Boulton Paul Defiant
| Boulton Paul Defiant | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Type: | Fighter plane |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
August 11, 1937 (prototype) |
| Commissioning: |
1939 |
| Number of pieces: |
> 1000 |
The Boulton Paul Defiant was a two-seat fighter aircraft of the Royal Air Force , which in 1937 by the British Aircraft Corporation Boulton Paul Aircraft Ltd. was built. The low-wing aircraft was used at the beginning of the Second World War in France and the Battle of Britain .
history
The Boulton Paul Defiant was already considered obsolete when it entered service in 1939. Compared to its competitors, the Supermarine Spitfire and Hawker Hurricane , it lacked maneuverability. In addition, it had no frontal armament, but a manually operated turret with four machine guns , which was attached behind the pilot's cockpit and could fire backwards and to the side. Enemy machines should be fought in parallel flight with the side-facing weapons.
At the beginning of its commissioning, however, it achieved some successes at times when German pilots mistook it for the Hawker Hurricane and were surprised to find that this machine was firing backwards during the attack. Defiants are said to have shot down 65 German planes during the evacuation of Dunkirk . However, it only took a short time for the Luftwaffe pilots to adapt and attack the British aviators head-on. Therefore, the RAF decided in August 1940 to no longer use the Defiant for day operations. The idea of removing the gun turret and installing weapons that fired in the direction of flight was not pursued because the RAF lacked sufficiently trained pilots at the time, but not aircraft.
As a night fighter , the Defiant was able to achieve some successes at this point in time at the beginning of the war, when night hunting was still a rather improvised technique. During the bombing of London in 1940/41, it was the night fighter type with the highest number of kills.
From 1942 the Defiant was no longer flown in combat missions, but only used for training and for sea and air rescue. Up to this point in time 1,064 machines of this type had been built. The Defiant still has a reputation for being a bad airplane. However, the majority of the pilots were positive about their uncomplicated flight behavior. The main weakness of the Defiant, however, was its specification sheet, which provided for an operational role for this machine that no longer corresponded to the conditions of air combat.
Production numbers
The Defiant was only built by Boulton Paul in the UK.
| version | number |
|---|---|
| FI | 713 |
| F.II | 207 |
| TTI | 140 |
| total | 1,060 |
| year | Hunter | Target tug | number |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 | 18th | 18th | |
| 1940 | 366 | 366 | |
| 1941 | 452 | 452 | |
| 1942 | 84 | 125 | 209 |
| 1943 | 15th | 15th | |
| total | 920 | 140 | 1,060 |
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| Wingspan | 11.99 m |
| length | 10.77 m |
| height | 3.45 m |
| Wing area | 23.23 m² |
| Empty mass | 2849 kg |
| maximum take-off mass | 3821 kg |
| Engine | a V12 Rolls-Royce Merlin XX engine with 1,280 hp (941 kW) |
| Top speed | 504 km / h |
| Service ceiling | 9250 m |
| Range | 748 km |
| Armament | four 7.7 mm Browning machine guns |
See also
Web links
- Boulton Paul Defiant at Fleet Air Arm Archive (English)
- Boulton Paul Defiant in Aeroflight.co.uk (English)