Gloster Gauntlet

Gloster Gauntlet
Gloster Gauntlet of the Finnish Air Force
Type:	Fighter plane
Design country:	United Kingdom
Manufacturer:	Gloster Aircraft Company
First flight:	1933
Commissioning:	1935
Production time:	1933-1936
Number of pieces:	246

The Gloster Gauntlet ( " gauntlet ") was a British biplane - fighter aircraft of the 1930s.

history

The Gauntlet was the predominant fighter aircraft type in the Royal Air Force in the 1930s . In 1937 no fewer than 14 squadrons of the British Air Force were equipped with it. The history of the development of the aircraft is quite complicated. Three tenders were necessary before the machine was delivered as a series model. At the first tender a relatively complicated all-metal construction was presented. It did not meet with the expected response. The Gloster Gauntlet was also unable to convince in the second tender. When it finally successfully passed the third tender and an order for 24 aircraft for the RAF had been issued, Gloster was already part of the Hawker-Siddeley group .

These first aircraft types were named Gloster Gauntlet MkI . They had a two-bladed Watts propeller. The main model, however, was the Gloster Gauntlet MkII with a three-bladed Fairey Reed metal propeller. The Gloster Gauntlet was the last open-cockpit fighter in the British Air Force. A total of 24 MkI and 204 MkII were produced. Until 1940, these aircraft served mainly in the Middle East.

production

Approval of the Gloster Gauntlet by the RAF:

version	1935	1936	1937	total
Mk.I	24			24
Mk. II		200	14th	214
total	24	200	14th	238

User countries

The Gauntlet was manufactured under license in Denmark, among others.

 Australia

• Royal Australian Air Force
  • No. 3 Sqn

 Denmark

• Danish Air Force
  • No. 1 Squadron Royal Danish Air Force

 Finland

• Suomen ilmavoimat
  • Lentolaivue 30
  • Lentolaivue 34
  • Täydennyslelentolaivue 25
  • T-LLv 17
  • T-LLv 35

 Southern Rhodesia

• Royal Rhodesian Air Force
  • No. 1 Squadron SRAF

 South Africa

• South African Air Force
  • No. 1 Squadron SAAF
  • No. 2 Squadron SAAF

 United Kingdom

• Royal Air Force
  • No. 6 Squadron RAF
  • No. 17 Squadron RAF
  • No. 19th Squadron RAF
  • No. 32 Squadron RAF
  • No. 33 Squadron RAF
  • No. 46 Squadron RAF
  • No. 47 Squadron RAF
  • No. 54 Squadron RAF
  • No. 56 Squadron RAF
  • No. 65 Squadron RAF
  • No. 66 Squadron RAF
  • No. 73 Squadron RAF
  • No. 74 Squadron RAF
  • No. 79 Squadron RAF
  • No. 80 Squadron RAF
  • No. 111 Squadron RAF
  • No. 112 Squadron RAF
  • No. 151 Squadron RAF
  • No. 213 Squadron RAF
  • No. 234 Squadron RAF
  • No. 237 Squadron RAF
  • No. 504 Squadron RAF
  • No. 601 Squadron RAF
  • No. 602 Squadron RAF
  • No. 615 Squadron RAF
  • No. 616 Squadron RAF

Technical specifications

OH-XGT in Kauhava

Gloster Gauntlet

Parameter	Data
crew	1
length	8.05 m
span	9.99 m
height	3.12 m
Wing area	29.3 m²
Empty mass	1259 kg
Takeoff mass	1800 kg
Top speed	370 km / h
Service ceiling	10,120 m
Range	740 km
Engine	air-cooled 9-cylinder radial engine Bristol Mercury VI S2, 640 PS (477 kW)
Armament	2 × 7.7 mm Vickers MG

Received aircraft

The world's only airworthy Gauntlet Mk II is the OH-XGT in Finland . It is stationed at Kymi Airfield near Kotka and is regularly shown at flight demonstrations. The original engine was replaced by an Alvis Leonides with 520 hp.

See also

• List of aircraft types

literature

• Michael Sharpe: biplanes, triple decks & seaplanes . Gondrom Verlag, Bindlach, 2001, ISBN 3-8112-1872-7

Web links

Commons : Gloster Gauntlet  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• The Gloster "Gauntlet". (PDF) In: FLIGHT, DECEMBER 14, 1933. Flightglobal.com , October 30, 1931, pp. 1259-1260 , accessed on January 18, 2019 (English): "The" Gauntlet "is certainly one of the strongest fighters ever built. " 

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Håkan's aviation page: Gloster Gauntlet, accessed on January 26, 2011
2. ↑ Halley, James J .: The K File. The Royal Air Force of the 1930s, Tunbridge Wells, 1995, p. 178 ff.
3. ↑ Gloster Gauntlet II GT-400 / OH-XGT (s / n K5271). Flying Museum of Karhula's Flying Club, archived from the original on July 25, 2008 ; accessed on January 18, 2019 (English): "It is the only survivor of its type in the world."