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Hawker Harrier
The Hawker Harrier was an experimental biplane torpedo bomber aircraft built by Hawker Aircraft to a specification issued in the 1920s for the RAF.
Development
In Template:Avyear, the British air ministry laid down specifications for a high altitude bomber to replace the Hawker Horsley and for a coastal torpedo bomber (Specifications 23/25 and 24/25). As these specifications were similar, the Air Ministry announced that a single competition would be held to study aircraft submitted for both specifications.[1]
Sydney Camm of Hawker Aircraft designed the Harrier to meet the requirements of Specification 23/25, with the prototype (J8325) first flying in February Template:Avyear, the first of the competitors to the two specifications to .[1] The Harrier was a two seat biplane with single bay wings powered by a geared Bristol Jupiter VIII. It was armed with one .303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine gun and one .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis gun carrying a maximum of 1,000 lb (454 kg) of bombs.[2]
The prototype Harrier was tested at the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment (A & AEE) at Martlesham Heath in November 1927, where, while it met the requirements of Specification 23/25, and had satisfactory handling, the geared engine meant that it was underpowered,[2] and it had an inferior bombload to the Hawker Horsley, the aircraft it was meant to replace.[1] It was therefore modified to carry a torpedo. On testing the modified aircraft, however, it was found to still be underpowered, being incapable of taking off with torpedo, gunner and a full fuel load.[1] It was therefore not considered further, the competition ultimately being won by the Vickers Vildebeest.[3]
The prototype was used by Bristol as an engine testbed, flying with the 870 hp (649 kW) Bristol Hydra and the 495 hp Bristol Orion engines.[1]
Specifications (Harrier (Bomber))
Data from Mason, The British Bomber since 1914 [1]
General characteristics
- Crew: Two
- Length: 29 ft 7 in (9.02 m)
- Wingspan: 46 ft 3 in (14.10 m)
- Height: 13 ft 4 in (4.07 m)
- Wing area: 497 ft² (46.2 m²)
- Empty weight: 3,278 lb (1,490 kg)
- Loaded weight: 5,656 lb (2,561 kg)
- Powerplant: 1× Bristol Jupiter VIII nine cylinder radial engine, 583 hp (435 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 117 kn (135 mph, 217 km/h)
- Service ceiling: 20,000 ft (6,100 m)
- Wing loading: 11.4 lb/ft² (55.4 kg/m²)
- Power/mass: 0.103 hp/lb (0.170 kW/kg)
- Climb to 10,000 ft (3050 m): 18 min 30 sec
Armament
See also
Comparable aircraft
Lists relating to aviation | |
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| Records | Flight airspeed record · Flight distance record · Flight altitude record · Flight endurance record · Most produced aircraft |
References
- Lewis, Peter (1980). The British Bomber since 1914, Third edition, London: Putnam. ISBN 0 370 30265 6.
- Mason, Francis K (1994). The British Bomber since 1914. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books. ISBN 0 85177 861 5.
External links
Template:Hawker Aircraft aircraft
Lists relating to aviation | |
|---|---|
| General | Timeline of aviation · Aircraft · Aircraft manufacturers · Aircraft engines · Aircraft engine manufacturers · Airports · Airlines |
| Military | Air forces · Aircraft weapons · Missiles · Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) · Experimental aircraft |
| Notable incidents and accidents | Military aviation · Airliners · General aviation · Famous aviation-related deaths |
| Records | Flight airspeed record · Flight distance record · Flight altitude record · Flight endurance record · Most produced aircraft |
| This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Hawker Harrier". |
