https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloster_Gladiator
The Gloster Gladiator (or Gloster SS.37) was a British-built biplane fighter. It
was used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) (as the Sea
Gladiator variant) and was exported to a number of other air forces during the
late 1930s. It was the RAF's last biplane fighter aircraft and was rendered
obsolete by newer monoplane designs even as it was being introduced. Though
often pitted against more formidable foes during the early days of the Second
World War, it acquitted itself reasonably well in combat.
The Gladiator saw action in almost all theatres during the Second World War,
with a large number of air forces, some of them on the Axis side. The RAF used
it in France, Norway, Greece, the defence of Malta, the Middle East, and the
brief Anglo-Iraqi War (during which the Royal Iraqi Air Force was similarly
equipped). Other countries deploying the Gladiator included China against Japan,
beginning in 1938; Finland (along with Swedish volunteers) against the Soviet
Union in the Winter War and the Continuation War; Sweden as a neutral
non-combatant (although Swedish volunteers fought for Finland against USSR as
stated above); and Norway, Belgium, and Greece resisting Axis invasion of their
respective lands.
The South African pilot Marmaduke "Pat" Pattle was the top Gladiator ace with 15
victories with the type.
During the 1920s, Britain's air defences had been based around interceptor
aircraft capable of flying only for short ranges and at speeds of 150-200 MPH;
however, by 1930, figures within the Air Ministry were keen to supersede these
aircraft. In particular, there had been some dissatisfaction with the level of
reliability experienced with the 'one pilot, two machine guns' design formula
previously used, the guns often prone to jams and being unreliable.
Gloster recognised that, instead of developing an all-new design from scratch,
the existing Gauntlet fighter could be used as a basis for a contender to meet
Specification F.7/30 instead. Development of what would become the Gladiator
began as a private venture, internally designated as the SS.37, at Gloster by a
design team headed by H.P. Folland. Folland soon identified various changes to
increase the aircraft's suitability to conform with the demands of the
specification. Making use of wing design techniques developed by Hawker
Aircraft, the new fighter adopted single-bay wings in place of the two-bay wings
of the Gauntlet, two pairs of interplane struts were also dispensed with as a
drag-reduction measure. The Bristol Mercury M.E.30 radial engine, capable of
generating 700 hp (520 kW), was selected to power the SS.37, which provided a
performance boost over the preceding Gauntlet. Another design choice was the
fitting of a cantilever main undercarriage which incorporated Dowty
internally-sprung wheel struts.
The Gladiator was to be the last British biplane fighter to be manufactured, and
the first to feature an enclosed cockpit. It possessed a top speed of about 257
mph (414 km/h; 223 kn) yet, even as the Gladiator was introduced, it was already
being eclipsed by new-generation monoplane fighters, such as the RAF Hawker
Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire, and the Luftwaffe Messerschmitt Bf 109. A
total of 747 aircraft were built (483 RAF, 98 RN); 216 were exported to 13
countries, some of these were from the total allotted to the RAF. Gladiators
were sold to Belgium, China, Egypt, Finland, Free France, Greece, Iraq, Ireland,
Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Portugal, South Africa and Sweden.
Role
Fighter
Manufacturer
Gloster Aircraft Company, Ltd.
Designer
Henry Phillip Folland
First flight
12 September 1934
Introduction
23 February 1937
Retired
1953 (Portugal)
Primary users
Royal Air Force
Fleet Air Arm
Chinese Nationalist Air Force
Finnish Air Force
Norwegian Army Air Service
Number built
747
Developed from
Gloster Gauntlet
During 1938, the RAF had begun to receive its first deliveries of the Hurricane
and Spitfire monoplanes; an emphasis was soon placed on quickly reequipping half
of the Gladiator squadrons with either of these monoplane types. By the outbreak
of the Second World War, the Gladiator had largely been replaced by the
Hurricane and Spitfire in frontline RAF service. The introduction of these
aircraft had been eased by the presence of the Gladiator, squadrons that had
operated Gladiators prior to converting to the monoplane types experienced a
noticeably improved accident record than those who converted from older types
such as the Gauntlet. Experiences such as operating the Gladiator's landing
flaps and familiarisation with its sliding hood have been attributed as having
favourably impacted pilot conversion.
Although it had been displaced for the most part from home defence of the
British isles, a need to defend Britain's trade routes throughout the overseas
territories of the British Empire had been recognised, thus the RAF redeployed
many of its Gladiators to the Middle East to defend the theatre and the crucial
Suez Canal. The Gladiator would see considerable action during early stages of
the war, including participating in the action in the French and Norwegian
campaigns, in addition to various peripheral campaigns.
Specifications (Gloster Gladiator Mk I)
General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 27 ft 5 in (8.36 m)
Wingspan: 32 ft 3 in (9.83 m)
Height: 11 ft 9 in (3.58 m)
Wing area: 323 ft2 (30.0 m2)
Empty weight: 3,217 lb (1,462 kg)
Loaded weight: 4,594 lb (2,088 kg)
Performance
Maximum speed: 253 mph (220 knots, 407 km/h) at 14,500 ft (4,400 m)
Cruise speed: 210 mph
Stall speed: 53 mph (46 knots, 85 km/h)
Endurance: 2 hours
Service ceiling: 32,800 ft (10,000 m)
Rate of climb: 2,300 ft/min (11.7 m/s)
Climb to 10,000 ft (3,050 m): 4.75 min
Armament
Guns:
Initially; Two synchronised .303 in Vickers machine guns in fuselage sides, two
.303 in Lewis machine guns; one beneath each lower wing.
Later aircraft; Four .303 calibre M1919 Browning machine guns; two synchronised
guns in fuselage sides and one beneath each lower wing.
In at least some Sea Gladiators, provision existed for a pair of Brownings to be
fitted under the upper wings as well, bringing the total to six. Official
service release trials were not completed before the Sea Gladiators were
the field, in particular in Malta
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