Curtiss YA-10

The Curtiss YA-10 was the designation given to the first YA-8 Shrike when it was given a Pratt & Whitney Hornet air-cooled radial engine. The YA-8 was powered by liquid-cooled inline engines, which proved to be rather vulnerable when used in ground attack aircraft. Aircraft used for this role needed to be robust enough to survive a large amount of incoming fire from their targets. The air-cooled radial engine was rather better at surviving this hail of bullets, and so despite the YA-10 being over 200lb heavier and 8mph slower than the YA-8, the Army Air Corps decided to replace its order for 46 A-8Bs with one for 46 A-12s, powered by radial engines. The US Navy also ordered a single YA-10, giving it the designation XS2C-1. Curtiss designated the Army’s YA-10 as the Model 59A, and the Navy’s XS2C-1 as the Model 69.

Suggested Reading
Curtiss Aircraft, 1907-1947, Peter M Bowers (Amazon.co.uk)
Curtiss Aircraft, 1907-1947, Peter M Bowers (Amazon.com)

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