P-40 Warhawk Fighter Flight

Includes two metal and resin P40 Warhawk Fighters, two plastic flight stands, one decal sheet and one Unit card.

The Curtiss P-40 is the US Army Air Forces' main fighter-bomber in the North African theatre. It may not be the USAAF’s best fighter—its dogfighting capabilities are outmatched by the Luftwaffe's best fighters—but it is well suited to the ground-attack role, posing a serious threat to both armoured and soft-skinned targets.

The Allies have the fascists on the run in North Africa, but the fight is not over yet. The United States is the newest army to enter the war. They boast some of the best tanks in the world, backed up by well-equipped infantry, either marching to battle on foot or riding in half-tracks, and the latest deadly tank destroyers. Their troops are inexperienced, but they have trained hard and are eager to prove themselves. They will need to learn quickly, as they face a cunning and battle-hardened enemy.

The P-40 fighter/bomber was the third-most numerous US fighter of World War II. Design work on the aircraft began in 1937, with a number of experimental versions tested before the first production version appeared in May 1940 (the Model 81).

By September 1940 over 200 had been delivered to the US Army Air Corps. A further 185 more were delivered to Britain in the second half of 1940. The British designated them the Tomahawk Mk I.

After initial combat experience a need for more armour was recognised. Self-sealing fuel tanks were also included in the improved P-40B (British Tomahawk Mk IIA). However the improvements cost the P-40 a significant loss of performance due to the increased weight.

The P-40C (Tomahawk Mk IIB) added more armour increasing the weight and reducing its flight performance. The P-40D (Kittyhawk Mk I) final addressed these problems when Curtiss installed the more powerful version of the Allison V-1710 engine. The P-40D also had two additional wing-mounted guns. The new engine modified the external appearance prompting the RAF to rename it from the Tomahawk to the Kittyhawk.

Approximately 15,000 P-40 Warhawks built.