Just two British Gloster F.5-34 monoplane fighters were built in prototype form for Britain prior to World War 2 - the project was eventually abandoned.
The period before World War 2 (1939-1945) was one of advancing agendas and technologies. Many aircraft-makers plied their trade in the hopes of securing potentially lucrative deals with global governments. Gloster Aircraft, a major player in the British aero-industry since its founding in 1917 during World War 1, attempted to sell the British Air Industry on its new single-seat, single-engine monoplane fighter during the late 1930s - the Gloster "F.5/34".
Prior to the commitment to the F.5 project, Gloster had only experience in biplane fighter types. The F.5 was a step in the right direction and provided company engineers with much-needed experience in the nuances of monoplane flight involving a retractable undercarriage, wholly-enclosed cockpit and metal skinning. Henry Folland and H.E. Preston were both credited with its design.
As designed, the F.5/34 would be powered by a single Bristol Mercury IX 9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine of 840 horsepower driving a three-bladed propeller at the nose. The cockpit would be installed just aft of this and the tail unit would incorporated a basic single-rudder, twin-stabilizer arrangement. The undercarriage consisted of a tail-dragger configuration for ground-running. The mainplanes were set well-forward of midships and were straight in their general design with rounded tips. Construction involved both metal alloys and fabric with a Duralumin skinning process used. its external appearance was akin to that of the classic Japanese Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" and the British design may have inspired this famous airplane.
A first-flight was recorded in December of 1937 and a second prototype followed the next year.
The aircraft exhibited a length of 32 feet with a wingspan of 38.1 feet and a height of 10.1 feet. Empty weight was 4,200lb against an MTOW of 5,400lb. Top speed reached 316 miles per hour and the listed service ceiling was 32,500 feet with 20,000 feet of altitude being reached in 11 minutes. Proposed armament was the requested 8 x 7.7mm machine gun fit.
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AIR-TO-AIR COMBAT
General ability to actively engage other aircraft of similar form and function, typically through guns, missiles, and/or aerial rockets.
X-PLANE
Aircraft developed for the role of prototyping, technology demonstration, or research / data collection.
32.0 ft (9.75 meters) Length
38.2 ft (11.65 meters) Width/Span
10.2 ft (3.10 meters) Height
4,189 lb (1,900 kilograms) Empty Weight
5,512 lb (2,500 kilograms) Maximum Take-Off Weight
+1,323 lb (+600 kg) Weight Difference
1 x Bristol Mercury IX 9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine developing 840 horsepower and driving a three-bladed propeller unit at the nose. Propulsion
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