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| O-52 | |
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| Role | Reconnaissance |
| Manufacturer | Curtiss |
| Introduced | 1940 |
| Primary user | United States Army Air Corps |
| Produced | 203 |
| Unit cost | $31,000 |
The Curtiss O-52 "Owl" is an observation aircraft used by the United States Army Air Corps before and during World War II.
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Design and development
In 1940, the Army Air Corps ordered 203 Curtiss O-52s for observation duties. Upon delivery, the aircraft was used in military maneuvers with the USAAC, but following America's entry into WW II, the USAAF determined that the aircraft did not possess sufficient performance for "modern" combat operations in oversea areas. As a result, the O-52 was relegated to courier duties within the U.S. and short-range submarine patrol over the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
The O-52 was the last "O" type aircraft procured in quantity for the Air Corps. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the "O" designation was discontinued and the "L" series for liaison-type aircraft was adopted instead.
In November 1942, the USSR ordered 30 O-52 Owls through the Lend-Lease program. Twenty-six were shipped and only 19 ever made it to their shores.1 Of these only 10 were accepted into service. They were used operationally for artillery-fire spotting and general photographic and observation platforms. Some were still flying into the 1950s. The aircraft was generally disliked in Soviet use.
Operators
Survivors
- The only surviving O-52 (s/n 40-2763) is on display in the Early Years Gallery at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB near Dayton, Ohio
Specifications (O-52)
This aircraft article is missing some (or all) of its specifications. If you have a source, you can help Wikipedia by adding them.General characteristics
- Length: 26 ft 4¾ in (8 m)
- Wingspan: 40 ft 9½ in (12.4 m)
- Height: 9 ft 11½ in (3 m)
- Loaded weight: 5,364 lb (2,433 kg)
- Powerplant: 1× Pratt & Whitney R-1340-51, 600 hp (447 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 215 mph (346 km/h)
- Cruise speed: 169 mph (272 km/h)
- Range: 455 miles (732 km)
- Service ceiling 23,200 ft (7,100 m)
Armament
- 1 × forward and 1 × rearward firing .30-cal (7.62 mm) machine gun
See also
Comparable aircraft
References
- ^ Hardesty, Von [1982] (1991). "Appendixes", Red Phoenix: The Rise of Soviet Air Power 1941-1945. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, 253. ISBN 0874745101.
External links
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