The Challenger C-1 was possibly developed from the similar
Waco 10. A poorly documented aircraft, the C-1 was progressively modified.[1]
The Challenger was a conventional mixed-construction
biplane with a fixed
tailskid landing gear. It had two open tandem cockpits for a pilot (at the rear), and passenger (forward) and was powered initially by a 90 hp (67 kW)
Curtiss OX-5inline engine. A number of variants were built as the C-3 Challenger and C-4 Challenger which had detail differences and different engines fitted. Late in 1928 the company introduced a new and slightly smaller design as the C-6 Challenger.
In 1929 the company was absorbed by the Fairchild Aircraft Company who continued the production of the C-4 as the Fairchild KR-34 and the C-6 as the
Fairchild KR-21. Although not built by Fairchild the C-2 was redesignated the Fairchild KR-31.
To act as an engine testbed one KR-21 was modified to use a Fairchild 6-390 engine (later named Ranger) and changes were made to the wing and landing gear geometry. The modified aircraft was known as the Fairchild KR-125. In 1931 a similar aircraft without the geometry changes but with a Ranger engine was sold under the designation KR-135.[citation needed]
In 1930, the KR-34CA, a military version of the Fairchild KR-34 based on the Kreider-Reisner C-4C Challenger design, was built in
Farmingdale, New York. A light attack craft, it had two .30 caliber Browning machine guns mounted on the nose, firing through the propellers. The Chinese version had bomb racks under the fuselage. Two of this military version of the Fairchild KR-34 were sold to the warlord generals
Liu Wenhui and
Liu Xiang in
Sichuan Province.