Saunders-Roe SR.A / 1
| Saunders-Roe SR.A / 1 | |
|---|---|
 First prototype TG263 |
|
| Type: | Flying boat as a fighter plane |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
July 16, 1947 |
| Number of pieces: |
3 |
The Saunders-Roe SR.A / 1 was an experimental flying boat of the Royal Air Force , originally intended as a fighter aircraft .
history
prehistory
Even during the Second World War , Saunders-Roe (Saro) advocated the development of fighter seaplanes, for example for use on small islands. As early as 1943, the Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment (MAEE) published H / Res / 166, in which the development of a jet-powered seaplane that was supposed to achieve the performance of a land plane was suggested. The report already contained the aerodynamic and hydrodynamic specifications for the construction of a fighter seaplane with four cannons and jet propulsion. The flight duration should correspond to the requirements for a piston engine-powered naval fighter in the then tender N.2 / 42. The Halford H1 jet engine , which achieved a thrust of 12 kN, was to serve as the drive . The other structural design as a tailless aircraft with swept wings could be viewed as a radical departure from the standards of the conventional fighter aircraft of that time.
The MAEE passed its proposal on to the Ministry of Aircraft Production (MAP), which in turn consulted the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) to assess the practical feasibility. In July 1943, the RAE gave the go-ahead for an experimental model to be tested in a water tank. However, these plans were shelved a week later after Saro submitted his own ideas for a new jet seaplane to the MAP. This was a bit more conventional with a normal tail unit, but also had one or two Halford H1 engines as propulsion and swept wings.
In November 1943, the MAP expressed its criticism of the capabilities of a water-based fighter which, in its opinion, would never be able to achieve the performance of a land-based model. An operation would therefore only be justified if it were deployed from a base that could not be protected by land-based fighters. The planned H1 engine also turned out to be too big because of the radial compressor, so that Saro had to reschedule to the slimmer, but heavier Metropolitan-Vickers (MV) F2 axial engine. It was also recognized that the higher weight and the expected lower fuel capacity and range would prohibit use in open sea areas. Saro therefore advertised the use of rivers and lakes, which, due to the then necessary stronger hull, would in turn increase the weight.
SR.A / 1
On May 11, 1944, the MAP commissioned Saro with the construction of three prototypes of the P / 113 design variant of the project now known as Saro SR.44. The technical requirements E.6 / 44 were subsequently issued in June 1944 . As the code letter E for Experimental shows, the development should only serve experimental purposes, a real front-line use was not intended. In 1945 the cancellation of one of the three copies was under discussion. In order to keep the development team together, however, this was not implemented.
In 1946, Saro renamed the SR.44 to SR.A / 1 according to the SBAC system. At a final developer meeting on April 23, 1947 it was stated that the military had no need for the A / 1 and that no further funds would be made available. Despite this background, the first flight of the first TG263 prototype took place on July 16, 1947 with Geoffrey Tyson at the wheel. After the introduction of minor improvements, the A / 1 had its public debut at the SBAC Airshow in Radlett (Hertfordshire). The guaranteed funding limited the testing to 15 hours of flight, mainly the behavior in the water and the engines were tested.
The second TG267 made its maiden flight on April 30, 1948. The Ministry of Supply financed only five flight hours for a test. For the third machine (TG271), which flew for the first time on August 17, 1948, no funds were available for flight tests at all. Saro loaned the TG271 with a three-year contract and was supposed to fly 50 English per flight hour. Pay pounds.
Whereabouts
- TG263: In October 1949, this was the last remaining specimen that was subsequently stored. During the Korean War, however, flight testing resumed, with the machine having the registration G-12-1. In 1951 it was given to the College of Aeronautics in Cranfield as a teaching object . Then it went to the Skyfame Museum in Staverton, the Imperial War Museum in Duxford , and finally on loan to the Southampton Hall of Aviation . The TG263 is stored there today (2015).
- TG267: During rehearsals for the Battle of Britain sightseeing flights off the coast of Felixstowe , the plane crashed into the sea in September 1949 and sank.
- TG271: On August 12, 1949, the machine sank near the Isle of Wight after a landing that damaged the hull.
construction
By using high-lying jet engines, the fuselage of the aircraft could be designed as a flying boat , thus eliminating the need for bulky swimmers . The air inlet for the two engines was placed very high to prevent splashing water from getting into the engines. It was also ensured that the thrust tubes were not too long (engines at that time had a very large loss of power).
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| length | 15.24 |
| span | 14.02 m |
| Max. Mass in flight | 7,360 kg |
| Engine | two Metropolitan Vickers F.2 / 4 Beryl |
| thrust | 2 × 14.4 to 17.1 kN |
| speed | 824 km / h |
| Range | 1,920 km |
| crew | 1 |
| Armament | four 20 mm Hispano-Suiza Mk5 cannons , 907 kg bombs or eight 27 kg missiles |
literature
- MJF Bowyer: Seaplane Jet Fighter . In: AIR International October 1996, pp. 237-241
