Fairey Fulmar

infobox Aircraft
name = Fairey Fulmar
type = Carrier Fighter
manufacturer = Fairey Aviation Company, Ltd.

---

caption =Fairey Fulmar N4062
designer = Marcel Lobelle
first flight = 13 January 1937 Winchester 2004, p.84.]
introduced = 10 May 1940
retired = 1945
status =
primary user = Royal Navy
more users =
produced = 1940-February 1943
number built = 600
unit cost =
developed from = Fairey P.4/34
variants with their own articles = The Fairey Fulmar was a British carrier-borne fighter aircraft that served with the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) during World War II. A total of 600 were built by Fairey Aviation at their Stockport factory between January 1940 and December 1942. The Fulmar's design was based on that of the earlier Fairey P.4/34 that was in turn developed in 1936 as a replacement for the Fairey Battle light bomber. Although its performance (like that of its Battle antecedent) was lacking, the Fulmar was a reliable, sturdy aircraft with long range and an effective eight machine gun armament.

Design and development

The Fairey P.4/34 was built to Specification P.4/34 as a light bomber capable of being used as a dive bomber, in competition with the Hawker Henley and an unbuilt Gloster design. [ Mason 1994, p. 306.] Its performance was disappointing and it lost out to the Henley (which was eventually ordered as a target tug). The Fulmar, a navalised version of the P.4/34 was submitted to meet Specification O.8/38 for a two-crew fleet defence fighter. As it was not expected to encounter fighter opposition, high performance or maneuverability was not considered important but long range and heavy armament were. The provision of a navigator/wireless operator considered essential for the long, over-ocean flights would be required.

Looking much like its sister, the Battle, the Fulmar prototype was aerodynamically cleaner and featured a folding-wing that was 16 in (40.6 cm) shorter than its bomber lookalike. [ Winchester 2004, p. 85.] The prototype P.4/34 "K5099" first flew on 13 January 1937 at Fairey Aviation's Great West Aerodrome (now London Heathrow Airport) with Fairey Test Pilot Chris Staniland at the controls. Mason 1992, p. 287.] Lumsden 1990, p. 354.] After the first flight tests, the tail was revised, being raised eight inches (20.3 cm).

The first prototype Fulmar acting as "flying mock-up" was powered by a 1,080 hp Rolls Royce Merlin III engine. With this engine, performance was poor, the prototype only reaching 230 mph. With the Merlin VIII engine - a variant unique to the Fulmar and with supercharging optimised for low-level flight - and aerodynamic improvements, speed was improved to 255 mph, which owing to the desperate need for modern fighters, was considered adequate. As a simple derivative of an existing prototype, the Fulmar promised to be available quickly and an initial order for 127 production aircraft was placed in mid-1938 and the first flew from Fairey's facility at RAF Ringway near Manchester on 4 January 1940 and the last of 600 Fulmars was delivered from Ringway on 11 December 1942 Scholefield 1998 p. 35.] .

During testing, Fulmars were launched from catapults on merchant ships, a convoy defensive plan that was being evaluated at the time.

Operational history

The first squadron to be equipped with the Fulmar was No. 806 Squadron FAA in July 1940 and this squadron began operating from HMS "Illustrious" shortly afterwards. The Fulmar was not well matched with land-based fighters. The Navy had specified a two-seat machine, feeling that a navigator was needed to cope with the challenges of navigating over the open ocean. As a result, the Fulmar was far too large and unwieldy when it came into contact with single-seat, land-based opposition, as it did in the Mediterranean theatre. Yet its long range was useful at times as evidenced in the 1941 chase of the Bismarck battleship where Fulmars acted as carrier-borne spotters, tracking and trailing the fleeing battleship.

First seeing action on Malta convoy protection patrols in September 1940, the sturdy Fulmar was able to achieve victories against its far more agile Italian and German adversaries. By the fall, Fulmars had shot down ten Italian bombers and six enemy fighters, while giving top cover to the Swordfish raid on Taranto.

By 1942, the Fulmar was being replaced by single-seat aircraft adapted from land fighters such as the Supermarine Seafire or by American single seat fighters such as the Grumman Martlet. It saw useful service in nighttime roles as a convoy escort and intruder and was used to train crews for the Fairey Barracuda. On the other hand, its flight characteristics were considered pleasant, its wide undercarriage provided good deck handling capacities and it had excellent fuel capacity and range. Fulmars were used in long range reconnaissance after they were withdrawn as fighters. Most Fleet Air Arm fighter aces scored at least part of their victories in Fulmars, for example, Sub Lieutenant S.G. Orr, finished the war with 12 confirmed air victories, as the third-highest scoring pilot in the FAA.

