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Subject: Curtiss B-2 Condor
Date: 29 Aug 2016 07:44:21 -0700
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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.
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.
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
Specifications (B-2)
General characteristics
Crew: 5
Wingspan: 90 ft 0 in (27.43 m)
Height: 16 ft 6 in (5.02 m)
Empty weight: 9,300 lb (4,218 kg)
Loaded weight: 16,591 lb (7,526 kg)
(450 kW) each
Performance
Maximum speed: 132 mph (115 kn, 212 km/h)
Cruise speed: 105.5 mph (91.7 knots, 169.8 km/h)
Range: 805 mi (700 nmi, 1,296 km)
Service ceiling: 17,100 ft (5,212 m)
Rate of climb: 850 ft/min (4.3 m/s)
Armament
Bombs: 2,508 lb (1,138 kg)
*
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