Westland Wyvern
| Westland Wyvern | |
|---|---|
|
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| Type: | carrier-based fighter - bomber |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
December 12, 1946 |
| Commissioning: |
May 1953 |
The Westland Wyvern was a carrier-based fighter - bomber made by the British manufacturer Westland , which was designed as an all-metal low-wing aircraft with retractable tail wheel landing gear . It had a turboprop engine that propelled two counter-rotating four-blade coaxial propellers.
The prototype and 10 pre-series machines (TF.Mk 1) were equipped with the 24-cylinder H-engine Eagle from Rolls-Royce with 3,500 hp, whereby the airframe was already designed to accommodate a turboprop engine, which was not initially available . The first flight took place on December 12, 1946.
The propeller turbines Rolls-Royce Clyde (4,500 hp) and Armstrong Siddeley Python then owned further pre-series machines (TF.Mk 2) . The version with the Python turbine first flew on January 18, 1949, the version with the Clyde turbine on March 22, 1949. A two-seat trainer version (TF.Mk 3) was also developed. The first flight with a Python-2 turbine took place on February 16, 1950.
The series machines (S.Mk 4) had a Python 3 turbine with 3,670 hp and 250 kp residual thrust. The Westland Wyvern entered service in May 1953. Westland Wyvern were only used in combat during the Suez Crisis and remained in service until March 1958.
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Wyvern S Mk 4 |
|---|---|
| crew | 1 |
| length | 12.80 m |
| span | 13.42 m |
| Wing area | 32.98 m² |
| Wing extension | 5.5 |
| Empty mass | 7076 kg |
| Max. Takeoff mass | 11,113 kg |
| drive | 1 × Turboprop Rolls-Royce Python 3, 3,670 wave horsepower, 250 kp residual thrust |
| Top speed | 613 km / h at sea level |
| Service ceiling | 8535 m |
| Range | approx. 1464 km with outside tank |
| Armament | four 20 mm automatic cannon Hispano Mk V in the wings, optional 46-cm-Torpedo, three 464-kg bombs, eight 27-cm missiles |
See also
literature
- Green / Swanborough: Fighter planes of the world , Motorbuchverlag, Verlag Stocker Schmid, 1996, ISBN 3-7276-7126-2
