The Curtiss Aeroplane & Motor Corporation, founded by Glen Curtiss, an American aviation pioneer and pilot, began production of Hawk aircraft in naval and land-based versions in 1923. These were single-seat, biplane fighters of mixed construction.
In 1932, a variant with a radial engine appeared, named the F-11C “Goshawk”, subsequently used by the United States Navy on aircraft carriers as a carrier-based fighter and dive bomber. A simplified export variant – “Hawk II” – was purchased and operated by the air forces of Bolivia, Chile, China, Colombia, Cuba, Peru, Thailand and Turkey.
The Curtiss “Hawk II” aircraft also attracted the attention of General Ernst Udet and other German military specialists interested in the possibilities of dive bombing. Udet, a World War I flying ace and outstanding aerobatic pilot, while in the United States and observing Hawk aircraft in flight, became convinced that they could serve as a starting point for trials of future German dive bombers.
Due to restrictions imposed by the Treaty of Versailles, which prohibited Germany from having a military air force, two “Hawks” with factory numbers H-80 and H-81 were purchased as civilian aircraft without armament. Both aircraft were registered in Germany with the markings D-IRIS and D-IRIK. The first was destroyed in a crash on 20 July 1934 – Ernst Udet, who was piloting it, was saved by his parachute. The second example, currently displayed at the Polish Aviation Museum, participated in numerous air shows between 1934 and 1937. It was also one of the attractions at the exhibition accompanying the opening of the Olympic Games in Berlin in 1936.
The Curtiss Hawk II D-IRIK preserved at the Krakow Museum is a unique specimen on a global scale. As a result of comprehensive conservation work, the aircraft’s engine was started, the fabric covering of the fuselage and tail was restored, and the wings were reconstructed.
| Wingspan | 9.6 m |
| Length | 7.6 m |
| Takeoff weight | 1750 kg |
| Maximum speed | 335 km/h |
| Ceiling | 7300 m |
| Range | 920 km |
| Armament | 2 machine guns cal. 7.62 mm in the fuselage and a 227 kg bomb under the fuselage or 4 x 50 kg bombs on underwing racks |
| Engine | 9-cylinder, radial Wright R-1820F Cyclone with 710 hp (525 kW) output (the engine was started after overhaul at the Museum) |
