Blackburn B.44

Floatplane Fighter Prototype

United Kingdom | 1942

"The Blackburn B.44 was proposed as a single-seat, single-engine floatplane fighter during World War 2 - it was not furthered."

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Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 06/14/2018 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

For a time in military aviation history there was a particular focus on the "floatplane fighter", an offensive-minded attack design that attempted to maintain the best qualities of a floatplane (sea-based landings and take-offs, operational range) and a fighter (stable gun platform, general performance, maneuverability). In November 1942, with World War 2 already raging, the British Air Ministry developed Specification N.2/42 for this very type of combat aircraft and Blackburn delivered what became the "B.44".

In its earlier B.20 and B.40 projects, both of which were flying boats, the company centered the designs on a retractable hull which could be lowered for landing and raised when flying, thus improving aerodynamic efficiency in the latter action. The concept was proven somewhat through the B.20 prototype (detailed elsewhere on this site) but this aircraft was lost in testing (killing three of its six crew). The B.40 was not developed beyond drawings as interest in the type soon waned on the part of the Royal Air Force (RAF).

The same concept was now driven through a single-seat, single-engine fighter design which could operate near the frontlines in areas where there were next-to-now support systems available - namely wide expanses of ocean where small islands (either natural or man-made) were all that could be had.

Two prototypes were ordered by the Air Ministry and these would be powered by the Napier "Sabre" engine outputting 2,240 horsepower and driving a pair of three-bladed, contra-rotating propellers at the nose. To expedite development, much of the existing work done on the Blackburn Firebrand land-based fighter (detailed elsewhere on this site) was used in constructing the B.44 floatplane fighter. The basic airframe was to have low-set monoplane wings seated ahead of midships. The engine would be positioned at front in the traditional way and the tail would be made up of a single vertical fin and low-mounted, forward-set horizontal stabilizers. As the boat-like hull was built into the fuselage's design (supported / retracted by a system of struts) no complex landing gear arrangement was needed. Two outboard (folding) pontoons were set near the ends of each wing for stability when running on the water's surface. The pilot sat under a framed canopy ahead of midships with the fuselage spine running directly behind his position, the extra internal volume adding fuel stores for longer operation ranges. Armament centered on 4 x 20mm automatic cannons (two fitted to each wing) and provision was to be made for carrying 2 x 500lb drop bombs under the wings.

As the war progressed, and economically-minded "Escort Carriers" proved viable warships for carrying warplanes to-and-fro, the need for the B.44 lessened. Additionally, proven in the actions of the Pacific Theater, the Allies were able to construct air bases at speed in areas where it was not thought possible - providing forward operating areas for future assaults or assault support in general. As such, the B.44 was abandoned after only a full-scale mockup had been completed.

Of particular note in the development of the B.44 floatplane fighter is the lack of faith had by RAF officials in the design with concerns ranging from on-water stability and water spray at the engine and propeller components to general control factors when in flight. The work on the B.44 was not even publicized until the post-war period in 1947.

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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 Blackburn B.44 Floatplane Fighter Prototype.

1 x Napier Sabre IV liquid-cooled inline piston engine developing 2,240 horsepower driving 2 x three-bladed propeller units at the nose in contra-rotating fashion.
Propulsion

360 mph
580 kph | 313 kts
Max Speed

38,009 ft
11,585 m | 7 miles
Service Ceiling

2,000 ft/min
610 m/min
Rate-of-Climb

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Blackburn B.44 Floatplane Fighter Prototype.

1
(MANNED)
Crew

39.4 ft
12.00 m
O/A Length

50.0 ft
(15.25 m)
O/A Width

13,999 lb
(6,350 kg)
MTOW

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Blackburn B.44 Floatplane Fighter Prototype .

PROPOSED:
4 x 20mm cannons (two per wing mainplane).

A bombload of up to 2 x 500lb conventional drop bombs, one hardpoint per wing.

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Blackburn B.44 family line.

B.44 - Base Project Designation; cancelled; full-scale prototype completed.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Blackburn B.44. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 0 Units
Contractor(s): Blackburn Aircraft - UK

[ United Kingdom (cancelled) ]

1 / 1

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Going Further...
The Blackburn B.44 Floatplane Fighter Prototype appears in the following collections:

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