B, and retained its BFC-2s until February 1938. VB-6 never actually embarked on ''Enterprise'' with the BFC bombers.
[Swanborough and Bowers 1976]
The F11C-2 Goshawk was produced in two export versions as the Hawk I and Hawk II fighters. Essentially a modified XF11C-2, the Hawk II was fitted with a Wright R-1820F-3 Cyclone rated at at 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 twin
float
Float may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music Albums
* ''Float'' (Aesop Rock album), 2000
* ''Float'' (Flogging Molly album), 2008
* ''Float'' (Styles P album), 2013
Songs
* "Float" (Tim and the Glory Boys song), 2022
* "Float", by Bush ...
-equipped Hawk IIs, the first of a total of 26 float fighters delivered by the end of July 1934. The
Colombian Air Force
, "We are the Force"
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march = Colombian Air Force Hymn
, mascot = Capitan Paz
, anniversaries = 8 November
, ...
used Hawk II and F11C-2 based in floats in the
Colombia-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 as Hawk IIIs.
The
Chinese Nationalist Air Force
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
received 52 F11Cs as Hawk IIs and fought against the Japanese during the
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...
. Hawk II squadron commander Captain Chan Kee-Wong of the
28th Squadron, 5th Fighter Group based at
Chuyung Airbase for the defense of
Nanking
Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...
at the outbreak of the war against the Imperial Japanese invasion, made a partial claim in the shooting-down of a
Mitsubishi G3M
The was a Japanese bomber and transport aircraft used by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service (IJNAS) during World War II.
The Yokosuka L3Y (Allied reporting name "Tina"), was a transport variant of the aircraft manufactured by the Yokosu ...
medium-heavy bomber on 15 August, 1937. He and half of his squadron were soon dispatched to
Taiyuan in the northern front of the war in China, and famously shot down Major Hiroshi Miwa (former military flight instructor for
Marshall Chang's Fengtian army air corps), commander of the 16th Hiko Rentai, 1st Daitai squadron of
Kawasaki Ki-10
The was the last biplane fighter used by the Imperial Japanese Army, entering service in 1935. Built by Kawasaki Kōkūki Kōgyō K.K. for the Imperial Japanese Army, it saw combat service in Manchukuo and in North China during the early stage ...
fighters during the
Battle of Taiyuan
The Japanese offensive called 太原作戦 or the Battle of Taiyuan was a major battle fought in 1937 between China and Japan named for Taiyuan (the capital of Shanxi province), which lay in the 2nd Military Region. The battle concluded in a v ...
It was the main battlefield of the F11C in World War 2.
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 a
No. 211 Squadron RAF Bristol Beaufighter over
Lamphun
Lamphun ( th, ลำพูน, ) is a town (''thesaban mueang'') in northern Thailand, capital of Lamphun Province. It covers the whole ''tambon'' Nai Mueang of Mueang Lamphun district. As of 2006 it has a population of 14,030. Lamphun lies north ...
, the pilot of the downed aircraft escaping by parachute.
Variants
;XF11C-1 (Model 64)
:First prototype derived from the
F6C Hawk.
;XF11C-2 (Model 64A)
:Second prototype, redesignated XBFC-2.
;F11C-2 (Model 64A)
:Production version, redesignated BFC-2; 28 built.
;XF11C-3 (Model 67)
:One F11C-2 fitted with retractable undercarriage and a R-1820-80, later redesignated
XBF2C-1 fighter-bomber.
;BFC-2 Hawk
:Redesignation of F11C-2.
Operators
;
*
Bolivian Air Force
The Bolivian Air Force ( es, Fuerza Aérea Boliviana or 'FAB') is the air force of Bolivia and branch of the Bolivian Armed Forces.
History
By 1938 the Bolivian air force consisted of about 60 aircraft (Curtiss Hawk fighters, Curtiss T-32 Co ...
;
*
Chilean Air Force
"With full speed to the stars"
, colours = Indigo White
, colours_label =
, march = Alte Kameraden
, mascot =
, anniversaries = 21 March ...
