'' P-40N WARHAWK ''
A new lightweight structure was introduced, two of the six wing-mounted guns were removed, smaller and lighter undercarriage wheels were installed, head armour was reintroduced, and aluminium radiators and oil coolers were installed. The resulting reduction in the weight, along with the use of the same V-1710-81 engine as used in the P-40M, made the P-40N the fastest of the P-40 series, reaching a speed of 378 mph at 10,500 feet. Even though by 1943 standards the Warhawk was rapidly becoming obsolescent, the P-40N became the version that was most widely built with 5220 examples rolling off the Curtiss lines before production finally ceased.

There were several production blocks of the P-40N, which differed from each other as follows:

The first production block was the P-40N-1-CU. It appeared in March of 1943, still powered by the Allison V-1710-81 engine, but with 122 gallons of internal fuel and a generally lighter structure than its predecessors. With weight reduced to 6000 pounds empty, 7400 pounds gross, and 8850 pounds maximum, the N-1 was the fastest P-40 service variant and was intended for high altitude combat. Maximum speed was 378 mph at 10,500 feet and service ceiling was 38,000 feet. An altitude of 15,000 feet could be attained in 6.7 minutes. Armament consisted of four 0.50 inch machine guns in the wings. Four hundred P-40N-1-CUs were built.

The P-40N-5-CU variant introduced a modified cockpit canopy with a frameless sliding hood and a deeper, squared off rectangular aft transparent section to improve the rearward view. This cockpit canopy was retained for all the rest of the production blocks of the N version. The N-5 version restored the full six gun wing armament, since pilots had complained that four guns were insufficient. Under-wing racks were fitted for bombs or drop tanks, increasing external stores capacity to 1500 pounds. The new heavier gross weight of 8350 pounds limited top speed to 350 mph at 16,400 feet and service ceiling to 31,000 feet. An altitude of 14,000 feet could be attained in 7.3 minutes. Range was 340 miles with a 500 pound bomb underneath the fuselage. Three drop tanks promised a ferry range of up to 3100 miles at 198 mph.

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