Blackburn Firebrand

Infobox Aircraft
name=Firebrand
type=Strike fighter
manufacturer=Blackburn Aircraft


caption=Centaurus IX-powered Firebrand TF Mk. IV.
designer=G. E. Petty
first flight=1942-02-27
introduced=1943
retired=1953
status=
primary user=Fleet Air Arm
produced=1942-1947
number built=193
unit cost=
variants with their own articles= B048 FirecrestThe Firebrand was a single-engine fighter aircraft designed to Air Ministry Specification N.11/40 by Blackburn Aircraft. It was designed around the Napier Sabre III 24-cylinder H-type engine as a single-seat fleet fighter for the Royal Navy.

Development

Work on the B-37 Firebrand proceeded slowly. An unarmed prototype first flew on 27 February, 1942, the armed Firebrand F Mk. I prototype not flying until July of that year. The Sabre engine was also used in the Hawker Typhoon, a fighter already nearing production, and was earmarked for that aircraft. A new engine was needed, along with airframe improvements to handle it; along with these modifications it was deemed appropriate to convert the Firebrand into a strike fighter capable of carrying torpedoes, bombs, and rockets as well as engaging in air to air combat. Only nine production F Mk. I aircraft were built. The Firebrand was unusual in that there was an airspeed gauge mounted outside of the cockpit so that during landing the pilot would not have to look down into the cockpit to take instrument readings, presaging the development of the modern heads up display.

The first strike variant, the Firebrand TF Mk. II (B-45), flew on 31 March 1943, and was an adaptation of the Mk. I. It incorporated slightly wider wingspan that allowed carriage of a torpedo between the retracted main landing gear. Like the Mk I, the TF Mk. II only saw a very limited production of 12, and was followed by the Firebrand TF Mk. III with the Bristol Centaurus VII radial engine. After the first flight on 21 December 1943, problems arose: the new engine produced more torque than the Sabre, and rudder control was insufficient on takeoff. The TF Mk. III was determined to be unsuitable for carrier operations, and work began on an improved airframe that would be better-suited for the Centaurus. The aircraft had killed two test pilots and,although after six months' modification Dennis Cambell did manage the first successful deck landing, the type was generally regarded as one of the war's worst aircraft [ [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20000721/ai_n14335614 Obituary of Dennis Campbell "The Independent" 21 July 2000 - Accessed 21 August 2008] ] .

The Firebrand TF Mk. IV (B-46), as the new development was designated, featured a newer Centaurus IX engine and larger tail surfaces for better low-speed control. The enlarged rudder was horn balanced, and the wings now featured dive brakes on both upper and lower surfaces. The TF Mk. IV first flew on 17 May, 1945, and was the first version of the Firebrand to enter mass production, with 102 built. The later Firebrand TF.5 featured minor aerodynamic improvements and was also built in large numbers, with 68 entering service. A further 40 TF Mk. IVs were converted to the TF.5 standard.The final production version was the Firebrand TF Mk. 5A.

Operational history

The Firebrand did not see action in World War II, but it remained in front-line service on Royal Navy carriers until 1953.

Operators

; UK
* Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm
** 700 Naval Air Squadron
** 703 Naval Air Squadron
** 708 Naval Air Squadron
** 736 Naval Air Squadron
** 738 Naval Air Squadron
** 759 Naval Air Squadron
** 764 Naval Air Squadron
** 767 Naval Air Squadron
** 778 Naval Air Squadron
** 787 Naval Air Squadron
** 799 Naval Air Squadron
** 813 Naval Air Squadron
** 827 Naval Air Squadron

pecifications (Firebrand TF Mk. IV)

aircraft specifications
plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop
ref=Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War IIref Jane's|The Blackburn B.37 Firebrand|108-109]
crew=One pilot
span main=51 ft 3½ in
span alt=15.62 m
length main=39 ft 1 in
length alt=12 m
height main= ft in
height alt= m
area main=381.5 ft²
area alt=35.44 m²
airfoil=
empty weight main=11,357 lb
empty weight alt=5,150 kg
loaded weight main=15,671 lb
loaded weight alt=7,100 kg
max takeoff weight main=16,227 lb
max takeoff weight alt=7,360 kg
more general=
engine (prop)=Bristol Centaurus IX
type of prop=18-cylinder radial engine
number of props=1
power main=2,500 hp
power alt=1,865 kW
max speed main=350 mph
max speed alt=300 knots, 560 km/h
cruise speed main=289 mph
cruise speed alt=251 knots, 465 km/h
cruise speed more=at 10,000 ft (3,050 m)
stall speed main=75 mph
stall speed alt=65 knots, 121 km/h
range main=1,250 mi
range alt=1,100 nm, 2,000 km
range more=with torpedo and drop tanks
ceiling main=
ceiling alt=
climb rate main=2,600 ft/min
climb rate alt=13.2 m/s
loading main=41.7 lb/ft²
loading alt=203.6 kg/m²
power/mass main=.157 hp/lb
power/mass alt=347 W/kg
guns=4× 20 mm (0.787 in) Hispano Mk.II cannon, two in each wing
bombs=
** 1× 1,850 lb (840 kg) torpedo, "or"
** 2× 1,000 lb (450 kg) bombs, one under each wing, in place of torpedo

ee also

aircontent
similar aircraft=
* Westland Wyvern
* Boeing XF8B
related=
* Blackburn Firecrest
see also=
lists=
* List of aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Brown, Eric, CBE, DCS, AFC, RN.; Green William and Swanborough, Gordon. "Fairey Swordfish". "Wings of the Navy, Flying Allied Carrier Aircraft of World War Two". London: Jane's Publishing Company, 1980, p. 157–167. ISBN 0-7106-0002-X.
* Buttler, Tony. "Blackburn Firebrand - Warpaint Number 56". Denbigh East, Bletchley, UK: Warpaint Books Ltd., 2000.
* Mondey, David. "The Hamlyn Concise Guide to British Aircraft of World War II". London: Chancellor Press, 1982. ISBN 1-85152-668-4.