Difference between revisions of "CW-21"

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[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
 
[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
 
{{break}}
 
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Chinese twin-engine fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.91 "Night Vision"]].
+
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Chinese fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.91 "Night Vision"]].
 +
 
 +
A relatively untested aircraft so far, the '''CW-21''' will be a surprise to pilots stepping into the Chinese tech tree. The first few Chinese aircraft can be a struggle to fly and master, however, the CW-21 picks up the slack the moment it gets airborne. While sitting on the airfield, you will notice quickly that this fighter is a relatively small monoplane fighter, akin to a P-26. During the take-off roll, you instantly notice the extremely short take-off span, as it begins lifting off when reaching 145 kph (90 mph). While speaking of speed, the CW will quickly outrun and outpace the competition, leading to a lot of the primary biplane opposition simply being unable to catch up and get within firing distance.
 +
 
 +
When it comes to firepower, this bird has talons and easily uses its 2 x.50 calibre M2s plus 2 x.30 calibre M1919s to decimate any plane that crosses its path. While it can punch hard with its guns, you might be more than surprised to know that the CW can take a hit too. The wings, strong as they are, are the most durable flight construction in the game and able to take round after round, hit after hit from the vast multitude of armaments from contemporary aircraft it comes up against, ranging from the weak Japanese 7.7 mm, to the heavy impacting 20 mm ShvaK cannons fielded by the Soviets. Not that you'll be getting hit much, as a competent pilot will tell you manoeuvrability is key and an agile plane it is. The turn time is easily competitive with most if not all biplanes, except possibly the I-153 that intrinsically trumps all other aircraft when it comes to turning and turn fighting. All in all, the CW-21 is a powerhouse, ready to zoom in, shred and ignite the enemy and shrug off all incoming fire.
  
 
== General info ==
 
== General info ==
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! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
 
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
 
|-
 
|-
| ??? || 505 || {{Specs|ceiling}} || ??.? || 14.0 || ??.? || 18.2 || 343
+
|533|| 505 || {{Specs|ceiling}} ||13.8|| 14.0 ||24.6|| 18.2 || 343
 
|-
 
|-
 
|}
 
|}
  
 
==== Details ====
 
==== Details ====
 +
[[File:CW-21_olife-001.jpg|450px|thumb|right|The sleek '''{{PAGENAME}}''' in flight.]]
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 
|-
 
|-
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== Usage in battles ==
 
== Usage in battles ==
''Describe the tactics of playing in the aircraft, the features of using aircraft in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).''
+
<!--''Describe the tactics of playing in the aircraft, the features of using aircraft in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).''-->
 +
 
 +
The CW-21 should be mainly used as a fighter. Excelling in turns, acceleration, and hard-hitting guns, it is very easy to dogfight other planes at its battle rating. Your main composition will sometimes be bi-planes and some bi-planes can out turn you. However, the CW-21 against monoplanes is where it really shines. It can easily out turn other planes like the He-100 or even the He-112 which is crucial in a dogfight. The CW-21 does not have any CAS potential other than knocking out light targets like AAA and armoured vehicles, so the main targets will be other planes.
  
 
=== Manual Engine Control ===
 
=== Manual Engine Control ===
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=== Pros and cons ===
 
=== Pros and cons ===
''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".''
+
<!--Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".-->
  
 
'''Pros:'''
 
'''Pros:'''
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* Respectable firepower for the rank
 
* Respectable firepower for the rank
 
* Turn rate is on par with the early Spitfires and even A6Ms
 
* Turn rate is on par with the early Spitfires and even A6Ms
 +
* .50 calibre API at this rank is very dangerous
 +
* Mediocre energy retention
 +
* Climb rate is very good for its rank
  
 
'''Cons:'''
 
'''Cons:'''
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* Not very fast
 
* Not very fast
 
* Very fragile
 
* Very fragile
* Climb rate is not the best for the rank
+
* Ammo can run out fast with poor trigger discipline 
  
