Curtiss Wright CW 21

The Curtiss Wright CW 21 was a light-weight fighter designed with a high rate of climb to enable it to intercept bombers as quickly as possible. It was operated by Nationalist China and The Netherlands East Indies. Japan evaluated captured examples.

Prototypes

China

Three completed aircraft and 27 sets of components were shipped to China.

Netherlands East Indies

The Curtiss Wright CW 21B operated by the Netherlands East Indies featured inward rather than the rearward retracting undercarriage of the Chinese purchased model. The NEI purchased 24 fighters which operated against the invading Japanese. Overwhelmed by numbers, the aircraft were soon all destroyed in combat or on the ground.

Japan