At one time, 20 squadrons of the FAA were equipped with the Fulmar. It flew from eight fleet aircraft carriers and five escort carriers. No. 273 Squadron RAF operated them for a while though the crews were FAA. Fulmars destroyed 112 enemy aircraft, which made it the leading fighter type, by aircraft shot down, in the Fleet Air Arm during the Second World War. The Fulmar ended its front line operational career on 8 February 1945, when a Fulmar MK II night-fighter from No. 813 Squadron had a landing accident at the safety barrier on HMS "Campania" and was written off [ Brown 1973, p. 41. ] .

Approximately 100 Fulmars were converted to a night-fighter variant, but had limited success in this role.

The Vichy French captured some examples of Fulmar Mk II during wartime for propaganda and evaluation use, and later these were taken over by the Germans.

Some of the early marks of the plane were operated from CAM shipsIreland 2007, p.75. ] .

Variants

*Mk I: First model series, equipped with Rolls-Royce Merlin VIII of 1,035 hp, 250 built.
*Mk II: Prototype, converted from Mk I
*Mk II: As series model, engine Merlin XXX of 1,300 hp, tropicalized, some finished as night fighters, 350 built.

Total production: 600 examples

Operators

;UK
*air force|UK
** No. 273 Squadron RAF

urvivors

The only known survivor is "N1854", the Fulmar prototype (and first production Mk I) at the Fleet Air Arm Museum.

Specifications (Mk II)

aircraft specification

plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop
ref=
crew=Two
length main= 40 ft 2 in
length alt=12.25 m
span main=46 ft 4¼ in
span alt=14.13 m
height main=14 ft 0 in
height alt=4.27 m
area main=342 ft²
area alt=32 m²
empty weight main=7,015 lb
empty weight alt=3,182 kg
loaded weight main=9,672 lb
loaded weight alt=4,387 kg
max takeoff weight main=10,200 lb
max takeoff weight alt=4,627 kg
engine (prop)=Rolls-Royce Merlin 30
type of prop=liquid-cooled inline V-12
number of props=1
power main=1,300 hp
power alt=970 kW
max speed main=272 mph at 7,250 ft
max speed alt=438 km/h at 2,200 m
range main=780 miles
range alt=1,255 km
ceiling main=27,200 ft
ceiling alt=8,300 m
climb rate main=
climb rate alt=
loading main= 28 lb/ft²
loading alt= 137 kg/m²
power/mass main=
power/mass alt=
armament=
*8 x 0.303 in Browning machine guns wing-mounted, and "occasionally" 1 x .303 in Vickers K machine gun in rear cabin
*2 x 100 lb (45 kg) or 250 lb (110 kg) bombs

ee also

aircontent
related=
* Fairey Battle
* Fairey P.4/34

similar aircraft=
* Blackburn Skua
* Fairey Firefly

lists=

see also=
*List of aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Brown, Eric, CBE, DCS, AFC, RN.; Green William and Swanborough, Gordon. "Fairey Fulmar". "Wings of the Navy, Flying Allied Carrier Aircraft of World War Two". London: Jane's Publishing Company, 1980, p. 69–78. ISBN 0-7106-0002-X.
* Brown, David. "Fairey Fulmar Mks I & II, Aircraft Number 254". London: Profile Publications, 1973. No ISBN.
* Bussy, Geoffrey. "Fairey Fulmar, Warpaint Series No.41". Luton, Bedfordshire, UK: Warpaint Books Ltd., 2004. No ISBN.
* Ireland, Bernard. "Aircraft Carriers of the World: An Illustrated A-Z Guide To Over 150 Ships". London: Southwater, 2007. ISBN 978-1844763634.
* Lumsden, Alec. "Number Three: Fairey Fulmar." "Aeroplane Monthly, June 1990".
* Mason, Francis K. "The British Bomber since 1914". London: Putnam Aeronautical Books, 1994. ISBN 0-85177-861-5.
* Mason, Francis K. "The British Fighter since 1912". Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1992. ISBN 1-55750-082-7.
* Ovčáčík, Michal and Susa, Karel. "Fairey Fulmar Mks. I, II, NF Mk. II, TT Mk. II". Prague, Czech Republic: Mark 1 Ltd., 2001. ISBN 80-902559-5-7.
* Scholefield, R.A. "Manchester Airport". Stroud: Sutton Publishing, 1998, p. 35. ISBN 0-7509-1954-X.
* Taylor, John W.R. "Fairey Fulmar." "Combat Aircraft of the World from 1909 to the present". New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1969. ISBN 0-425-03633-2.
* Winchester, Jim. "Fairey Fulmar." "Aircraft of World War II: The Aviation Factfile". Kent, UK: Grange Books plc, 2004. ISBN 1-84013-639-1.

External links

* [http://www.military.cz/british/air/war/fighter/fulmar/fulmar_en.htm Fulmar]
* [http://www.fleetairarmarchive.net/Aircraft/Fulmar.htm Fleet Air arm archive]
* [http://www.britishaircraft.co.uk/aircraftpage.php?ID=62 British Aircraft Directory]