 
== History ==
 
== History ==
In 1938, George A. Page, head of the Saint Louis Airplane Division of Curtiss-Wright, decided to develop a fighter aircraft based on Carl W. Scott's two seater Model 19. Page's concept was a lightweight fighter interceptor with as high a rate of climb as possible in order to allow bomber formations to be attacked with minimal warning. If faced with fighter opposition, it was intended not to dogfight, but to use its superior climb rate to escape. While this was a direct contradiction to the United States Army Air Corps′ requirements for fighters (which stressed low-level performance), this did not concern Page, since the new fighter was intended for export.
+
<!--Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).-->
 
 
The prototype first flew on 22 September 1938, carrying the civil experimental registration ''NX19431''. Although the CW-21 was not commissioned by the U.S. military, it was test flown at Wright Field in Dayton, Ohio. The Army Air Corps immediately rejected the aircraft, with one officer commenting that it took a genius to land it.
 
  
The prototype CW-21 was delivered to China for evaluation by the Chinese Air Force. The Chinese were impressed by the CW-21's performance, and negotiation started on a Chinese purchase. While these negotiations were ongoing, the CW-21 prototype was flown in combat against Japanese bombers attacking Chungking, with Curtiss test pilot Bob Fausel claiming a Fiat BR.20 bomber shot down on 4 April 1939. In May 1939, a contract was signed, with China receiving the prototype and three complete examples built by Curtiss, as well as kits for 27 more aircraft. Assembly would be undertaken by the Central Aircraft Manufacturing Company (CAMCO) at Loiwing, near the China-Burma border. These were to be armed with two .50 in (12.7 mm) and two .30 in (7.62 mm) machine guns.
+
The Curtiss-Wrist 21 was a lightweight fighter interceptor based on the CW-19. CW-21 designer, George A. Page, only emphasized the plane to have an incredible rate of climb and to not dogfight. It would climb away from a dogfight instead of dog-fighting. The U.S. wouldn't adopt the plane as they. wanted a plane with low-level dogfight capability, and to not only excel in climbing. However, George A. Page knew this and designed the plane mainly for exporting.
  
The three Curtiss-built aircraft were shipped to China in May 1940 and were eventually handed over to the 1st American Volunteer Group (Flying Tigers), who intended to use them to tackle high-flying Japanese reconnaissance aircraft. These crashed and were destroyed, due to poor visibility, on a flight from Rangoon to Kunming on 23 December 1941. Of the 27 to be assembled by CAMCO, none were completed before CAMCO was forced by advancing Japanese forces to evacuate its Loiwing factory to India in 1942.
+
Intrigued by the CW-21's performance, China looked into the CW-21 furthermore with a prototype being delivered to China. During discussion about the CW-21, a prototype CW-21 shot down an Italian BR.20. China decided to buy some with China receiving 3 completely built CW-21's and 27 kits. Another 3 CW-21's were delivered to China and sent to the "Flying Tigers" group. They intended to use the CW-21 for attacking Japanese reconnaissance, but ended up crashing due to poor visibility.
  
''-Wikipedia''<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtiss-Wright_CW-21</ref>
+
Meanwhile, Curtiss-Wright were developing the CW-21B. The CW-21B had inward retractable gears, instead of the gears being retracted into the fairings beneath each wing. The CW-21B also sported hydraulic control surfaces. The CW-21B did end up having a lower climb rate, but did have a higher top speed. The Dutch ordered 24 CW-21B's in an effort to obtain modern aircraft, but was too late as they surrendered to the Germans. The Dutch ended up giving the CW-21B's to the Dutch East Indies (Now Indonesia). After assembling the newly acquired CW-21B's, they started using them. They later ended up finding cracks on some of their CW-21B's and grounded them. This was due to the very lightweight construction of the CW-21B. These CW-21B's were easy prey to Japanese planes and most were destroyed on the ground as well as the few that were able to fly.
  
 
== Media ==
 
== Media ==
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* ''other literature.''
 
* ''other literature.''
  
