Curtiss F8C-1 Falcon

In 1927, wrote the air component of the us marine corps requirement for a new two-seater machine, which had to be capable of prosecution, dive bombing and reconnaissance. According to them, among other things, the project company Curtiss, created as a modification of a number of O-1 Falcon built for the army. Due to the requirements have been applied the elements of battle version, -3 - in the lower sash were placed two machine guns, firing just outside the propeller, and under the wing it was also possible to place the bomb racks. Because the navy at this time began to prefer air-cooled engines, the dragon has been modified for the engine Wasp (similar to the army has produced the prototype of XA-4), but otherwise the basic design has remained the same - the skeleton of riveted aluminum tubes, the upper wing with the outer panels over the back. Some sources claim that the machine guns in the wings appeared only in the following variants, F8C-3.

30. June had been ordered were three machines, two of them (A7671 and A7672) have been completed as a prototype XF8C-1 (third like the very different XF8C-2), with a designation for fighter type chosen mainly because that the navy at this time had no other category suitable for dive-bombers. Both XF8C-1 have been completed at the beginning of the year 1928, and the next moment were followed by the other four F8C-1 (A7945-7948). A7671 soon came on the X in the title and was sent with observation squadron VO-10M in China as part of the expeditionary force, protecting the international district in Shanghai, and later served with VO-8M in San Diego. Shortly after the takeover of the naval infantry were all the machines are renamed to the observation OC-1, and together with the follow-up option, F8C-3 or OC-2, deployed with the above mentioned units and VO-7M in Nicaragua. The last OC-1, A7947, was eliminated in April 1935. The second of the prototypes, A7672, passed a similar service as A7671, and in October 1930 it was rebuilt on prototype XOC-3. In this form it was tested the installation of the engine Chieftain, with the torso rounded after the pattern of the army XO-16. As the XOC-3 served until her decommissioning in April 1932..