Hawker F.20/27
F.20/27 | |
---|---|
F.20/27 with Mercury VI engine | |
Role | Interceptor fighter |
National origin | United Kingdom |
Manufacturer | H.G.Hawker Engineering Co. Ltd. |
First flight | August 1928 |
Number built | 1 |
Variants | Hawker Fury |
The Hawker F.20/27 was a British fighter design built to an Air Ministry specification for an interceptor in the late 1920s. It was a single-seat biplane powered by a radial engine; the very similar but V-12-engined Hawker Fury development proved superior and only one F.20/27 was built.
Design and development
The Hawker F.20/27 design was tendered to the
The F.20/27, sometimes referred to as the Interceptor, was a clean single-engined, single-seat and single-bay biplane, fabric-covered over a metal frame. The unequal span wings had parallel
The upper fuselage was slightly humped, with the pilot sitting in an open cockpit just behind the upper wing, which had a small rounded cutout to improve visibility. A single-axle fixed main undercarriage had its main legs sloping slightly aft from the fuselage and braced back from the axle to the lower wing rear
This description could almost describe the Fury as well as the F.20/27 as the two aircraft were very similar.
The F.20/27 first flew in August 1928 and shortly after went to RAF Martlesham Heath for tests.[1] It returned to Hawker's in May 1930 where it was re-engined with a 520 hp (388 kW) Bristol Mercury VI and the addition of a Townend ring was considered; but by now the superior performance of the Fury, about 10% faster despite very similar dimensions, shape and power-to-weight ratio showed that the efficiently cowled and low frontal area liquid-cooled engine was the way forward for interceptors.[1]
Specifications (with Mercury VI)
Data from [2]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 23 ft 6+1⁄2 in (7.176 m)
- Wingspan: 30 ft 0 in (9.14 m)
- Height: 9 ft 5 in (2.87 m)
- Wing area: 228 sq ft (21.2 m2)
- Empty weight: 2,155 lb (977 kg)
- Gross weight: 3,150 lb (1,429 kg)
- Fuel capacity: 55 imp gal (66 US gal; 250 L)
- Powerplant: 1 × Bristol Mercury VI 9-cylinder single-row radial engine, 520 hp (390 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 202 mph (325 km/h, 176 kn) at 10,000 ft (3,000 m)
- Endurance: 3 hr 10 min
- Service ceiling: 24,800 ft (7,600 m)
- Time to altitude: 5 min 5 s to 10,000 ft (3,000 m)
Armament
- Guns: 2× 0.303 in (7.7 mm) fixed forward firing Vickers machine gunson forward fuselage
See also
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
- Armstrong Whitworth Starling II
- Bristol Bullpup
- de Havilland DH.77
- Fairey Firefly II
- Saunders A.10
- Vickers Jockey
- Westland Interceptor.
References
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g Mason 1971, pp. 159–161
- ^ Mason 1991, pp. 185–186
Bibliography
- Mason, Francis K (1971). Hawker Aircraft since 1920 (2nd ed.). London: Putnam. ISBN 0-370-00066-8.
- Mason, Francis K. (1991). Hawker Aircraft since 1920 (Third ed.). London: Putnam. ISBN 0-85177-839-9.