And then came the Curtiss P-40. Straight out of the factory, the fighter looked like it had a menacing maw because of its substantial inlet scoop situated under a piked nose.

★ Curtiss P-40 Warhawk ★ An all-metal, 300 mph fighter, the P-40 was the frontline U.S. fighter when the war began. It was made famous by Claire Chennault’s Flying Tigers, who, among other ...

The P-40 was structurally very strong, with a five-spar wing design that allowed the aircraft to pull high-G maneuvers, survive mid-air collisions, and even record some ramming attack victories.