;
*
Chinese Nationalist Air Force
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
;
*
Colombian Air Force
, "We are the Force"
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march = Colombian Air Force Hymn
, mascot = Capitan Paz
, anniversaries = 8 November
, ...
- Used in the
Colombia-Peru War.
;
*
Cuban Air Force
The Cuban Revolutionary Air and Air Defense Force ( es, Defensa Anti-Aérea y Fuerza Aérea Revolucionaria) commonly abbreviated to DAAFAR in both Spanish and English, is the air force of Cuba.
History
Background
The Cuban Army Air Force was ...
;
*Two aircraft were bought by Germany for evaluation. One of them, D-3165, was tested as a floatplane.
;
*
Royal Norwegian Air Force
The Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) ( no, Luftforsvaret, , The Air Defence) is the air force of Norway. It was established as a separate arm of the Norwegian Armed Forces on 10 November 1944. The RNoAF's peacetime establishment is approximatel ...
- One aircraft purchased for evaluation purposes.
;
*
Royal Thai Air Force
"Royal Thai Air Force March"
, mascot =
, anniversaries = 9 April 1937 (Royal Thai Air Force Day)
, equipment =
, equipment_label =
, battles ...
;
*
Turkish Air Force
The Turkish Air Force ( tr, ) is the aerial warfare service branch of the Turkish Armed Forces. The Turkish Air Force can trace its origins back to June 1911 when it was founded by the Ottoman Empire, however, the air force as it is known to ...
;
*
Peruvian Navy - Three float-equipped aircraft were purchased in March 1933. Four additional machines were bought in 1934.
;
*
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
operated 28 aircraft as the squadron VF-1B, flying from the aircraft carrier .
Surviving aircraft
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 liner ''
SS Europa''. Udet used one of these Goshawks (designated D-IRIK) in aerobatic exhibitions held during the
1936 Summer Olympics, the aircraft survived the war, was eventually found in a field outside
Kraków
Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...
,
[''Hitler's Generals: Udet'' (TV aeries)] now on display in the
Polish Aviation Museum
The Polish Aviation Museum ( pl, Muzeum Lotnictwa Polskiego w Krakowie) is a large museum of historic aircraft and aircraft engines in Kraków, Poland. It is located at the site of the no-longer functional Kraków-Rakowice-Czyżyny Ai ...
.
A BFC-2 is in the
National Naval Aviation Museum
The National Naval Aviation Museum, formerly known as the National Museum of Naval Aviation and the Naval Aviation Museum, is a military and aerospace museum located at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida.
Founded in 1962 and moved to its cur ...
on NAS Pensacola, Florida.
A Hawk III, the only one existing, has been restored by the
Royal Thai Air Force Museum
The Royal Thai Air Force Museum is located in Don Mueang District, Bangkok, Thailand. It is located on the Phahonyothin Road just to the south of Wing 6 of the domestic terminal of the Don Mueang Airport. It was served by the Royal Thai Air Force ...
. The aircraft on display is painted with (
Hanuman
Hanuman (; sa, हनुमान, ), also called Anjaneya (), is a Hindu god and a divine '' vanara'' companion of the god Rama. Hanuman is one of the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is an ardent devotee of Rama and on ...
, white body) insignia identifying it as belonging to Wing 4. The Hawk III served in the RTAF between 1934–1949.
[Trirat]
"A Briefer History of the Royal Thai Air Force."
''nationmultimedia.com,'' October 2007. Retrieved: 30 August 30, 2011.
Specifications (F11C-2) & (BFC-2)
Notes
Bibliography
*
*Eden, Paul and Soph Moeng
''The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft''.London: Amber Books, 2002. .
*
*Swanborough, Gordon and Peter M. Bowers. ''United States Military Aircraft Since 1911''. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1976. .
*
*
*
External links
Silhouette of the plane
{{Thai fighter designations
F11C
1930s United States fighter aircraft
Single-engined tractor aircraft
Biplanes
Carrier-based aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1932
World War II Chinese fighter aircraft