Fairey Firefly
| Fairey Firefly | |
|---|---|
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| Type: | Carrier-based fighter aircraft |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
December 22, 1941 |
| Commissioning: |
1943 |
| Production time: |
1941-1956 |
| Number of pieces: |
1702 |
The Fairey Firefly was a British carrier-based fighter aircraft of World War II and the 1950s.
history
The admiralty gave the approval for the construction in the summer of 1939. On June 12, 1940 the Ministry of Aircraft Production officially ordered 200 Firefly, including four prototypes . The construction of the first machine developed under the direction of Herbert Chaplin began in March 1941. The machines were manufactured in half-shell construction. To increase lift during take-off and landing, the wings were equipped with Fairey Youngman flaps . The first flight of the prototype (Z1826) with Chris Staniland at the controls took place on December 22, 1941 at the Great West Aerodrome in Fairey. Three more prototypes followed by September 1942. During testing, it turned out that the small, steep windshield only allowed poor forward visibility. On June 26, 1942, chief test pilot Chris Staniland had a fatal accident with the second prototype, which necessitated further modifications. In the series machines, for example, the control surfaces were provided with metal planking instead of fabric covering, and the rudder and cockpit glazing were changed. After successful carrier tests on the Illustrious with the third prototype at the end of 1942, the first series machine F Mk.I was delivered on March 4, 1943. From the 470th machine, the Griffon IIB engine was replaced by the Griffon 12.
The first missions aboard the aircraft carrier Indefatigable then took place in July 1944, when aircraft from the 1770 Naval Air Squadron attacked the German battleship Tirpitz . First major missions saw the pattern in January 1945 in the Pacific , where British forces launched attacks against Japanese refineries in Sumatra . Fireflys were also the first British carrier aircraft to fly over mainland Japan in July 1945. At the time of the Japanese surrender , 658 Fireflys had been completed, and the Fleet Air Arm had eight squadrons equipped with the model. The NF Mk.II version was to be used as a night fighter and received two containers for the AI-MK-X radar on the wing leading edges. Since the necessary technology turned out to be too heavy, which would have required extensive redesign of the machine, F Mk 1 replaced this version with the significantly lighter US AN / APS-4 radar installed under the fuselage. The Mk.III version with a more powerful Griffon 61 engine also remained a one-off due to poor flight characteristics.
In 1944 the prototype of the improved version Mk.IV started for the first time. In the summer of 1946 the model, equipped with a Griffon 74 engine, four-blade propeller, modified tail unit, different cooling air system and shortened wings, was used by the Fleet Air Arm squadrons. The older Mk.I machines were handed over to the Royal Navy Voluntary Reserve, which used them until 1950. Of the 160 Mk.IVs built, 40 went to the Dutch Air Force.
From 1948, the Mk.IV was replaced by the new Mk.V, which formed the backbone of the British air force during the Korean War . The version, which took off for the first time in White Waltham on December 12, 1947, differed from the Mk.IV in its hydraulically folding wings. 40 of them were later converted to drones (U Mk IX). The Mk.VI version, which was used from mid-1950, was a pure submarine hunter and 133 copies were built by September 1951. She had longer landing gear and could carry newer sonar buoys as an external load, for which the cannon armament in the wings was omitted. Its maiden flight took place on March 23, 1949. Until it was replaced by the Fairey Gannet in early 1955, it was the standard aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm for submarine hunting . The Mk.VII version manufactured from 1951 was hardly ever used. The three-seater machine was intended as a temporary solution until the gannet was available, but the 151 machines ordered were only used as trainers due to stability problems and 34 later converted to target drones (U Mk.VIII). The last of these machines was shot down in Malta on November 27, 1961 . A total of 1702 Fireflys were built between 1941 and 1956.
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Fairey Firefly F.Mk.I | Fairey Firefly Mk.IV | Fairey Firefly Mk.V |
|---|---|---|---|
| crew | 2 | ||
| length | 11.47 m | 11.28 m | 11.56 m |
| span | 13.57 m | 12.49 m | 12.50 m |
| height | 3.98 m | 4.74 m | 4.37 m |
| Max. Takeoff mass | 6450 kg | 7083 kg | 7291 kg |
| Empty mass | 4382 kg | ||
| drive | a Rolls-Royce Griffon II B V-12 with 1730 hp | a Rolls-Royce Griffon 74 with 1650 kW (2245 hp) | |
| Top speed | 505 km / h at 4270 m | 555 km / h at 3800 m | 621 km / h at 4270 m |
| Range | 1714 km | 1720 km (with additional tanks) | 1062 km |
| Service ceiling | 8540 m | 8900 m | |
| Armament | four Hispano 20 mm cannons, two 454 kg bombs or eight 27 kg missiles | ||
See also
Web links
- Fairey Firefly at warbirdalley.com (engl.)