Curtiss A-12 Shrike

A-12 Shrike
Role	Ground-attack aircraft
Manufacturer	Curtiss
Introduction	1933
Retired	1942
Primary users	United States Army Air Corps Nationalist Chinese Air Force
Number built	46[1]
Developed from	XA-8 Shrike YA-10 Shrike
Variants	YA-14 Shrike

The Curtiss A-12 Shrike was the United States Army Air Corps' second monoplane ground-attack aircraft, and its main attack aircraft through most of the 1930s. It was based on the A-8, but had a radial engine instead of the A-8's inline, water-cooled engine, as well as other changes.

Design and development

The Model 60 was developed from advancements of the A-8 and the experimental YA-10. However, it became obsolete after a short use period, mainly because of fast-improving aviation technology, as well as the USAAC's desire for multi-engined attack aircraft.^[2]

The most obvious difference between the A-12 and the A-8 is the air-cooled, radial engine in the A-12, which replaced the A-8's inline, water-cooled engine. This was a response to the USAAC's move toward a preference for radial engines, especially in attack aircraft. The rationale behind this preference is that the radial engine has a lower profile, making it less vulnerable to ground fire, and a simpler cooling mechanism, which is also less prone to groundfire, as well as overall maintenance problems.^[2]

These aircraft retained the open cockpit introduced in the A-8 production batch, and carried the same weapons load. In an attempt to improve pilot/observer co-operation the rear cockpit was moved forward sufficiently for its glazed covering to form a continuation of the fuselage decking behind the pilot's cockpit.^[3]

Nine USAAF A-12s were still in service at Hickam Field on 7 December 1941, but they saw no combat.^[4]

Operational history

A-12s served with the 3rd Attack Group plus the 8th and 18th Pursuit Groups. Surviving Shrikes were grounded just after Pearl Harbor was bombed in December 1941.^[5]

Operators

 Republic of China

• Chinese Nationalist Air Force received 20 A-12 Shrikes in 1936, arming the 27th and the 28th Squadron of the 9th Group. When full-scale war broke out between Japan and China, they were used. The initial success including the downing of four Japanese Aichi D1A1 carrier-based dive bombers on 15 August 1937. However, after deploying in ground support missions in Shanxi, most did not survive and the extremely few left were reassigned to training duties.^[2]

 United States

• United States Army Air Corps

Specifications (A-12 Shrike)

Data from The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft^[4]

General characteristics

• Crew: 2
• Length: 32 ft 3 in (9.83 m)
• Wingspan: 44 ft 0 in (13.41 m)
• Height: 9 ft 4 in (2.84 m)
• Wing area: 284 ft² (26.38 m²)
• Empty weight: 3,898 lb (1,768 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 5,756 lb (2,611 kg)
• Powerplant: 1 × Wright R-1820 "Cyclone" 9-cylinder air-cooled radial engine, 690 hp (515 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 177 mph (154 knots, 285 km/h)
• Range: 521 mi (453 nmi, 838 km)
• Service ceiling: 15,150 ft (4,620 m)

Armament

• Guns:
  
• 4 × forward-firing .30 in (7.62 mm) machine guns
• 1 × aft-firing .30 in (7.62 mm) machine gun
• Bombs:
  
• 4 × 122 lb (55 kg) bombs on underwing racks or 10 × 30 lb (13.6 kg) fragmentation bombs in chutes on either side of the main fuel tank

See also

Related development

• Curtiss XA-8
• YA-10 Shrike
  

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

• Fokker XA-7
• PZL.23 Karaś
  

Related lists

• List of military aircraft of the United States
  

References

Notes

1. ^ Fahey, James C. U.S. Army Aircraft 1908-1946. New York: Ships and Aircraft, 1946.
2. ^ ^{a b c} "Curtiss A-12." National Museum of the United States Air Force. Retrieved: 27 August 2011.
3. ^ Swanborough, F. G. and Peter M. Bowers. United States Military Aircraft Since 1909. New York: Putnam, 1964. ISBN 0-85177-816-X.
4. ^ ^{a b} Eden and Moeng 2002, p. 514.
5. ^ Fitzsimons 1969, p. 2324.

Bibliography

• Eden, Paul and Soph Moeng, eds. The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. London: Amber Books Ltd., 2002, ISBN 0-7607-3432-1.
• Fitzsimons, Bernard, ed. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of the 20th Century Weapons and Warfare, Vol. 21 London: Purnell & Sons Ltd., 1969, First edition 1967. ISBN 0-83936-175-0.

External links

• USAF Museum:
  • Attack Aircraft Development in the 1930s
  • Curtiss A-12
  • Curtiss A-12 Special Projects
• "Flying Fort Bristles With Guns And Bombs", Popular Mechanics, March 1934, 1930s era article on A-12 with a lot of misconceptions