Vickers Vampire
F.B.26 Vampire | |
---|---|
Role | Fighter
|
National origin | United Kingdom |
Manufacturer | Vickers |
First flight | May 1917 [1] |
Status | Prototype |
Number built | 4 |
Developed from | Vickers F.B.12 |
The Vickers F.B.26 Vampire was a British single-seat pusher biplane fighter built by Vickers during the First World War.
Four were built by Vickers at Bexleyheath, one of these was subsequently modified to become the F.B.26A.
Design and development
The design was a development of the earlier
A second aircraft, B1486, was built and was operated first by No. 39 Squadron at Woodford and then passed to No. 141 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps in February 1918. Service evaluation was unfavorable: although performance was satisfactory, its handling qualities were poor.[3] A third aircraft, B1485, powered by a 230 hp (170 kW) Bentley rotary engine and modified for ground-attack was built in 1918 but by the time it was built the Sopwith Salamander had already been ordered for production and development was abandoned. Three further aircraft had been ordered and allocated service numbers but it is not known whether any of these were built.[3]
Operators
Specifications (F.B.26 Vampire I)
Data from Vickers Aircraft since 1908 [4]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 23 ft 5 in (7.14 m)
- Upper wingspan: 31 ft 6 in (9.60 m)
- Lower wingspan: 29 ft 0 in (8.84 m)
- Height: 9 ft 5 in (2.87 m)
- Wing area: 267 sq ft (24.8 m2)
- Empty weight: 1,470 lb (667 kg)
- Gross weight: 2,030 lb (921 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × Hispano-Suiza 8 water-cooled V-8, 200 hp (150 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 121 mph (195 km/h, 105 kn) at 5,000 ft (1,500 m)
- Endurance: 3 hr
- Service ceiling: 20,500 ft (6,200 m)
- Absolute ceiling: 22,500 ft (6,900 m)
- Time to altitude: 10 min to 10,000 ft (3,000 m)
Armament
- Guns: 2 × 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis Guns
References
Notes
Bibliography
- Andrews, C.F and Morgan, E.B. Vickers Aircraft since 1908. London:Putnam, Second edition 1988. ISBN 0-85177-815-1.
- Bruce, J.M. War Planes of the First World War: Volume Three Fighters. London:Macdonald, 1969. ISBN 0 356 01490 8.
- Green, William and Swanborough, Gordon. The Complete Book of Fighters. New York: Smithmark, 1994. ISBN 0-8317-3939-8.
- Lamberton, W.M. Fighter Aircraft of the 1914–1918 War. Herts, UK:Harleyford Publications, 1960.
- Mason, F.K. The British Fighter Since 1912 London, Putnam, 1992 ISBN 0-85177-852-6
- Flight p764 12 June 1919