BF2C Goshawk

Infobox Aircraft
name = BF2C-1 Goshawk
type = Carrierborne Fighter & Fighter-Bomber
manufacturer = Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company

---

caption = Curtiss BF2C-1 - Model 67A (on the right)
designer =
first flight =
introduced = 1933
retired = 1949
status =
primary user = Republic of China
more users = United States Navy Royal Thai Air Force Argentine Air Force
produced = October 1934
number built = 164 plus 2 prototypes
unit cost =
variants with their own articles = F11C Goshawk:"For other uses of Goshawk, see Goshawk (disambiguation)"

The Curtiss Model 67 "BF2C-1" Goshawk & Model 68 "Hawk III" were United States 1930s naval biplane aircraft that saw limited success but were part of a long line of Hawk Series airplanes made by the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company for the American military, and for export.

Design and development

The United States Navy and Curtiss felt the F11C-2 possessed development potential. The Navy decided to procure a variant with retractable landing gear. This variant, which still had the F11C-2's classic "Hawk" wood wing with its flat-bottomed Clark Y airfoil, was designated XF11C-3 by the Navy and Model 67 by Curtiss. The gear retraction system was inspired by the Grumman XFF-1 prototype, and was manually operated"The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft" [http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/5490000/5496066.gifcover] Editors: Paul Eden & Soph Moeng, (Amber Books Ltd. Bradley's Close, 74-77 White Lion Street, London, NI 9PF, 2002, ISBN 0-7607-3432-1), 1152 pp.] .

The XF11C-3 was delivered to the USN in May 1933, with a Wright R-1820-80 radial engine rated at 700 HP (522 kW). Trials revealed a 17 mph (27.5 km/h) increase in speed over the F11C-2, and the extra weight caused a decrease in maneuverability. The Navy felt the handling degradation was more than offset by the increase in speed. During testing the XF11C-3 had its wood wing replaced by the metal-structured, biconvex, NACA 2212 airfoil wing used in production and soon after was redesignated XBF2C-1 (Model 67A) in keeping with the new Bomber-Fighter category"The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft" [http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/5490000/5496066.gifcover] Editors: Paul Eden & Soph Moeng, (Amber Books Ltd. Bradley's Close, 74-77 White Lion Street, London, NI 9PF, 2002, ISBN 0-7607-3432-1), 1152 pp.] .

Operational history

Twenty-Seven BF2C-1 were ordered by the US Navy, with a raised rear turtledeck, a semi-enclosed cockpit, and a metal-framed lower wing. It was armed with two Browning machine guns and three hardpoints for 500 lbs (227 kg) of external stores. Delivered in October 1934 they were assigned to VB-5 on the aircraft carrier USS Ranger (CV-4), but served only a few months before difficulties with the landing gear led to their withdrawal"United States Navy Aircraft Since 1911" by Gordon Swanborough & Peter M. Bowers (Naval Institute Press Annapolis, MD, ISBN 0870219685) 1976, 546 pp.] . In spite of its short service run many of the innovations developed for the Goshawk line found wide use in Navy aircraft for years to follow. They were the last Curtiss fighter accepted for service with the U.S. Navy"United States Navy Aircraft Since 1911" by Gordon Swanborough & Peter M. Bowers (Naval Institute Press Annapolis, MD, ISBN 0870219685) 1976, 546 pp.] .

The export version Model 68 or Hawk III reverted to the classic wood/Clark Y wings. Chinese Hawk IIIs served multipurpose roles when air combat operations against the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy Air Forces began in earnest in August of 1937, and were considered the Nationalist Chinese Air Force's frontline fighter-pursuit aircraft along with their inventory of Hawk IIs and Boeing Model 281 "Peashooters". These aircraft were used against both the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy Air Forces and both ground and naval targets with considerable success through the end of 1937, before being superseded by the better-armed and faster Polikarpov I-15 and I-16 fighters. In the summer of 1940, 9 surviving Hawk-III fighters, the F11C exported to the Nationalist Chinese Air Force served as night fighters to defend the Chinese wartime capital Chongqing from Japanese night bombing runs with the 22nd Squadron of the 4th Group. The Siamese aircraft were used against the French and the Japanese, then relegated for use as trainers. Some of these aircraft were still active in 1949 [cite web|url=http://members.tripod.com/peterlewisdesign/thaimuseum/hawk3.htm|title= Royal Thai Air Force Museum|accessdate=2007-04-29|format= |work= ] . The Model 79 Hawk IV demonstrator had a fully enclosed cockpit.

Operators

;ARG
*Argentine Air Force operated 10 Model 68A "Hawk III" and 1 Model 79 "Hawk IV".;China as ROC
*Republic of China Air Force operated 102 Model 68C "Hawk III";THA
*Royal Thai Air Force operated 24 Model 68B "Hawk III";TUR
*Turkish Air Force operated 1 Model 68B "Hawk III";USA
*United States Navy operated 27 Model 67 BF2C-1

pecifications (BF2C-1)

aircraft specifications
plane or copter?= plane
jet or prop?= prop
ref="The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft" Editors: Paul Eden & Soph Moeng, 2002, ISBN 0-7607-3432-1, page 515.
crew= one, pilot
capacity=
length main= 24 ft 4 in
length alt= 7.41 m
span main= 31 ft 6 in
span alt= 9.6 m
height main= 9 ft 11.5 in
height alt= 3.03 m
area main= 262 ft²
area alt= 24.34 m²
airfoil=
empty weight main= 3,326 lb
empty weight alt= 1,509 kg
loaded weight main=
loaded weight alt=
useful load main=
useful load alt=
max takeoff weight main= 4,552 lb
max takeoff weight alt= 2,065 kg
more general=
engine (prop)= Wright R-1820-04 "Cyclone"
type of prop= air-cooled radial engine
number of props= 1
power main= 770 hp
power alt= 574 kW
power original=
max speed main= 225 mph
max speed alt= 362 km/h
cruise speed main= 157 mph
cruise speed alt= 253 km/h
never exceed speed main=
never exceed speed alt=
stall speed main=
stall speed alt=
range main= 725 mi
range alt= 1,167 km
ceiling main= 27,000 ft
ceiling alt= 8,230 m
climb rate main= 2,150 ft/min
climb rate alt= 655 m/s
loading main=
loading alt=
thrust/weight=
power/mass main=
power/mass alt=
more performance=
armament=
* 2 × .30 cal (7.62 mm) Browning machine guns, 500 lbs (227 kg) of droppable stores
avionics=

References

External links

* [http://www.airminded.net/goshawk/goshawk.html Images]
* [http://avia.russian.ee/air/usa/curtiss_bf2c.php Avia Russia Virtual Aircraft Museum]