Vickers Type 143 (Bolivian Scout)

Biplane Fighter Aircraft [ 1930 ]

Six Vickers Type 143 biplane fighters were built by Vickers Limited for service with the Bolivian Air Force.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 03/19/2019 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

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By the end of the 1920s, Bolivia was in need of modern aircraft as a deterrent against neighboring Paraguay - embroiled in a growing border dispute. It contracted the British Vickers aircraft company for six fighters based on the earlier Type 141, itself forged from the single-seat, single-engine Type 123. the Type 123 became a biplane fighter existing as a single prototype and managed a first-flight on September 11th, 1926. While the Type 123 went nowhere, the Type 141 was realized when the original Hispano-Suiza T52 400 horsepower engine was replaced with a Rolls-Royce F.Xi series of 480 horsepower in 1927. This design failed to net British interest during a formal competition in early 1928, was modified for carrier trials in 1929 and ultimately scrapped in 1930.

With the Type 141 as the starting point, the Type 143 "Bolivian Scout" was born for Bolivian service. The Rolls-Royce engine was superseded by the Bristol Jupiter VIA line of 450 horsepower, an engine already in the logistical pipeline of the Bolivian and the aircraft had its structure reinforced for rough-field operations. It retained the single-bay biplane wing arrangement. The pilot sat in an open-air cockpit and the undercarriage was fixed in place. A first-flight of this form was witnessed on November 26th, 1929.

The lot of six aircraft made their way to Bolivia but conditions there were such that only three were available for frontline service in the ensuring Chaco War. These gave good service for their time in the air until replaced by more modern types. On the whole, they were well-received by pilots.

The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of Britain trialed one example of the Vickers design, as the Type 177 (Specification N.21/26 of 1926), but did not exercise serial production. The revised model was given a four-bladed propeller, Jupiter XF engine and improved steering. A first-flight was recorded on November 26th,1929.

Performance specs for the Type 143 fighter included a maximum speed of 150 miles per hour and a service ceiling up to 20,000 feet from the Jupiter VIA air-cooled engine. It carried 2 x 7.7mm Vickers air-cooled machine guns as primary armament.©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

Service Year

1930

Origin

United Kingdom

Status

RETIRED
Not in Service.

Crew

1

Production

6
UNITS

Vickers Limited - UK

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

Bolivia; United Kingdom (evaluated)

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Air-to-Air Combat, Fighter
General ability to actively engage other aircraft of similar form and function, typically through guns, missiles, and/or aerial rockets.

Length

27.9 ft
(8.50 m)

Width/Span

34.0 ft
(10.35 m)

Height

11.3 ft
(3.45 m)

Empty Wgt

2,249 lb
(1,020 kg)

MTOW

3,120 lb
(1,415 kg)

Wgt Diff

+871 lb
(+395 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the Vickers Type 143 production variant)

Installed: 1 x Bristol Jupiter VIA 9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine developing 450 horsepower.

Max Speed

149 mph
(240 kph | 130 kts)

Ceiling

20,013 ft
(6,100 m | 4 mi)

Rate-of-Climb

1,310 ft/min
(399 m/min)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the Vickers Type 143 production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)

2 x 0.303 in Vickers air-cooled machine guns in fixed, forward-firing mountings over nose, synchronized to fire through the spinning propeller blades.

Supported Types

Graphical image of an aircraft medium machine gun

(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)

Hardpoint Mountings: 0

Type 143 - Base Series Designation; fitted with Bristol Jupiter VIA engine of 450 horsepower; delivery of six to Bolivia.

Type 177 - Navy prototype fighter for the British Fleet Air Arm (FAA); fitted with Bristol Jupiter XFS engine of 540 horsepower; not adopted.

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Images Gallery

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Image of the Vickers Type 143 (Bolivian Scout)

Image from the Public Domain.

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