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SPECIFICATIONS (P-40E) PERFORMANCE ARMAMENT/REMARKS
| Span: 37 ft. 4 in. | Max speed: 362 mph | Six 50-cal. machine guns |
| Length: 31 ft. 9 in. | Cruise speed: 235 mph | 700 lbs. of bombs externally. |
| Height: 12 ft. 4 in. | Range: 850 miles | Engine: Allison V-1710 of 1,150 hp. |
| Weight: 9,100 lbs. fully loaded | Service Ceiling: 30,000 ft. | Cost: $45,000 |
The P-40, developed from the P-36, was America's foremost fighter in service when WWII began. P-40s engaged Japanese aircraft during the attack on Pearl Harbor and the invasion of the Philipines in December 1941. They also were flown in China early in 1942 by the famed Flying Tigers and in North Africa in 1943 by the first AAF all-black unit, the 99th Fighter Squadron.
The P-40 served in numerous combat areas--the Aleutian Islands, Italy, the Middle East, the Far East, the Southwest Pacific and some were sent to Russia. Though often outclassed by its adversaries in speed, and and maneuverability and rate of climb, the P-40 earned a reputation in battle for extreme ruggedness. At the end of the P-40's brilliant career, more than 14,000 had been produced for service in the air forces of 28 nations, of which 2,320 were of the "E" series.
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