Curtiss JN-4 - Variants

Variants

Although the first series of JN-4s were virtually identical to the JN-3, the JN-4 series was based on production orders from 1915–1919.

• JN-4A — Production version of the JN-4, 781 built.
• JN-4B — This version was powered by an OX-2 piston engine, 76 built for the U.S. Army, nine for the U.S. Navy.
• JN-4C — Experimental version, only two were built.
• JN-4 (Canadian) Canuck — Canadian-built version, 1,260 built by Canadian Aeroplanes Ltd. for the RFC in Canada/RAF in Canada and USAAC. Independently derived from the JN-3, it had a lighter airframe, ailerons on both wings, different shaped lower wing, stabilizer, elevators and rudder. Its use by the USAAC was curtailed as the lighter structure was claimed to cause more accidents than the US built aircraft, although no air fatalities were attributed to the structural integrity of the type.
• JN-4D — Improved version, adopting the control stick from the JN-4 (Canadian) 2,812 built.
  • JN-4D-2 — One prototype only, the engine mount being revised to eliminate the down thrust position.
• JN-4H — two-seat advanced trainer biplane, 929 built for the U.S. Army. Notable for introducing the use of the Hispano-Suiza 8 V-8 engine for greater power and reliability.
  • JN-4HT — Two-seat dual-control trainer version.
  • JN-4HB — Bombing trainer version.
  • JN-4HG — Gunnery trainer version.
  • JN-4HM — communications conversion of JN-4HT, powered by Wright-Hisso E 150 hp (112 kW); six converted. Used to fly the first US Air Mail (May–August, 1918)
• JN-5H — One-off advanced trainer biplane, only one was built.
• JN-6 — Improved version of JN-5 trainer biplane series notably used four ailerons. A total of 1,035 built for the US Army and five for the U.S. Navy.
• JN-6H — Improved version of the JN-6.
  • JN-6BH — Bomber trainer version.
  • JN-6HG-1 — Two-seat dual-control trainer version; 560 built from JN-6 production, 34 for US Navy.
  • JN-6HG-2 — Single-control gunnery trainer; 90 delivered.
  • JN-6HO — Single-control observer trainer version, 106 delivered.
  • JN-6HP — single-control pursuit fighter trainer version.
• JNS ("standardized") — During the post-war years of the early 1920s, between 200 and 300 U.S. Army aircraft were upgraded to a common standard of equipment and modernized.