Curtiss O-52 Owl – Fotos y Video

el Curtiss O-52 "Búho" was an observation aircraft used by the United States Army Air Corps before and during World War II. 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. By 1941, the O-52 was no match for modern combat conditions.

el Curtiss Búho O-52 was a two-seat observation aircraft that served with the United States Army Air Corps before and during World War II. It was designed by Curtiss-Wright Corporation in 1939 as the last “heavy” observation aircraft for the US Army Air Corps. The O-52 had a metal fuselage and fabric-covered wings, and was powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-1340-51 radial engine of 600 hp. It was armed with one forward and one rearward firing .30-caliber machine gun.
El O-52 voló por primera vez en 1940 y entró en servicio en 1941. Se utilizó para maniobras militares y entrenamiento dentro de los EE. UU., pero pronto se volvió obsoleto para operaciones de combate en el extranjero debido a su baja velocidad y alcance limitado. El O-52 fue reemplazado por aviones de enlace más ligeros y rápidos, como el Piper L-4 Grasshopper y el Stinson L-5 Sentinel. El O-52 también fue designado como la serie "L" para aviones de enlace después del ataque a Pearl Harbor. Algunos O-52 fueron enviados a la Unión Soviética bajo el programa de Préstamo y Arriendo, donde se utilizaron para misiones de detección y reconocimiento de artillería en el Frente Oriental.
el O-52 was the last observation aircraft procured in quantity by the US Army Air Corps, and marked the end of an era of aerial observation that dated back to World War I. Only a few O-52s survive today, and some are on display at museums such as the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, and the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona.