Fairey Fulmar

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairey_Fulmar

The Fairey Fulmar was a British carrier-borne fighter aircraft that served with
the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) during the Second World War. A total of 600 were built
by Fairey Aviation at its Stockport factory between January 1940 and December
1942. The Fulmar's design was based on that of the earlier Fairey P.4/34 that
was in turn developed in 1936 as a replacement for the Fairey Battle light
bomber. Although its performance (like that of its Battle antecedent) was
lacking, the Fulmar was a reliable, sturdy aircraft with long range and an
effective armament of eight machine guns.

Looking much like its sister, the Battle, the Fulmar prototype was
aerodynamically cleaner and featured a folding wing that was 16 in (41 cm)
shorter than its bomber lookalike. The prototype P.4/34 serial number K5099
first flew on 13 January 1937 at Fairey Aviation's Great West Aerodrome (now
covered by London Heathrow Airport), with Fairey test pilot Chris Staniland at
the controls. After the first flight tests, the tail was revised, being raised 8
in (20 cm).

The first prototype Fulmar, acting as a "flying mock-up", was powered by a 1,080
hp (810 kW) Rolls Royce Merlin III engine. With this engine, performance was
poor, the prototype only reaching 230 mph (370 km/h). With the Merlin VIII
engine – a variant unique to the Fulmar and with supercharging optimised for
low-level flight – and aerodynamic improvements, speed was improved to 265 mph
(426 km/h) at 7500 ft (2286m), which, owing to the desperate need for modern
fighters, was considered adequate. As a simple derivative of an existing
prototype, the Fulmar promised to be available quickly, and an initial order for
127 production aircraft was placed in mid-1938; the first example flew from
Fairey's facility at RAF Ringway near Manchester on 4 January 1940 and the last
of 600 Fulmars was delivered from Ringway on 11 December 1942.


Role
Carrier Fighter

National origin
United Kingdom

Manufacturer
Fairey Aviation Company

Designer
Marcel Lobelle

First flight
4 January 1940

Introduction
10 May 1940

Retired
1945

Primary user
Royal Navy

Produced
1940–43

Number built
600

Developed from
Fairey P.4/34

First seeing action on Malta convoy protection patrols in September 1940, the
sturdy Fulmar was able to achieve victories against its far more agile Italian
and German adversaries. By the autumn, Fulmars had shot down ten Italian bombers
and six enemy fighters, as well as providing top cover to the Swordfish raid on
Taranto.

Fulmars played a prominent role in the ill-fated raid on Kirkenes and Petsamo in
July 1941.

By 1942, the Fulmar was being replaced by single-seat aircraft adapted from land
fighters such as the Supermarine Seafire or by American single-seat fighters
such as the Grumman Martlet. It saw useful service in night-time roles as a
convoy escort and intruder and was used to train crews for the Fairey Barracuda.
Its flight characteristics were considered pleasant, its wide undercarriage
provided good deck handling capabilities and it had excellent fuel capacity and
range. Fulmars were used in long-range reconnaissance after they were withdrawn
as fighters. Most Fleet Air Arm fighter aces scored at least part of their
victories in Fulmars; for example, Sub Lieutenant Stanley Orr finished the war
with 12 confirmed air victories, as the third-highest scoring pilot in the FAA.

At one time, twenty squadrons of the Fleet Air Arm were equipped with the
Fulmar. It flew from eight fleet aircraft carriers and five escort carriers. No.
273 Squadron RAF operated them for some months in 1942 from China Bay, Ceylon,
seeing action against Japanese forces during the raid on 9 April 1942; though
about half the squadron personnel were Navy. Fulmars destroyed 112 enemy
aircraft, which made it the leading fighter type, by aircraft shot down, in the
Fleet Air Arm during the Second World War. The Fulmar ended its front line
operational career on 8 February 1945, when a Fulmar MK II night-fighter from
No. 813 Squadron had a landing accident at the safety barrier on HMS Campania
and was written off.

Specifications (Mk II)

General characteristics
Crew: Two
Length: 40 ft 2 in (12.25 m)
Wingspan: 46 ft 4¼ in (14.13 m)
Height: 14 ft 0 in (4.27 m)
Wing area: 342 ft² (32 m²)
Empty weight: 7,015 lb (3,182 kg)
Loaded weight: 9,672 lb (4,387 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 10,200 lb (4,627 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Rolls-Royce Merlin 30 liquid-cooled inline V-12, 1,300 hp (970
kW)

Performance
Maximum speed: 272 mph at 7,250 ft (438 km/h at 2,200 m)
Range: 780 mi (1,255 km)
Service ceiling: 27,200 ft (8,300 m)
Wing loading: 28 lb/ft² (137 kg/m²)

Armament

8 × 0.303 in (7.7 mm) or 4 × 0.50 in (12.7 mm) Browning machine guns
wing-mounted, and occasionally 1 × .303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers K machine gun in
rear cabin
2 × 100 lb (45 kg) or 250 lb (110 kg) bombs




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