A fighter aircraft designed in the late 1930s by the Curtiss-Wright Corporation that served throughout World War 2. Although a lack of a two stage supercharger limited its performance at the higher altitudes common to much of the western European air war part of that conflict, in other theaters where much of the aerial combat was at low to medium altitudes it did fairly well, comparing favorably to much of its opposition after pilots learned to take advantage of its strengths.

It was the third most produced fighter in the war, after the P-51 mustang and the P-47 Thunderbolt, and used at one time or another by all of the Allied air forces.