Curtiss Wright
Curtiss F9C Sparrowhawk
First Flight 12 February 1931 Introduction 1931 Retired 1937

The Curtiss F9C Sparrowhawk is a light 1930s biplane fighter aircraft that was carried by the United States Navy airships USS Akron and Macon. It is an example of a parasite fighter, a small airplane designed to be deployed from a larger aircraft such as an airship or bomber.

The concept of fixed-wing aircraft being carried and launched from airships was initially developed during the First World War - initially, this proposal originated in the United Kingdom, to allow British interceptors to conserve fuel by being carried to an altitude whereby they could then engage German zeppelins. The increasing use of airships in the armed forces of various countries led to variations on the idea of using aircraft with them, with major uses being for reconnaissance, extending the reach of the airship beyond the horizon, and to provide the airship with a degree of self-defence. In the late 1920s, the US Navy began experimenting with its airships, initially using USS Los Angeles as a platform for testing the concept of the so-called parasite aircraft. The success of these tests led to the decision to build two new airships capable of accommodating an on-board air group of specially designed aircraft.