Curtiss XC-46B Commando

1943 military subtype, essentially a C-46A with water injection and a stepped windshield.

1 prototype converted from a C-46A-1-CS for the USAAF

The sleek windshield design of the Commando, originally marketed by Curtiss as an aerodynamic breakthrough, was put in question by the USAAF when the time came to update the C-46A. The sole XC-46B protoype, built in St Louis, MO from a C-46A-1-CK order, featured a stepped windscreen reminicent of contemporary aircraft like the Douglas DC3 & DC4 or the Consolidated C-87 Liberator Express. It was also fitted with marginally more powerful 2,100-hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800-34W equipped with water injection, while keeping the same 45,000-lbs maximum takeoff weight. Larger Curtiss Electric C634S-C 3-bladed propellers were also fitted. Thus, the XC-46B was supposed to be able to lift heavier loads in the hot and high conditions found in many theatres where Commandos were operating. New two tone cowlings and quick detachable type mounts were fitted in new nacelles.

In the end, the stepped windshield was found to provide no improvement over the flat one, whether in terms of visibility or in terms of aerodynamics. As the performance of the XC-46B did not provide any improvement over the stock C-46A, the design changes were not adopted for production. Only later did the C-46E adopt the stepped windshield, and water injection was seen again on the C-46G.

• Curtiss C-46A-1-CS Commando: 43-46953