In an effort to expand the circle of foreign customers at the expense of economically underdeveloped countries, the Curtiss company has developed a simplified modification of the Hawk, known as the Hawk 75H. Two of these fighters were built for demonstration flights and featured a non-retractable landing gear with fairings, and the wheels were often left open, making them easier to repair and replace. In addition, a cheaper GR-1820-G3 engine with a capacity of 875 hp was installed on the plane. The flight data of the Hawk, of course, decreased, but the armament was made on the model of the R-36S.

One "Hawk" 75H was bought by representatives of the Chinese delegation, and then Chiang Kai-shek's wife presented it to General Clair Chenno, who arrived in China to reorganize the military aviation of this state. Following this, the Chinese, waging bloody battles with the Japanese invaders, acquired another 112 serial "Hawks" 75M of a similar design, but with four 7.62-mm machine guns and bomb racks with a total weight of up to 136 kg. In the middle of 1938, the first 30 fighters arrived in China and soon took part in air battles. The role of the Hawk 75M in the war with Japan was extremely insignificant. In the conditions of the enemy's domination in the sky, they suffered heavy losses, and not so much from the impact of Japanese aviation, as through the fault of poorly trained flight personnel.

The next version of the simplified "Hawk" was the "Hawk" 75N, built in the amount of 25 machines for Thailand. Compared to the Chinese version, it had more powerful armament, consisting of two synchronous heavy machine guns and two Danish-made Madsen cannons in underwing gondolas. Only 12 Hawks 75N were sent to Thailand, as the US government imposed an arms embargo on the country, fearing its cooperation with Japan.

Bibliography

• Aircraft of the Second World War. 1939-1945 / Vladimir Kotelnikov /
• American Warplanes of World War II /under cor. David Donald/