THE XP-42: WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN…

DATABASE CURTISS P-36/HAWK 75 The sole XP-42 on a test flight during 1943. NASA The fourth production P-36A (serial 38-004) became a development platform for a direct successor, designated as the XP-42 by the AAC. The most striking difference was a longer, streamlined nose cowling and a propeller mounted on a shaft, features that were added in an attempt to improve the aerodynamics of the air-cooled radial engine. The XP-42 therefore superficially resembled an aircraft equipped with an in-line liquid-cooled