Curtiss F7C Seahawk
Curtiss F7C Seahawk
The Curtiss F7C Seahawk was a carrier-capable fighter used by the United States Navy and Marine Corps in the late 1920s and early 1930s.
Curtiss Model 43 was built specifically for the Navy, not just a modified Army plane. It followed the P-1 Hawk design but had constant-chord wings and a slightly swept upper wing.
It was powered by a 450 hp Pratt & Whitney R-1340-B Wasp radial engine.
The aircraft was mostly fabric-covered. The top wing used spruce framing, while the fuselage combined aluminum and steel tubing, strong enough for both dive bombing and fighting.
The prototype XF7C-1 first flew on February 28, 1927. After Navy-required changes like wing sweepback, 17 F7C-1 Seahawks were built and entered service with the USMC’s VF-5M at Quantico.
In 1930, VF-9M formed the Marines’ first aerobatic team, The Red Devils, using F7Cs with red noses. They remained in service until 1933.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 13:36 (CET).