YA-10 Shrike

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YA-10 Shrike
Type Ground attack
Manufacturer Curtiss
Maiden flight 1932
Retired 1939
Status Out of service
Primary user U.S. Army Air Corps
Number built 1
Developed from A-8 Shrike
Variants A-12 Shrike

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 done in September 1932, and it was found that the aircraft's performance was not degraded by the change of engine. As 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, upon the 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.

Following the 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.

[edit] Specifications (type)

General characteristics

  • Crew: 2, pilot & observer-rear gunner
  • Length: 32 ft 6 in (9.9 m)
  • Wingspan: 44 ft 3 in (13.5 m)
  • Height: 9 ft (2.75 m)
  • Max takeoff weight: 6,135 lbs (2,783 kg)
  • Powerplant: 1× Pratt & Whitney R-1690-9 (R-1690D) "Hornet" radial, 630 hp (470 kW)

Performance

Armament

  • Guns
    • 4 forward .30-cal. machine guns
    • 1 rear .30-cal. machine gun
  • Bombs
    • 4 x 122 lb (55 kg) bombs mounted on wing racks

[edit] Related content

Related development

Comparable aircraft

Designation sequence

XA-7 - A-8 - XA-9 - YA-10 - XA-11 - A-12 - YA-13

Related lists

See also