Contents

Curtiss YA-10 Shrike

American attack aircraft prototype

YA-10 Shrike
Role	Ground attack Type of aircraft
Manufacturer	Curtiss/Curtiss-Wright
First flight	1932
Introduction	1933
Retired	1939
Primary users	United States Army Air Corps United States Navy
Number built	2
Developed from	A-8 Shrike
Developed into	A-12 Shrike

The Curtiss YA-10 Shrike (Model 59B) was a 1930s United States test and development version of the A-8 Shrike ground-attack aircraft using various radial engines in place of the inline engine.

Development[edit]

The Curtiss YA-10 Shrike was the first YA-8 fitted with a Pratt & Whitney R-1690-9 (R-1690D) Hornet radial engine. The conversion was carried out in September 1932, and it was found that the aircraft's performance was not degraded by the change of engine, and low-level maneuverability was improved due to the lower mass moment of inertia with the short radial engine. The USAAC preferred radials to inline engines for the ground attack role, due to the vulnerability of the latter's cooling system to anti-aircraft fire. The US Navy also preferred radials for carrier-borne operations.^[1] Upon completion of testing the Army changed an order for 46 A-8B aircraft to the production version of the YA-10, the A-12 Shrike.

Operational history[edit]

Following completion of testing, the YA-10 was assigned to the 3rd Attack Group for operational service, then in 1934 it was assigned to the Command and General Staff School. The YA-10 was scrapped in early 1939.

The XS2C-1 was the Navy's first two-seat warplane. Since it was not equipped for carrier operations, it remained a prototype.^[1]

Variants[edit]

YA-10

Model 59B, one U.S. Army Air Corps prototype

XS2C-1

Model 69, one U.S. Navy prototype with a 625 hp (466 kW) Wright R-1510-28 Whirlwind engine, delivered December 1932^[2]

Operators[edit]

 United States

• United States Army Air Corps

Specifications (YA-10)[edit]

Data from Aerofiles : Curtiss,^[3] Curtiss Aircraft 1907–1947^[4]

General characteristics

• Crew:2
• Length: 32 ft 0 in (9.75 m)
• Gross weight: 6,135 lb (2,783 kg)
• Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney R-1690D Hornet 9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 625 hp (466 kW)
• Propellers: 3-bladed variable-pitch propeller

Performance

• Maximum speed: 175 mph (282 km/h, 152 kn)
• Cruise speed: 148 mph (238 km/h, 129 kn)
• Stall speed: 67 mph (108 km/h, 58 kn)

Armament

• Guns: 4 × fixed forward-firing 0.30 in (7.62 mm) machine-gun, with another in the rear cockpit on a flexible mount
• Bombs: 10 × 30 lb (14 kg) bombs or 4 × 122 lb (55 kg) bombs

See also[edit]

Related development

• Curtiss A-8

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

• Hawker Osprey

Related lists

• List of military aircraft of the United States

References[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Curtiss YA-10 Shrike.

1. ^ ^{a b} Fitzsimmons, Bernard, ed. (1967). The Illustrated encyclopedia of 20th century weapons and warfare (Volume 21 ed.). Purnell Reference Books. ISBN 0-8393-6175-0.

^ Eden, Paul; Moeng, Soph, eds. (2002). The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. London, NI 9PF: Barnes & Noble Books. ISBN 0-7607-3432-1.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)

This article cites its sources but does not provide page references. You can help providing page numbers for existing citations. (March 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)