Hawker Horsley
Horsley | |
---|---|
A Hawker Horsley of No. 100 Squadron, RAF | |
Role | Medium bomber |
Manufacturer | Hawker Aircraft |
First flight | 1925 |
Introduction | January 1927 |
Retired | 1935 |
Primary user | RAF
|
Number built | 124 |
Variants | Hawker Dantorp |
The Hawker Horsley was a British single-engined biplane bomber of the 1920s. It was the last all-wooden aircraft built by Hawker Aircraft, and served as a medium day bomber and torpedo bomber with Britain's Royal Air Force between 1926 and 1935, as well as the navies of Greece and Denmark.
Design and development
The Horsley (named after Sir
Meanwhile, the Air Ministry revised its requirements, producing
Description
The Horsley was a large single-engined two-bay biplane. It had a crew of two, comprising a pilot and a gunner/bomb-aimer/radio operator, who had a .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis gun mounted in a Scarff ring in the rear cockpit and a prone position for bomb aiming. The rear cockpit was also fitted with dual controls.[7] The payload included two 550 lb (250 kg) bombs, one 1,500 lb (680 kg) bomb or a torpedo weighing 2,800 lb (1,300 kg).
The structure was originally all wood, but before production was complete an all-metal structure was introduced, made in what became the famous Hawker system of metal construction. The three methods of construction were designated: Horsley Mk I for the all-wooden aircraft, Horsley Mk II for the mixed material, and (unofficially) Horsley III for the all-metal aircraft.[8] Some aircraft were fitted with floats.
Two aircraft, known as the Hawker Dantorp and powered by Leopard II engines were sold to the Danish Government. They had a slightly different fuselage, accommodating a third crew member.[9] The Danes also purchased a licence to build a further ten aircraft at the Danish Naval Workshops (Orlogsvaerftet), but these were not built owing to a shortage of funds.[10]
Production aircraft were powered by the Condor IIIA, but the Horsley was also much used as a flying testbed for other engines, including the Napier Lion, Rolls-Royce Buzzard, Rolls-Royce Eagle, the Armstrong Siddeley Leopard radial engine, the Junkers Jumo diesel engine and early versions of the Rolls-Royce Merlin.[11]
Operational history
The first aircraft were delivered to
In October 1928,
The Horsley was chosen to attempt a non-stop flight to India, with a specially modified aircraft, carrying much more fuel and taking off at a weight of over 14,000 lb (6,350 kg) took off from
The Horsleys remained in service in the day-bombing role until 1934, with 504 Squadron's Horsleys being replaced by Westland Wallaces in March 1934. No 36 Squadron at Singapore retained the Horsely in the Torpedo bomber role until July 1935.[16] The last Horsley, a Merlin-powered testbed flew its final flight at RAE Farnborough on 7 March 1938.[17]
A total of 124 Horsleys were built, including six aircraft for the Hellenic Naval Air Service and the two related Dantorps built for Denmark.[18]
Operators
- Hellenic Air Force
- Hellenic Naval Air Service
Specification (Horsley II day bomber)
Data from Hawker Aircraft since 1919 [20]
General characteristics
- Crew: 2, pilot and bomb-aimer/gunner
- Length: 38 ft 10 in (11.84 m)
- Wingspan: 56 ft 5+3⁄4 in (17.21 m)
- Height: 13 ft 8 in (4.17 m)
- Wing area: 693 sq ft (64.4 m2)
- Empty weight: 4,760 lb (2,159 kg) (4,958 lb (2,249 kg) for torpedo bomber)
- Gross weight: 7,800 lb (3,538 kg) (9,270 lb (4,200 kg) for torpedo bomber)
- Fuel capacity: 230 imp gal (280 US gal; 1,000 L)
- Powerplant: 1 × Rolls Royce Condor IIIA water-cooled V12 engine, 665 hp (496 kW)
- Propellers: 2-bladed Watts wooden propeller, 14 ft 6 in (4.42 m) diameter
Performance
- Maximum speed: 125 mph (201 km/h, 109 kn) at 6,000 ft (1,800 m)
- Range: 900 mi (1,400 km, 780 nmi) [19]
- Endurance: approx. 10 hr
- Service ceiling: 14,000 ft (4,300 m)
- Time to altitude: 14 min 20 s to 10,000 ft (3,000 m)
Armament
- Guns:
- 1 × forward-firing .303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine gun
- 1 × rear-mounted .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis Gun
- Bombs: 1,500 lb (680 kg) bombload or 1 × torpedo
See also
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists
References
Notes
- ^ a b Mason 1994, p. 162
- ^ Jarrett 1993, p. 25.
- ^ Mason 1994, pp. 162–163
- ^ Jarrett 1993, pp. 25–26
- ^ Mason 1991, p. 129.
- ^ Jarrett 1993, p. 27.
- ^ Jarrett 1993, pp. 28–29
- ^ Mason 1991, pp. 128–129
- ^ Mason 1991, pp. 138–139
- ^ Balsved, Johnny E. (27 January 2006). "Naval Aviation (1912–): Danish Naval Air Service". Danish Naval History. Retrieved 16 August 2008.
- ^ Mason 1991, pp. 134–137
- ^ a b Thetford 1993, p. 33
- ^ Thetford 1993, p. 34
- ^ Thetford 1993, pp. 35–37
- ^ Mason 1991, pp. 12–13
- ^ Thetford 1993, p. 39
- ^ Thetford 1993, p. 40
- ^ Mason 1991, pp. 484–487
- ^ a b Mason 1994, p. 164
- ^ Mason 1991, p. 139
Bibliography
- Jarrett, Philip (October 1993). "By Day and By Night: Hawker Horsley part 1". Aeroplane Monthly. Vol. 21, no. 10. pp. 32–40.
- Mason, Francis K. (1991). Hawker Aircraft since 1920 (Third ed.). London: Putnam. ISBN 0-85177-839-9.
- Mason, Francis K. (1994). The British Bomber since 1914. London: Putnam. ISBN 0-85177-861-5.
- Thetford, Owen (November 1993). "By Day and By Night: Hawker Horsley part 2". Aeroplane Monthly. Vol. 21, no. 11. pp. 24–30.
- Thomas, Andrew. "In the Footsteps of Daedulus: Early Greek Naval Aviation". Air Enthusiast, No. 94, July–August 2001, pp. 8–9. ISSN 0143-5450
External links
- A history of Greek military equipment (1821-today): Hawker Horsley MkII
- Hawker Horsley – British Aircraft of World War II