Curtiss Twin JN

The Curtiss Twin JN, retrospectively designated the Model 1B and sometimes called the JN-5, was an experimental twin-engine observation biplane built by Curtiss for the U.S. Army Air Service in 1916. Based on the highly successful JN-4 Jenny, it used the same wing structure but with the span enlarged through an extended center section to accommodate two 90-horsepower Curtiss OXX-2 engines mounted between the wings. Lateral control borrowed from the Curtiss R-4.

The twin-engine layout was intended to give greater reliability and payload for reconnaissance work, but the aircraft proved underpowered and offered little advantage over the simpler single-engine Jenny. Only eight were built, and the type did not enter widespread service. The Twin JN remains an interesting footnote in Curtiss's development of multi-engine aircraft and in the U.S. Army's early experiments with twin-engine observation machines.