Curtiss P-40Q: The Last Stand of the Warhawk

In the annals of World War II aviation, few fighters are as instantly recognizable as the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk. With its iconic shark-toothed grin and reputation as a rugged workhorse, the P-40 served Allied air forces valiantly in the war’s earliest years. But by 1944, the battle for air superiority had changed dramatically. The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) sought faster, higher-flying, and more heavily-armed fighters. It was in this context that Curtiss introduced the P-40Q—the final, fastest, and most advanced variant of the Warhawk lineage.

A Last Effort to Stay Competitive

The P-40Q was Curtiss’s bold answer to the relentless pace of aeronautical innovation. At the core of this new design was the powerful Packard-built Merlin V-1650 engine, the same type that transformed the P-51 Mustang into a legend. Augmented by meticulous aerodynamic refinements—a redesigned nose, clipped wings, and reduction of surface drag—the P-40Q was a very different beast from the rugged P-40B that once fought over China or North Africa.

Gone too was the traditional “greenhouse” cockpit canopy, replaced with a bubble canopy that granted pilots vastly improved visibility—a feature that had become standard in late-war Allied fighters. The landing gear also received modifications for greater reliability, and the structure was slimmed down to reduce weight.

A Fighter with Impressive Numbers

What did these changes mean for performance? The P-40Q truly delivered on speed, clocking a top speed of around 422 mph (680 km/h) in test flights—eclipsing all previous P-40 models and finally rivaling the Mustang in pure velocity. Armament plans varied, with prototypes testing both four and six .50 caliber machine guns, in line with contemporary firepower standards.

In every metric, the P-40Q outclassed its ancestors and showcased just how far Curtiss engineers could push a design born at the end of the 1930s.

Too Little, Too Late

Yet, the triumph of engineering was undone by the realities of war. By the time the P-40Q was ready for evaluation in 1944, the tide in the air had already turned in the Allies’ favor—thanks to the P-51 Mustang, Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, and the Lockheed P-38 Lightning. These newer aircraft were not only faster and more capable, but they had also earned the full confidence of pilots and commanders across multiple theaters.

The P-40Q’s performance leap was impressive, but it counted as merely “catching up” to what was already routine for frontline USAAF fighters. There was little incentive to switch production lines or retrain crews for a fighter that no longer offered a decisive advantage.

Closing the Warhawk Chapter

With priorities shifted to next-generation aircraft, only three prototypes of the P-40Q were built. The project quietly ended—there would be no mass production and no squadron ever flew it in combat. The cancellation marked not only the end of the P-40Q but also the curtain call for the entire Warhawk family. From North Africa to the South Pacific, P-40s had played vital roles; now, technology had marched on.

Curtiss, once a titan of American fighter production, faded from the top rung of aviation innovation as the jet age dawned.

The P-40Q’s Legacy

The Curtiss P-40Q stands as a fascinating “what if” in military aviation—proof that even well-worn designs can sometimes find new life, if only on the drawing board or factory floor. It’s a reminder that history is shaped not only by breakthroughs but also by the timing with which they arrive.

While the P-40Q never joined the ranks of the Mustang or the Thunderbolt, its story is a fitting coda for the Warhawk: always fighting, always evolving, and never quite ready to surrender its place in the sky.

Sources:

U.S. Air Force Museum Archives

“Curtiss Aircraft 1907–1947” by Peter Bowers

Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum