Curtiss XF14C
# Curtiss XF14C

The Curtiss XF14C was an American naval fighter aircraft. It was developed by Curtiss-Wright in response to a request by the United States Navy in 1941 to produce a new shipboard high-performance fighter aircraft.

## Design and development

In 1941 the US Navy requested a better-performing carrier-based fighter plane, to be powered by the proposed high performance 24-cylinder liquid cooled Lycoming XH-2470 Hyper engine. This was an unusual step for the Navy, which had been adamant to that time that all its aircraft use air-cooled radial engines.

On June 30, 1941 a contract for two prototype aircraft, designated the XF14C-1, was awarded to the Curtiss-Wright company. On the same date prototype development contracts were also awarded to Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation for the single-engine XF6F-1 and the twin engine XF7F-1, both of which would use air-cooled Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp radial engines.

Early in the development the Navy requested better altitude performance and, in view of unsatisfactory progress in the development of the XH-2470 engine, Curtiss adapted the design of the aircraft around the new turbocharged Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone air-cooled radial engine. The aircraft equipped with this eighteen-cylinder twin-row radial air-cooled engine and three bladed contra-rotating propellers was designated the XF14C-2. The XF14C-1 was canceled. Also, looking at the problems of operation at altitudes of about 40,000 feet (12,000 m), the Navy also initiated work on a third version with a pressurized cockpit designated the XF14C-3.

Ultimately, only the XF14C-2 prototype was completed, flying for the first time in July 1944. Moreover, disappointment with performance estimates and delays with the availability of the XR-3350-16 engine coupled with the evaporating tactical need for an extremely high-altitude fighter led to cancellation of the development.

## Specifications (XF14C-2)

Data from Curtiss Aircraft 1907–1947

General characteristics

* Crew: 1
* Length: 37 ft 9 in (11.51 m)
* Wingspan: 46 ft 0 in (14.02 m)
* Height: 17 ft 0 in (5.18 m)
* Wing area: 375 sq ft (34.8 $m^2)$
* Empty weight: 10,531 lb (4,777 kg)
* Gross weight: 14,950 lb (6,781 kg)
* Powerplant: 1 × Wright XR-3350-16 eighteen cylinder twin row air-cooled radial engine
* Propellers: 6-bladed contra-rotating constant-speed propeller

Performance

* Maximum speed: 418 mph (673 km/h, 363 kn) at 32,000 ft (9,800 m)
* Cruise speed: 172 mph (277 km/h, 149 kn)
* Range: 1,530 mi (2,460 km, 1,330 nmi)
* Service ceiling: 39,800 ft (12,100 m)
* Rate of climb: 2,700 ft/min (14 m/s)

Armament

* Guns: 4 × wing mounted 20 mm (0.787 in) cannon (planned)
