In April 1939 the US Army Air Corps awarded what was at that time the service's largest ever fighter contact, covering 524 examples of the P-40. This was in essence the P-36 revised with an inline engine, and the PX-40 prototype that flew in October 1938 was the first American fighter capable of exceeding 300 mph. High hops were entertained for the P-40 series, which was produced in many forms for the American and export markets. It soon became clear, however, that with the Allison engine the series lacked the alitude performance required of a first line interceptor, and the P_40 was rapidly relegated to the fighter bomber role, where its ruggedness and stability made it a real asset to the Allies. The P-40series was used in nearly ever theater, and was later improved with a Merlin engine

Description	Specifications
Manufacturer: Curtiss	Length: 31 ft. 2 ft.
First Flight: October 1938	Height: 10 ft. 6 in.
Model: E	Wing Span: 37ft. 3 in.
Crew: One	Wing Area: 236.0 sq ft.
Nickname:	Empty Weight: 5,811 lb
Warhawk Basic Role: Fighter-Bomber	Max. Weight: 8,058 lb
Other Versions: P-40 & Tomahawk Mk I aircraft with the 1,160-hp V1710-19 engine. P-40B & Tomahawk Mk IIA aircraft with heavier armament. P-40C & Tomahawk Mk IIB aircraft with revised fuel system. P-40D & Kittyhawk Mk I aircraft of a P-40C version with 1,150-hp V-1710-39 engine, shorter fuselage and shorter landing gear legs. P-40E & Kittyhawk Mk IA aircraft with two additional wing guns.	Armament: 2 x 12.7mm machine gun, 4x 7.62mm machine gun.
Principal User: Australia, Canada, China, Egypt, France, Great Britain, the Netherlands, South Africa, Turkey, USA, and USSR	Propulsion
Performance	Power Plant: Allison V-1710-85 liquid-cooled V-12.
Range: 800 miles	Horsepower: 1,150-hp. (857-kW
Max. Speed: 345 mph	No. Of Engines: One
Ceiling: 29,450 ft
Climb Rate: 10,000 ft. in 4min. 48 sec.