Curtiss XA-14


The Curtiss XA-14 was a 1930s United States airplane, the first multi-engine attack aircraft tested by the United States Army Air Corps. Carrying a crew of two, it was as fast as the standard pursuit aircraft in service at the time.

Design and development

Originally built as an in-house venture as the Curtiss Model 76, powered by two experimental Wright XR-1510 radial engines, flight testing was sufficiently impressive that after the USAAC appraisal the Model 76 was returned to Curtiss and fitted with two Wright R-1670-5 Whirlwind engines with two-position variable-pitch propellers. This configuration was accepted by the Army with the designation XA-14. It had standard Army markings with the serial number 36-146.
The Model 76 was of all-metal construction with an oval section semimonocoque fuselage, described as "pencil slim". The XA-14 was extensively tested, at one stage being fitted with a cannon in the nose.
In July 1936, 13 developed versions, re-engined with two Wright R-1820-47 Cyclone 9-cylinder radials, were ordered into production as the Y1A-18.

Specifications (XA-14)