 +
{{AirManufacturer Curtiss}}
 
{{China fighters}}
 
{{China fighters}}
<references />
 

Revision as of 13:33, 6 January 2020

Rank VI | Premium | Golden Eagles
Challenger DS Pack
cw_21.png
CW-21
AB RB SB
2.0 2.7 2.0
Class:
Research:4 000 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:2 100 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game

Description

GarageImage CW-21.jpg


The CW-21 is a rank I Chinese fighter with a battle rating of 2.0 (AB/SB) and 2.7 (RB). It was introduced in Update 1.91 "Night Vision".

A relatively untested aircraft so far, the CW-21 will be a surprise to pilots stepping into the Chinese tech tree. The first few Chinese aircraft can be a struggle to fly and master, however, the CW-21 picks up the slack the moment it gets airborne. While sitting on the airfield, you will notice quickly that this fighter is a relatively small monoplane fighter, akin to a P-26. During the take-off roll, you instantly notice the extremely short take-off span, as it begins lifting off when reaching 145 kph (90 mph). While speaking of speed, the CW will quickly outrun and outpace the competition, leading to a lot of the primary biplane opposition simply being unable to catch up and get within firing distance.

When it comes to firepower, this bird has talons and easily uses its 2 x.50 calibre M2s plus 2 x.30 calibre M1919s to decimate any plane that crosses its path. While it can punch hard with its guns, you might be more than surprised to know that the CW can take a hit too. The wings, strong as they are, are the most durable flight construction in the game and able to take round after round, hit after hit from the vast multitude of armaments from contemporary aircraft it comes up against, ranging from the weak Japanese 7.7 mm, to the heavy impacting 20 mm ShvaK cannons fielded by the Soviets. Not that you'll be getting hit much, as a competent pilot will tell you manoeuvrability is key and an agile plane it is. The turn time is easily competitive with most if not all biplanes, except possibly the I-153 that intrinsically trumps all other aircraft when it comes to turning and turn fighting. All in all, the CW-21 is a powerhouse, ready to zoom in, shred and ignite the enemy and shrug off all incoming fire.

General info

Flight performance

Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.

Characteristics
Stock
Max Speed
(km/h at 3,700 m)
Max altitude
(meters)
Turn time
(seconds)
Rate of climb
(meters/second)
Take-off run
(meters)
AB RB AB RB AB RB
480 465 10800 14.2 15.0 13.4 13.4 343
Upgraded
Max Speed
(km/h at 3,700 m)
Max altitude
(meters)
Turn time
(seconds)
Rate of climb
(meters/second)
Take-off run
(meters)
AB RB AB RB AB RB
533 505 10800 13.8 14.0 24.6 18.2 343

Details

The sleek CW-21 in flight.
Features
Combat flaps Take-off flaps Landing flaps Air brakes Arrestor gear
X X
Limits
Wing-break speed
(km/h)
Gear limit
(km/h)
Combat flaps
(km/h)
Max Static G
+ -
380 ~10 ~5
Optimal velocities
Ailerons
(km/h)
Rudder
(km/h)
Elevators
(km/h)
Radiator
(km/h)
< 280 < 260 < 450 > 250
Compressor (RB/SB)
Setting 1
Optimal altitude 100% Engine power WEP Engine power
1,829 m 850 hp 1,000 hp
Setting 2
Optimal altitude 100% Engine power WEP Engine power
4,633 m 750 hp 882 hp

Survivability and armour

Examine the survivability of the aircraft. Note how vulnerable the structure is and how secure the pilot is, whether the fuel tanks are armoured, etc. Describe the armour, if there is any, and also mention the vulnerability of other critical aircraft systems.

Armaments

Offensive armament

The CW-21 is armed with:

  • 2 x 12.7 mm Browning M2 machine guns, nose-mounted (200 rpg = 400 total)
  • 2 x 7.62 mm Browning machine guns, nose-mounted (500 rpg = 1,000 total)

