Armstrong Whitworth F.K.8

Multirole Biplane Aircraft (1917)

Aviation / Aerospace

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The Armstrong Whitworth FK.8 proved to be a highly versatile platform, taking on a variety of sortie types throughout its service life.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 01/12/2018 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

The Armstrong Whitworth F.K.8 model series was a biplane aircraft conceived of by aircraft designer and Dutch national Frederick Koolhoven. The aircraft ended as a most versatile platform and saw considerable service during World War 1, proving quite popular with its aircrews. The F.K.8 went on to see production numbers exceed 1,600 and no fewer than 22 British squadrons (including training) equipped with the type. Additional operators included Australia (post-war QANTAS), Paraguay and the Kingdom of Hejas (a part of modern-day Saudi Arabia).

The F.K.8 was of a basic biplane configuration utilizing an upper and lower wing arrangement joined by struts ad cabling. The F.K.8 was intended to supersede the capabilities of the preceding F.K.3 marks as a more powerful and robust improved form (indeed the F.K.8 was something of a scaled-up F.K.3). It retained a twin-seat configuration with the crew seated in tandem, the pilot in a front open-air cockpit and the observer/gunner in the rear cockpit. Armament consisted of a single fixed, forward-firing 7.7mm Vickers machine gun for the pilot and a single (or dual) 7.7mm Lewis machine gun on a trainable mounting in the rear cockpit. Provision was added for bombs (up to 260lbs) which made up the light bombing aspect of the F.K.8. Power was derived from a Beardmore 6-cylinder inline piston engine supplying up to 160 horsepower providing for a maximum speed of 95 miles per hour, a service ceiling of 13,000 feet and an endurance time of 3 hours.

The versatility of the FK.8 shown through the variety of sorties the platform was put through. These included both day and night bombing runs, ground attack, close-support, sustained patrol and aerial reconnaissance/scouting. The FK.8 would see combat action through to the end of the war in November of 1918.

During her flying career, the F.K.8 came to be known as "The Big Ack" or, in some circles, as the "Big AW" (alluding to manufacturer "Armstrong Whitworth" whose initials adorned the side of the forward fuselage).

Specifications

Service Year

1917

Origin

United Kingdom

Status

RETIRED
Not in Service.

Crew

2

Production

1,650
UNITS

Armstrong Whitworth - UK

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

National flag of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Australia (post-war); Kingdom of Hejaz (Saudi Arabia); Paraguay; United Kingdom

(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.

✓ Ground Attack (Bombing, Strafing)
Ability to conduct aerial bombing of ground targets by way of (but not limited to) guns, bombs, missiles, rockets, and the like.

✓ Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance (ISR), Scout
Surveil ground targets / target areas to assess environmental threat levels, enemy strength, or enemy movement.

Length

31.4 ft
(9.58 m)

Width/Span

43.5 ft
(13.26 m)

Height

10.9 ft
(3.33 m)

Empty Wgt

1,918 lb
(870 kg)

MTOW

2,811 lb
(1,275 kg)

Wgt Diff

+893 lb
(+405 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the base Armstrong Whitworth F.K.8 production variant)

Installed: 1 x Beardmore inline piston engine developing 160 horsepower.

Max Speed

95 mph
(153 kph | 83 kts)

Ceiling

12,106 ft
(3,690 m | 2 mi)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base Armstrong Whitworth F.K.8 production variant. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database. View aircraft by powerplant type)

STANDARD:
1 x 7.62mm Vickers fixed, forward-firing machine gun.
1 x 7.62mm Lewis machine gun on trainable mount in rear cockpit.

OPTIONAL:
Up to 260lb of conventional drop ordnance.

Supported Types

Graphical image of an aircraft medium machine gun

Graphical image of an aircraft conventional drop bomb munition

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

Hardpoint Mountings: 4

FK.3 - Preceding Model to which the FK.8 replaced.

FK.8 - Base Series Model Designation

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