Fairey Firefly

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

The Fairey Firefly was a British Second World War-era carrier-borne fighter
aircraft and anti-submarine aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm (FAA). Designed to the
contemporary FAA concept of a two-seat fleet reconnaissance/fighter, the pilot
and navigator/weapons officer were housed in separate stations. It was superior
in performance and firepower to its predecessor, the Fulmar, but entered
operational service only towards the end of the war when it was no longer
competitive as a fighter. The limitations of a single engine in a heavy airframe
reduced its performance, but it proved to be sturdy, long-ranged, and docile in
carrier operations.

The Fairey Firefly served in the Second World War as a fleet fighter but in
postwar service, although it was superseded by more modern jet aircraft, the
Firefly was adapted for other roles, including strike operations and
anti-submarine warfare, remaining a mainstay of the FAA until the mid-1950s. UK
and Australian Fireflies flew ground attack operations off various aircraft
carriers in the Korean War. In foreign service, the type was in operation with
the naval air arms of Australia, Canada, India and the Netherlands whose
Fireflies carried out a few attack sorties as late as 1962 in Dutch New Guinea.

The Firefly was designed by H.E. Chaplin at Fairey Aviation; in June 1940, the
Admiralty ordered 200 aircraft "off the drawing board" with the first three to
be the prototypes. The prototype of the Firefly flew on 22 December 1941.
Although it was 4,000 lb (1,810 kg) heavier than the Fulmar (largely due to its
armament of two 20 mm Hispano cannon in each wing), the Firefly was 40 mph (60
km/h) faster due to improved aerodynamics and a more powerful engine, the 1,735
hp (1,294 kW) Rolls-Royce Griffon IIB.

The Firefly was a low-wing cantilever monoplane with oval-section metal
semi-monocoque fuselage and conventional tail unit with forward-placed
tailplane. It was powered by a Rolls-Royce Griffon liquid-cooled piston engine
with a three-blade airscrew. The Firefly had retractable main landing gear and
tail wheel, with the hydraulically operated main landing gear retracting inwards
into the underside of the wing centre-section. The aircraft also had a
retractable arrester hook under the rear fuselage. The pilot's cockpit was over
the leading edge of the wing and the observer/radio-operator/navigator aft of
the wing trailing edge - positions which gave better visibility for operating
and landing. Both crew had separate jettisonable canopies. The all-metal wing
could be folded manually, with the wings ending up along the sides of the
fuselage. When in the flying position, the wings were hydraulically locked.


Role
Carrier fighter

Manufacturer
Fairey Aviation Company, Ltd.

First flight
22 December 1941

Introduction
1943

Retired
1956 (Royal Navy)

Primary users
Royal Navy
Royal Australian Navy
Royal Canadian Navy
Royal Netherlands Navy

Produced
1941–1955

Number built
1,702

The primary variant of the aircraft used during the Second World War was the Mk
I, which was used in all theatres of operation. In March 1943, the first Firefly
Mk Is were delivered but they did not enter operational service until July 1944
when they equipped 1770 Naval Air Squadron aboard HMS Indefatigable. The first
operations were in Europe where Fireflies carried out armed reconnaissance
flights and anti-shipping strikes along the Norwegian coast. Fireflies also
provided air cover during strikes on the German battleship Tirpitz in 1944.

Throughout its operational career, the Firefly took on increasingly demanding
roles from fighter to anti-submarine warfare stationed mainly with the British
Pacific Fleet in the Far East and Pacific theatres. Fireflies carried out
attacks on oil refineries and airfields and gained renown when they became the
first British-designed and -built aircraft to overfly Tokyo.

After the Second World War, the Firefly remained in front line service with the
Fleet Air Arm until the mid-1950s. The UK also supplied the aircraft to Canada,
Australia, Denmark, Ethiopia, the Netherlands Naval Aviation Service, India and
Thailand. The Royal Canadian Navy employed 65 Fireflies of the Mk AS 5 type
onboard its own aircraft carriers between 1946 and 1954. It also had some Mk I
Fireflies, and sold several additional examples of these to Ethiopia in the
early 1950s.

British and Australian Fireflies carried out anti-shipping patrols and ground
strikes off various aircraft carriers in the Korean War as well as serving in
the ground-attack role in the Malayan Emergency. The Firefly's FAA front line
career ended with the introduction of the Gannet. Several versions of the type
were developed later in its career to serve as trainers, target tugs and drone
aircraft. As an example, the Indian Navy acquired 10 aircraft in the mid-50s for
target tug purposes.

Specifications (Mk I)

General characteristics
Crew: Two (pilot & observer)
Length: 37 ft 7¼ in (11.46 m)
Wingspan: 44 ft 6 in (13.57 m)
Height: 13 ft 7 in (4.14 m)
Wing area: 328 ft² (30.5 m²)
Empty weight: 9,750 lb (4,432 kg)
Loaded weight: 14,020 lb (6,373 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Rolls-Royce Griffon IIB liquid-cooled V12 engine, 1,730 hp
(1,290 kW)

Performance
Maximum speed: 316 mph (275 kn, 509 km/h) at 14,000 ft (4,300 m)
Range: 1,300 mi (1,130 nmi, 2,090 km)
Service ceiling: 28,000 ft (8,530 m)
Climb to 10,000 ft (3,050 m): 5 min 45 sec

Armament

Guns: 4 × 20 mm Hispano-Suiza HS.404 cannons
Rockets: 8 × RP-3 "60 lb" rockets
Bombs: 2 × 1,000 lb (454 kg) bombs under wings




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