Curtiss O-52 Owl

Design and development

Developed in 1939, the Curtiss O-52 was the last "heavy" observation aircraft developed for the US Army Air Corps. The concept of the two-seat observation aircraft, classed as the "O" series aircraft, dated to World War I, and in 1940, the Army Air Corps ordered 203 Curtiss O-52s for observation duties.

Curtis designated it the Curtiss Model 85, and it was powered by a Pratt & Whitney Wasp radial engine.

Operational history

Upon delivery, the aircraft was used in military maneuvers with the USAAC, but following America's entry into World War II, the USAAF determined that the aircraft did not possess sufficient performance for "modern" combat operations in overseas areas. As a result, the O-52 was relegated to courier duties within the U.S. and short-range submarine patrol over the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic and Pacific Oceans

O-52s were used by the 2nd Reconnaissance Squadron, which flew them out of Puerto Rico and Trinidad, to search for Nazi U Boats.

The O-52 was the last "O" type aircraft procured in quantity for the Air Corps. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the "O" designation was discontinued and the "L" series for liaison-type aircraft was adopted instead.

In November 1942, the USSR ordered 30 O-52 Owls through the Lend-Lease program. Twenty-six were shipped, with only 19 delivered as a number were lost on the North Arctic Route. Of these only ten were accepted into service. They were used operationally for artillery fire spotting and general photographic and observation platforms in north and central areas on the Russian Front during spring–summer 1943. One O-52 was shot down by Luftwaffe fighters. In the report on military tests, the Soviet pilots recognized that the American machine was superior to the outdated Polikarpov R-5, and Polikarpov R-Z spotters used at the front. The aircraft was generally disliked in Soviet use although some were still flying into the 1950s.

Operators

;

• Brazilian Air Force ;
• United States Army Air Corps ;
• Soviet Air Force

Surviving aircraft

• 40-2746 – O-52 on static display at the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona.
• 40-2763 – O-52 on static display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.
• 40-2769 – O-52 on display at the Yanks Air Museum in Chino, California.
• 40-2804 – O-52 under restoration in Huntington, Indiana. It was previously part of the Walter Soplata collection.

Specifications (O-52)

|prime units?=imp General characteristics

|max takeoff weight lb= |max takeoff weight note= Powerplant

Performance

|never exceed speed mph= |never exceed speed note= |minimum control speed mph= |minimum control speed note= |wing loading lb/sqft= |fuel consumption lb/mi= |power/mass= Armament

References

;Notes ;Bibliography

• Donald, David. American Warplanes of World War II. London: Aerospace Publishing, 1995. .
• Hardesty, Von. Red Phoenix: The Rise of Soviet Air Power 1941-1945. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, 1991. .
• United States Air Force Museum Guidebook. Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio: Air Force Museum Foundation, 1975.

References

1. "Curtiss O-52 Owl".
2. Acree, Chuck. (2020-12-04). "The Latin American Anti-Submarine campaign during WWII".
3. Hardesty 1991, p. 253, Appendixes.
4. "OWL".
5. (7 April 2015). "Curtiss O-52 Owl".
6. (June 2016). "AIRCRAFT, DRONES AND MISSILES AT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE U.S. AIR FORCE".
7. (4 February 2017). "Curtiss 85 Owl (O-52)".
8. "Airframe Dossier - Curtiss O-52 Owl, s/n 40-2769 USAAF, c/n 14302, c/r N61241". AerialVisuals.ca.
9. Goodall, Geoff. (15 July 2019). "CURTISS O-52 OWL".
10. (1979). "Curtiss aircraft, 1907-1947". Putnam.
11. Donald 1995, p. 64.