Bristol Jupiter

Biplane Fighter Prototype / Advanced Trainer Aircraft

United Kingdom | 1924

"A mating of the Bristol F.2B biplane fighter with the Bristol Jupiter engine resulted in the short-lived Bristol Jupiter advanced trainer platform."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 02/14/2022 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

The Bristol F.2 biplane fighter of World War 1 (1914-1918) was combined with a Bristol "Jupiter" series engine to produce the Bristol Jupiter design of 1924. The original form appeared back in 1916 and was produced across 5,329 total examples and served with the Royal Flying Corps and Polish Air Force among others. The move to the Jupiter powerplant was an attempt by Bristol Aeroplane to produce a speedier biplane fighter without requiring a completely new design - however it proved rather underwhelming in the intended role and only 26 of the type were produced in all. The aircraft was therefore relegated to the advanced trainer role in British service and served for a time with the Swedish Air Force as well - making Sweden the only foreign operator.

The design was set around the Jupiter IV series engine of 425 horsepower output. The prototype was born from the existing F.2 post-war aircraft stock to which three examples were pulled aside for modification. The first form became Type 76 which recorded its first flight during June of 1923 and this was followed by Type 76A which installed a bi-fuel Jupiter engine. The first prototype crashed in November following an engine failure at high altitude. Type 76B marked the third prototype which was purchased, evaluated and flown by the Swedish Air Force. This variant recorded its first-flight in 1924 and managed a career into 1935.

When the Type 76 failed to showcase itself as a viable fighter mount (it lacked the range and performance required), thought was given to progressing the nearly finalized design as a dual-control, twin-seat advanced biplane trainer. This led to development of the Type 89 from the earlier Type 76A offering and nine production models followed before the switch was made to the Type 89A mark - a modified version with revised fuselage construction. Fifteen of this model were produced.

As trainers for the British, the Type 89 flew into 1933 before being given up.

Structurally, the aircraft exhibited a length of 25 feet with a wingspan of 39.2 feet and height of 9 feet. Empty weight was 2,325lb against a MTOW of 3,250lb.

Performance-wise, the biplane (Type 89) could make speeds of 110 miles per hour, cruise around 95 miles per hour and reach out to ranges of 340 miles. Its listed service ceiling was 22,150 feet. The Bristol Jupiter IV engine was a 9-cylinder, single row radial unit outputting 320 horsepower.

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Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Bristol Type 89 (Jupiter) Biplane Fighter Prototype / Advanced Trainer Aircraft.

1 x Bristol Jupiter IV 9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine of 320 horsepower driving a two-bladed propeller unit at the nose.
Propulsion

110 mph
177 kph | 96 kts
Max Speed

22,146 ft
6,750 m | 4 miles
Service Ceiling

360 miles
580 km | 313 nm
Operational Range

City-to-City Ranges
Operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).

NYC

LON

PAR

BER

MOS

TOK

SYD

LAX

NYC

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Bristol Type 89 (Jupiter) Biplane Fighter Prototype / Advanced Trainer Aircraft.

2
(MANNED)
Crew

25.0 ft
7.62 m
O/A Length

39.3 ft
(11.97 m)
O/A Width

9.0 ft
(2.75 m)
O/A Height

2,337 lb
(1,060 kg)
Empty Weight

3,263 lb
(1,480 kg)
MTOW

Design Balance
The three qualities reflected below are altitude, speed, and range. The more full the box, the more balanced the design.

RANGE

ALT

SPEED

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Bristol Jupiter family line.

"Jupiter" - Base Series Name

Type 76 - Original prototype; single example completed.

Type 76A - Prototype with bi-fuel Jupiter engine installation; becoming Type 89 design.

Type 76B ("Swedish Fighter") - Evaluation fighter for Swedish Air Force usage; single example.

Type 89 - Twin-seat, dual-control trainer variant; nine examples built based on Type 76A.

Type 89A - Revised fuselage construction; fifteen examples completed.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Bristol Jupiter. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 26 Units
Contractor(s): Bristol Aeroplane Company - United Kingdom

[ Sweden; United Kingdom ]

Relative Max Speed

Hi: 120mph

Lo: 60mph

Aircraft Max Listed Speed (110mph).

Graph Average of 90 MPH.

Era Crossover

Showcasing Aircraft Era Crossover (if any)

Max Alt Visualization

Production Comparison

26

36183

44000

Entry compared against Ilyushin IL-2 (military) and Cessna 172 (civilian) total production.

MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

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Aviation Timeline

EarlyYrs

WWI

Interwar

WWII

ColdWar

Postwar

Modern

Future

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Image from the Public Domain.

Mission Roles
Some designs are single-minded in their approach while others offer a more versatile solution to airborne requirements.

AIR-TO-AIR COMBAT

X-PLANE

TRAINING

Recognition
Some designs stand the test of time while others are doomed to never advance beyond the drawing board; let history be their judge.

Military lapel ribbon for the Golden Age of Flight

Similar
Developments of similar form-and-function, or related, to the Bristol Jupiter Biplane Fighter Prototype / Advanced Trainer Aircraft.

Bristol F.2

Going Further...
The Bristol Jupiter Biplane Fighter Prototype / Advanced Trainer Aircraft appears in the following collections:

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