B-2 Condor

B-2 Condor

Description
Rôle	Heavy bomber
Crew	5
First Flight
Entered Service	1928
Manufacturer	Curtiss Aircraft
Number built	1 XB-2, 12 B-2 (1 cv. to B-2A)
Dimensions
Length	47 ft 6 in	14.5 m
Wingspan	90 ft	27.4 m
Height	16 ft 3 in	4.9 m
Wing area	ft²	m²
Weights
Empty	lb	kg
Loaded	16,500 lb	7,484 kg
Maximum takeoff	lb	kg
Capacity
Powerplant
Engines	Curtiss V-1570-7 (2)
Power	630 hp	kW
Performance
Maximum speed (sea level)	132 mph	212.4 km/h
Cruising speed	114 mph	183.4 km/h
Combat range	780 miles	1,255 km
Ferry range	miles	km
Service ceiling	16,500 ft	5,029 m
Rate of climb	ft/min	m/min
Wing loading	lb/ft²	kg/m²
Power/Mass	hp/lb	kW/kg
Armament
Guns	.30-calibre machine guns (6)
Bombs	2,500 lb

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In many ways, Curtiss Aircraft's B-2 Condor was nearly identical to its predecessor, the Huff-Daland XB-1. It had the same engines, the same design, the same engine nacelles, and the same gunner positions (at the back of the nacelles). However, it had better performance, with a top speed 13 mph (20.8 km/h) faster.

Initially, the army rejected the B-2 in favour of the Keystone LB-6. This was in part motivated by the size of the B-2, which had a difficult time fitting into existing hangars. However, the superior performance of the B-2 soon wrought a policy change, and in 1928 a production run of 12 was ordered.

A later version of the B-2, dubbed the B-2A, featured dual controls for both the pilot and the copilot. Previously, the control wheel and the pitch controls could only be handled by one at a time. This 'dual control' setup became standard on all bombers by the 1930s. There was no production line for the B-2A, though a B-2 was converted to follow its setup.

Following production of the B-2, Curtiss Aircraft left the bomber business, and concentrated on the 'Hawk series' of Pursuit Aircraft in the 1930s

The B-2 design was also used as a transport. A version of it was tested as the C-30.

Links

Related content
\Related Development	C-30
Similar Aircraft
Designation Series	XB-1 - B-2 - B-3 - B-4 - B-5
Related Lists	List of military aircraft of the United States - List of bomber aircraft