CMK R72240 Curtis A-12 Shrike Radial Engine

The Curtiss A-12 Shrike was an American-made interwar-WWII metal-structure attack aircraft with a fixed undercarriage in the low wing configuration. The drive was provided by a single radial motor Wright R-1820 with 670 hp. The first flight of this machine took place in 1933. In the years 1933-1936 serial production took place, which led to the creation of about 60-70 aircraft of this type. The deck armament consisted of five 7.62 mm Browning M1919 machine guns. The plane could also carry a bomb load of up to 210 kilograms.

The Curtiss A-12 was designed for the US Marine Corps as a new attack aircraft for this type of armed forces. The new aircraft was largely based on previous Curtiss designs: A-8 and YA-10. The main changes compared to the predecessors were the use of a new power unit, strengthening the aircraft structure, as well as a slight improvement in performance. The main user of these planes was the USMC, and in its ranks single copies remained until the first months of the war in the Pacific (1941-1945), but did not take part in the fighting. Curtiss A-12 planes, designated Export Shrike, were also sold to China and took an active part in the initial phase of the Japanese-Chinese war of 1937-1945.