Vickers F.B.5
The F.B.5 (Fighting Biplane 5) (known as the "Gunbus") was a two-seat pusher biplane armed with a single Lewis gun operated by the observer in the front of the nacelle. It was the first aircraft purpose-built for air-to-air combat to see service, making it the world's first operational fighter aircraft.
Design and development
Vickers began experimenting with the concept of an armed warplane designed to destroy other aircraft in 1912. The first resulting aircraft was the Type 18 "Destroyer" (Vickers E.F.B.1) which had been demonstrated in 1913. This aircraft was of the "Farman" pusher layout, to avoid the problem of firing through a tractor propeller, and was armed with a single belt-fed Maxim machine gun. The belt feed proved problematic for a flexible machine gun, and the weapon installed was changed to the lighter, handier, drum-fed Lewis gun. The E.F.B.1 was the first in a line of Vickers' "Experimental Fighting Biplanes", of which the F.B.5 was the most famous - and the first to be built in quantity.
The F.B.5 first flew in July 1914. It was powered by a single 100-hp Gnome Monosoupape 9-cylinder rotary engine driving a two-bladed propeller, and was of simple, clean, and conventional design compared with its predecessors. In total 224 F.B.5s were produced, 119 in Britain by Vickers, 99 in France and 6 in Denmark.
Operational career
The F.B.5 entered service with No.5 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) on 5 February 1915. No. 11 Squadron RFC became the world's first fighter squadron when, fully equipped with the F.B.5, it deployed to Villers-Bretonneux, France on 25 July, 1915. Second Lieutenant G.S.M. Insall of 11 Squadron won the Victoria Cross for an action on 7 November 1915 in which he destroyed a German aircraft while flying a Gunbus. No. 18 Squadron RFC, which deployed to France in November 1915, also operated the F.B.5 exclusively.
The F.B.5's performance proved to be inadequate for its intended role; although its forward firing machine gun was a great advantage it did not have the speed or rate of climb to pursue its quarry. By the end of 1915 it was outclassed by the Fokker Eindecker. Some examples of the improved Vickers F.B.9 were sent to France, pending sufficient supplies of the Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2b, but the active career of the "Gunbus" was soon over.
The remaining examples were mostly used as trainers.
Legacy
The Vickers company persisted with an active experimental program during the First World War period, including a line of single seat pusher fighters, but the F.B.5 was remained their only significant production aircraft until the Vickers Vimy bomber, which entered service too late to have an impact.
Despite its moderate effectiveness, the Vickers F.B.5 did have a lasting legacy as German pilots continued to refer to British pusher aircraft as "Vickers-types". Many victories over D.H.2 or F.E.2b pushers were reported as destruction of a "Vickers".
Users
Specifications (Vickers F.B.5)
General characteristics
- Crew: Two, pilot & observer/gunner
Performance
Armament
- 1x 0.303 in (7.7 mm) drum-fed Lewis gun in observer's cockpit
External links
Related content
Related development Vickers E.F.B.1 - Vickers F.B.9 Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2