Curtiss B-2 Condor

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtiss_B-2_Condor

The Curtiss B-2 Condor was a 1920s United States bomber aircraft. It was a
descendant of the Martin NBS-1, which was built by the Curtiss Aeroplane and
Motor Company for the Glenn L. Martin Company. There were a few differences,
such as stronger materials and different engines, but they were relatively
minor.

The B-2 was a large fabric-covered biplane aircraft. Its two engines sat in
nacelles between the wings, flanking the fuselage. It had a twin set of rudders
on a twin tail, a configuration which was becoming obsolete by that time. At the
rear of each nacelle was a gunner position. In previous planes, the back-facing
gunners had been in the fuselage, but their view there was obstructed. A similar
arrangement (using nacelle-mounted gun platforms) was adopted in the competing
Keystone XB-1 aircraft.

The XB-2 competed for a United States Army Air Corps production contract with
the similar Keystone XB-1, Sikorsky S-37, and Fokker XLB-2. The other three were
immediately ruled out, but the Army board appointed to make the contracts was
strongly supportive of the smaller Keystone XLB-6, which cost a third as much as
the B-2. Furthermore, the B-2 was large for the time and difficult to fit into
existing hangars. However, the superior performance of the XB-2 soon wrought a
policy change, and in 1928 a production run of 12 was ordered.

One modified B-2, dubbed the B-2A, featured dual controls for both the pilot and
the copilot. Previously, the control wheel and the pitch controls could only be
handled by one person at a time. This "dual control" setup became standard on
all bombers by the 1930s. There was no production line for the B-2A. The B-2
design was also used as a transport.


Role
Heavy bomber

Manufacturer
Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company

Introduction
1929

Retired
1934

Status
No known survivors

Primary user
United States Army Air Corps

Produced
1929-1930

Number built
13

Unit cost

US$76,373 (1928)


Developed into
T-32 Condor II

The B-2 was quickly made obsolete by technological advances of the 1930s, and
served only briefly with the Army Air Corps, being removed from service by 1934.
Following production of the B-2, Curtiss Aircraft left the bomber business, and
concentrated on the Hawk series of pursuit aircraft in the 1930s.

Variants

Model 52 Company designation of the B-2

XB-2 Prototype

B-2A Redesignation of one B-2 fitted with dual controls

Model 53 Condor 18 Civil version of the B-2. Six built

Specifications (B-2)

General characteristics
Crew: 5
Length: 47 ft 4 in (14.43 m)
Wingspan: 90 ft 0 in (27.43 m)
Empty weight: 9,300 lb (4,218 kg)
Gross weight: 16,951 lb (7,689 kg)
Powerplant: 2 × Curtiss GV-1570-7 Conqueror V-12 water-cooled piston engine, 600
hp (450 kW) each

Performance
Maximum speed: 132 mph (212 km/h; 115 kn)
Cruise speed: 105.5 mph (170 km/h; 92 kn)
Range: 805 mi (700 nmi; 1,296 km)
Service ceiling: 17,100 ft (5,200 m)
Rate of climb: 850 ft/min (4.3 m/s)

Armament

Guns: 6x 0.30 in (7.62 mm) Lewis machine-guns
Bombs: 2,508 lb (1,138 kg) of bombs.



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