XBTC-1

The XBTC-1 was a groundbreaking prototype developed by the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company in the early 1940s. Conceived as a twin‑engine bomber‑transport, the aircraft combined the payload capacity of a bomber with the range and speed required for strategic airlift. Its development began in 1940, responding to a U.S. Army Air Corps request for a versatile platform that could operate from rough forward airfields. The XBTC‑1 featured a low‑wing monoplane design, all‑metal stressed‑skin construction, and retractable conventional landing gear. Powered by two 1,500‑horsepower Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp radial engines, it could cruise at 280 mph and carry up to 4,500 lb of bombs or 2,000 lb of cargo and 12 troops. Innovative aspects included a fully enclosed cockpit with powered flight controls, a dorsal gun turret, and a modular interior that allowed rapid reconfiguration between bombing and transport roles. Although only two prototypes were built before the program was cancelled in 1943 in favor of larger four‑engine designs, the XBTC‑1’s emphasis on multi‑role flexibility influenced later Curtiss aircraft such as the C‑46 Commando and contributed to post‑war concepts of combined bomber‑transport platforms. Its legacy endures as a testament to the inventive spirit of wartime aviation engineering.