Usage in battles

The CW-21 should be mainly used as a fighter. Excelling in turns, acceleration, and hard-hitting guns, it is very easy to dogfight other planes at its battle rating. Your main composition will sometimes be bi-planes and some bi-planes can out turn you. However, the CW-21 against monoplanes is where it really shines. It can easily out turn other planes like the He-100 or even the He-112 which is crucial in a dogfight. The CW-21 does not have any CAS potential other than knocking out light targets like AAA and armoured vehicles, so the main targets will be other planes.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer Pitch Radiator Supercharger Turbocharger
Oil Water Type
Controllable Controllable
Not auto controlled
Not controllable
Not auto controlled
Not controllable
Not auto controlled
Separate Controllable
2 gears
Not controllable

Modules

Tier Flight performance Survivability Weaponry
I Fuselage repair Radiator Offensive 7 mm
II Compressor Airframe Offensive 12 mm
III Wings repair Engine New 7 mm MGs
IV Engine injection Cover New 12 mm MGs

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Respectable firepower for the rank
  • Turn rate is on par with the early Spitfires and even A6Ms
  • .50 calibre API at this rank is very dangerous
  • Mediocre energy retention
  • Climb rate is very good for its rank

Cons:

  • Not very fast
  • Very fragile
  • Ammo can run out fast with poor trigger discipline

History

The Curtiss-Wrist 21 was a lightweight fighter interceptor based on the CW-19. CW-21 designer, George A. Page, only emphasized the plane to have an incredible rate of climb and to not dogfight. It would climb away from a dogfight instead of dog-fighting. The U.S. wouldn't adopt the plane as they. wanted a plane with low-level dogfight capability, and to not only excel in climbing. However, George A. Page knew this and designed the plane mainly for exporting.

Intrigued by the CW-21's performance, China looked into the CW-21 furthermore with a prototype being delivered to China. During discussion about the CW-21, a prototype CW-21 shot down an Italian BR.20. China decided to buy some with China receiving 3 completely built CW-21's and 27 kits. Another 3 CW-21's were delivered to China and sent to the "Flying Tigers" group. They intended to use the CW-21 for attacking Japanese reconnaissance, but ended up crashing due to poor visibility.

Meanwhile, Curtiss-Wright were developing the CW-21B. The CW-21B had inward retractable gears, instead of the gears being retracted into the fairings beneath each wing. The CW-21B also sported hydraulic control surfaces. The CW-21B did end up having a lower climb rate, but did have a higher top speed. The Dutch ordered 24 CW-21B's in an effort to obtain modern aircraft, but was too late as they surrendered to the Germans. The Dutch ended up giving the CW-21B's to the Dutch East Indies (Now Indonesia). After assembling the newly acquired CW-21B's, they started using them. They later ended up finding cracks on some of their CW-21B's and grounded them. This was due to the very lightweight construction of the CW-21B. These CW-21B's were easy prey to Japanese planes and most were destroyed on the ground as well as the few that were able to fly.

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

  • reference to the series of the aircraft;
  • links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

  • topic on the official game forum;
  • encyclopedia page on the aircraft;
  • other literature.


Curtiss-Wright Corporation
Fighters  BF2C-1
  P-36A · Rasmussen's P-36A · P-36C · P-36G
  P-40C · P-40E-1 · P-40F-10
Bombers  SB2C-1C · SB2C-4
Floatplanes  SOC-1
Experimental  XP-55
Export  H-75A-1 · H-75A-4 · H-81A-2 · ▂P-40E-1 · ␗P-40E-1 · ▄P-40F-5 Lafayette · CW-21 · Hawk III
  ▄SB2C-5
Captured  ▀Hawk H-75A-2

China fighters
British  ␗Gladiator Mk I
French  D.510C
Japanese  ␗A6M2 · ␗Ki-27 otsu · ␗Ki-43-III ko · ␗Ki-44-II hei · ␗Ki-61-I otsu · ␗Ki-84 ko
American  CW-21 · Hawk III · P-66 · ␗P-40E-1 · H-81A-2 · ␗P-43A-1 · ␗P-47D-23-RA · ␗P-47D-30 · ␗P-51D-20 · ␗P-51K
Soviet  ␗I-15bis · ␗I-153 M-62 · ␗I-16 Chung 28 · ␗I-16 type 5 · ␗I-16 type 10 · ␗I-16 type 17 · ␗La-11 · ␗La-9