Blackburn Firebrand
| Blackburn Firebrand | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Type: | Fighter plane , bomber |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
February 27, 1942 |
| Commissioning: |
1943 |
| Production time: |
1942-1953 |
| Number of pieces: |
223 |
The Blackburn Firebrand was a single-engine British Navy - fighter and fighter-bombers of the Blackburn Aircraft . It was originally developed around a 24-cylinder H-engine Napier Saber III , but had to be adapted to the double radial engine Bristol Centaurus VII (later Centaurus IX) due to the lack of these engines . The first flight was in 1942, but it was not put into service until September 1, 1945 with the Centaurus engine with the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy .
development
The Firebrand was developed from 1940 by Blackburn Aircraft as a naval fighter for the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy . However, the development of the machine took a relatively long time due to the lack of the engines originally intended and other technical problems. A first unarmed prototype flew on February 27, 1942 and the armed variant F Mk. I (B-37) in July of that year. Since the Napier Saber H engine intended for propulsion was also used for the Hawker Typhoon and Hawker Tempest , it was not available in sufficient quantities, which is why only nine copies of the first version, F Mk. I , which impressed with good performance be built. As a result, a different engine had to be installed and the whole design had to be revised.
The machine was then converted into a carrier-supported torpedo bomber . In addition to torpedoes , it could also carry bombs and unguided rockets , but it was still suitable for air combat . The first variant was the TF Mk. II (B-37), a modified Mk. I with wider wings and a torpedo mount. This first flew on March 31, 1943 and only twelve copies were built.
With the TF Mk. III (B-45) the change to the Bristol Centaurus VII double radial engine took place. The first flight of this version took place on December 21, 1943. However, it was found that the new engine generated strong gyroscopic forces via the propeller , which made rudder control very difficult. The TF Mk. III was therefore seen as unusable for aircraft carriers and the entire fuselage had to be redesigned.
The TF Mk. IV (B-46) got a new engine, the Bristol Centaurus IX (an improved version of the Centaurus) and a larger tail unit and dive brakes . The first flight of the TF Mk. IV took place on May 17, 1945. It then went into series production, and the first machines were put into service on September 1, 1945 with the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy. A total of 102 machines were built of the TF Mk. IV. 68 units of the TF.5 and TF.5A followed later . After that 40 TF Mk. IV were converted to TF.5.
A further development of the Firebrand was the Blackburn Firecrest .
Production numbers
| year | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FI prototypes | 3 | 3 | ||||
| TF.I | 5 | 4th | 9 | |||
| TF.II | 12 | 12 | ||||
| TF.III | 3 | 26th | 29 | |||
| TF.IV | 91 | 79 | 170 | |||
| total | 3 | 5 | 19th | 117 | 79 | 223 |
From the first production batch of TF.IV (102 aircraft), 67 were converted to TF.5 and six to TF.5A in 1948 and 1949. The second TF.IV production batch of 68 aircraft remained at Blackburn after completion in 1946. Of these, 67 were converted to TF.5 in the first half of 1947 and only one was delivered as TF.IV.
Working time
The Firebrand was no longer used in World War II , but remained in the front row on the aircraft carriers of the Royal Navy until 1953 .
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data of the Firebrand TF.5 (B-46) |
|---|---|
| crew | 1 |
| length | 12 m |
| span | 15.62 m |
| height | 4.04 m |
| Wing area | 35.44 m² |
| Wing extension | 6.9 |
| Empty mass | 5150 kg |
| Takeoff mass | 7360 kg |
| drive | 1 × 18-cylinder double radial engine Bristol Centaurus IX with 2500 PS (1865 kW) |
| Top speed | 560 km / h |
| Service ceiling | 8685 m |
| Range | 2000 km |
| Armament | 4 × 20 mm Hispano Mk.II cannons, 1 × 840 kg torpedo or 2 × 454 kg bombs |
See also
literature
- Tony Buttler: Blackburn Firebrand - Warpaint Number 56. Warpaint Books Ltd., Denbigh East 2000.
- AJ Jackson: Blackburn Aircraft since 1909. Putnam, London 1968, ISBN 0-370-00053-6 .
- David Mondey: The Hamlyn Concise Guide to British Aircraft of World War II. Chancellor Press, London 1982, ISBN 1-85152-668-4 .
Web links
- Fleet Air Arm archive on the Firebrand (English)