Curtiss B-2 Condor

The Curtiss B-2 Condor was a 1920s United States bomber, a descendant of the Martin NBS-1 that the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company had built for the Glenn L. Martin Company, with stronger materials and different engines. It was a large fabric-covered biplane with two engines in nacelles between the wings and twin rudders, and each nacelle had a rear gunner position so that the gunners had a clearer field of view. The XB-2 competed for an Army Air Corps production contract, and in 1928 a production run of twelve was ordered. One aircraft, the B-2A, received dual controls for pilot and copilot, a layout that became standard on bombers by the 1930s. Six civil Model 53 Condor 18 aircraft were also built. The B-2 was obsolete quickly and left Army service by 1934.