Curtis Hawk 81A-2 Flying Tigers (Special Hardcover Edition). In 1937, Curtis replaced one of its earlier developed P36 fighters with liquid-cooled Allison V-1710-19 engines. The military design code of this aircraft was XP-40. In October of the following year, the aircraft made its first successful flight and reached a high speed of 587 kilometers per hour. In April 1939, the P-40A ordered by the US Army went into production, and the B and C models were successively improved over the next few years. Among them, the P-40C type (also known as the Hawk81 A-2) adds a self-sealing fuel tank to the B type, which effectively improves the overall protection of the fuel system. At the same time, a ground rack for weapons was added. Armament — two 12.7 mm machine guns and four 7.62 mm machine guns on the main wings. After the outbreak of World War II, the British government purchased a large number of military aircraft from the United States, including 930 P-40Cs called the Tomahawk MK.IIB. In addition, the US Air Force is also equipped with 193 P-40Cs. In early 1941, the Chinese Air Force purchased 100 Tomahawk MK.IIBs produced for the United Kingdom, all of which were supplied to the American Volunteer Air Force in China, later known as the Flying Tigers. They caught the world's attention with a P-40 aircraft with a large mouth of shark's blood painted on the nose and an image of a tiger with wings painted on the side of the fuselage. During the difficult years at the beginning of the Pacific War, this weak air force was responsible for air defense missions in southwest China against Japan. Relying on the excellent performance and formation tactics of the P-40C, it participated in major dogfights in Kunming, Yangon and elsewhere. victory. The squad also appeared with many ace cards such as Dick Rossi and Charles Odell. As a world-class fighter, the P-40C has made significant contributions to China's war of resistance.
