Miles Monitor

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
M.33 monitor
Miles M.33 Monitor.jpg
Type: Target tow plane
Design country:

United KingdomUnited Kingdom United Kingdom

Manufacturer:

Miles Aircraft

First flight:

April 5, 1944

Number of pieces:

22nd

The Miles M.33 Monitor was a twin-engined target tow plane produced by the British manufacturer Miles Aircraft , which was developed towards the end of World War II . Originally intended for use by the Royal Air Force and the Fleet Air Arm , it was ultimately not used by either organization.

development and construction

The monitor was designed according to the Air Ministry Specification Q.9 / 42 for a twin-engine high-speed target tow plane for the Royal Air Force . The specification called for a towing speed of at least 300  mph (483  km / h ), a speed of 90 mph (145 km / h) when towing targets, a range of three to four hours, and - very unusual - the ability to use the entire aircraft dismantle and pack in standard boxes. Initially, two prototypes were ordered. The first prototype with the serial number NF900 made its maiden flight on April 5, 1944 and reached a top speed of 360 mph (579 km / h).

The Monitor was a shoulder - wing monoplane with an all-metal hull and wooden wings . Originally, the wings and landing gear of the Bristol Beaufighter were to be used to speed development and construction, but due to increased demand for the Beaufighter, only the landing gear was eventually used and a new, one-piece wing was designed. The machine was of two R-2600 Wright -31 Cyclone radial engines driven with propellers were equipped type Hamilton Standard Hydromatic. It had a newly developed hydraulic winch , as conventional winches could only be used at speeds of up to around 150 mph (241 km / h) and the monitor should reach twice the speed.

The request for a target tow plane was placed by the Royal Air Force and the orders for the monitors were taken over by the Fleet Air Arm . However, the Fleet Air Arm needed an aircraft with the ability to simulate dive bombardments on warships. In order to meet the new requirements, the monitor was equipped with hydraulically operated airbrakes , cameras in the nose for capturing ship guns and radar equipment in a dome mounted in the center of the back for exact flight altitude determination. This version was called Monitor TT Mk. II.

The monitor's 10 hp (7 kW) winch was equipped with a 6,000 ft (1,829 m) long tow cable and was capable of targeting tapes and target tubes as well as special winged targets with a span between 16 ft (5 m) and 32 ft ( 10 m) to tow. Replacement targets were stowed on board and could be changed during the flight. The winged targets were pulled from the ground using a 250 ft (76 m) rope.

At the end of World War II , contracts for sixty copies were canceled. Only twenty copies were built. As with all aircraft intended for military service, the Monitor was evaluated by the Airplane and Armament Experimental Establishment at the Royal Air Force MoD Boscombe Down Air Force Base .

use

The first machine delivered to the A & AEE, the prototype with the RAF serial number NF900, caught fire on a landing in August 1944, killing a crew member. The second prototype (FAA serial number NF904) crashed into Boscombe Down Airfield in August 1945. The serial machine with the RAF serial number NP409 crashed into the sea during extreme flight maneuvers. Both crew members were killed.

Ultimately, none of the machines built went into service and the undamaged machines were eventually scrapped.

Versions

TT Mk I monitor
Prototype for the Royal Air Force , one copy built
TT Mk II monitor
Version for the Fleet Air Arm , a prototype and twenty series copies built

Technical data (TT.Mk.2)

Parameter Data
crew 2
length 47.67  ft (14.53  m )
span 56.25 ft (17.15 m)
height 14.25 ft (4.34 m)
Wing area 500  ft² (46.5  m² )
Wing extension 6.3
Empty mass 15,850  lb (7,189  kg )
Max. Takeoff mass 21,075 lb (9,559 kg)
Cruising speed 230  kn (426  km / h )
Top speed 290 kn (537 km / h)
Service ceiling 29,000 ft (8,839 m)
Range 2,390  NM (4,426  km )
Engines 2 × Wright R-2600 -31 Twin Cyclone with 1,700  PS (1,250  kW ) each

See also

literature

  • Peter Amos, Don Lambert Brown: Miles Aircraft Since 1925, Volume 1 . Putnam Aeronautical, London 2000, ISBN 0-85177-787-2 (English).
  • L. Bridgeman (Ed.): Jane's fighting aircraft of World War II . Crescent, 1998, ISBN 0-517-67964-7 (English).
  • Tim Mason: The Secret Years: Flight Testing at Boscombe Down, 1939-1945 . Hikoki Publications, Crowborough 2010, ISBN 978-1-902109-14-5 (English).
  • David Mondey: The Hamlyn Concise guide to British Aircraft of World War II . Chancellor press, London 2002, ISBN 1-85152-668-4 (English).
  • Ray Sturivant: Fleet Air Arm Fixed-Wing Aircraft since 1946 . Air-Britain, Tonbridge 2004, ISBN 0-85130-283-1 (English).
  • Own Thetford: British Naval Aircraft since 1912 . 4th edition. Putnam, London 1978, ISBN 0-370-30021-1 (English).

Web links

Commons : Miles Monitor  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c David Mondey: The Hamlyn Concise guide to British Aircraft of World War II . Chancellor press, London 2002, ISBN 1-85152-668-4 , pp. 173 (English).
  2. ↑ a b c d e L. Bridgeman (Ed.): Jane's fighting aircraft of World War II . Crescent, 1998, ISBN 0-517-67964-7 , pp. 131 (English).
  3. ↑ a b Own Thetford: British Naval Aircraft since 1912 . 4th edition. Putnam, London 1978, ISBN 0-370-30021-1 , pp. 256-257 (English).
  4. ↑ a b Miles Monitor. Fleet Air Arm Archive, April 3, 2000, archived from the original ; accessed on May 7, 2020 (English).
  5. ↑ UK Military Aircraft Serial Allocations NA100 to NZ999. Wolverhampton Aviation Group, 2015, accessed May 8, 2020 .
  6. ^ Tim Mason, The Secret Years: Flight Testing at Boscombe Down, 1939-1945 . Hikoki Publications, Crowborough 2010, ISBN 978-1-902109-14-5 , pp. 252 (English).
  7. ↑ Ray Sturivant: Fleet Air Arm Fixed-Wing Aircraft since 1946 . Air-Britain, Tonbridge 2004, ISBN 0-85130-283-1 (English).