|
Curtiss 18-B / Curtiss-Kirkham Curtiss 15
US Army interest in the 18-T prompted Curtiss to offer the same basic design in two-bay biplane configuration, and an order was placed by the US Army for two examples in August 1918. Known unofficially as the "Hornet", the 18-B two-seat fighter employed an identical fuselage to that of the 18-T and a similar Curtiss- Kirkham K-12 engine. The proposed armament comprised two forward-firing Marlin guns and two Lewis guns on a flexible mount. The two prototypes were delivered to the US Army during the summer of 1919, AS40058 and AS40064, one being confined to static testing and the other crashing shortly after the commencement of flight trials. Further development was then abandoned.
 Photo above clearly shows a tail number of "40054," but all recorded registrations have that number as the 18T triplane.
 Engine: Kirkham K-12, 400hp
Wingspan: 11.41 m / 37 ft 5 in
Length: 7.11 m / 23 ft 4 in
Wing area: 28.43 sq.m / 306.02 sq ft
Take-off weight: 1300 kg / 2866 lb
Empty weight: 767 kg / 1691 lb
Useful load: 1177 lb
Max. speed: 257 km/h / 160 mph
Seats: 2
|
