Armstrong Whitworth Siskin
| Armstrong Whitworth Siskin | |
|---|---|
 Siskin Mk.III |
|
| Type: | Fighter plane |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
1919 |
| Commissioning: |
1923 |
| Number of pieces: |
485 |
The Armstrong Whitworth Siskin was a British biplane - fighter of the interwar period .
history
The development work on a successor model for the slowly obsolete fighter aircraft of the Royal Flying Corpsstarted in 1918. Siddeley and Armstrong Whitworth each presented a prototype. They didn't differ that much in appearance, but just in one decisive point. Siddeley relied on a weaker engine, the Royal Aircraft RAF.8 with 300 hp, which the company even had to buy in, while Armstrong Whitworth designed and produced its own much more powerful engine. Its name was Jaguar IV and the output was significantly higher at 420 hp. A total of 360 machines were produced by Armstrong and under license from Bristol, Vickers, Gloster and Blackburn. From 1923 the aircraft were introduced by the British Air Force as the Siskin III. From 1927 to 1930 the Siskin was the backbone of British home defense. From then on, better models like the Bristol Bulldog or the Gloster Gauntlet were available.
The plane
According to the requirements of the UK Aviation Department , the Siskin was an all-metal construction. The cockpit was still open. The armament was housed in the fuselage and shot through the propeller circle. Here, too, no tail wheel has been used at the rear, just a grinding spur. The radial engine was not disguised. This meant that even lighter hits could have caused damage to the aircraft. Armoring of the engine block as a retrofit kit was never developed. However, the Siskin never had a combat mission, which is why this circumstance was not particularly important.
production
The Armstrong Whitworth Siskin was built in series by five companies (Armstrong Whitworth, Whitley Abbey; Bristol, Filton; Blackburn, Bough; Gloster; Vickers, Weybridge).
Approval of the Armstrong Whitworth Siskin by the RAF:
| Manufacturer | version | 1923 | 1924 | 1925 | 1926 | 1927 | 1928 | 1929 | 1930 | total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AW | Mk.III | 4th | 41 | 4th | 8th | 57 | ||||
| AW | Mk.IIIDC | 6th | 11 | 36 | 53 | |||||
| AW | Mk.IIIA | 1 | 13 | 53 | 21st | 88 | ||||
| Bristol | Mk.IIIA | 46 | 22nd | 15th | 83 | |||||
| Blackburn | Mk.IIIA | 42 | 42 | |||||||
| Gloster | Mk.IIIA | 3 | 39 | 22nd | 10 | 74 | ||||
| Vickers | Mk.IIIA | 27 | 25th | 52 | ||||||
| total | 4th | 41 | 11 | 21st | 56 | 159 | 107 | 50 | 449 |
Military use
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Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| crew | 1 |
| span | 10.11 m |
| length | 7.72 m |
| Engine | Armstrong Whitworth Jaguar IV radial engine |
| power | 420 hp / 313 kW |
| Top speed | 251 km / h |
| Flight duration | approx. 3 h |
| Summit height | 8,230 m |
| Armament | two built-in, forward-firing 7.7 mm Vickers machine guns , underwing mounts for 4 × 9 kg bombs |
literature
- Michael Sharpe: Biplane, Triplane & Seaplanes. Gondromverlag, Bindlach 2001, ISBN 3-8112-1872-7 .
- Oliver Tapper: Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft since 1913. Putnam, London 1988, ISBN 0-85177-826-7 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Thompson, Dennis: Royal Air Force Aircraft J1 – J9999 , Tonbridge 1987