Ad: This forum contains affiliate links to products on Amazon and eBay. More information in Terms and rules
Well the choices might open up if Bristol avoids the love affair with sleeve valves with (crudely speaking) a double row Mercury and a double row Pegasus. Thus a 1,700bhp and a 2,200bhp radial. Double rowing 4 valve headed motor can't be worse than developing sleeve valves.
I wouldn't fancy flying one of those against a Bf 109 E.
The A&AEE's February 1939 report on the type gives a long list of problems which needed fixing. A substitute Spitfire it most definitely was not.
Cheers
Steve
None of these will be Spitfire alternatives. Probably not even Hurricane alternatives.
On a different tack; what is that mock up in front of the Bristol Type 159 mock up above?
Gloster was bought by Hawker in 1934, with Gauntlet production in full swing and Gladiator work continuing. Gloster began production of Hurricanes in 1938 at Brockworth to a contract for 500, Brockworth also receiving a contract to build 350 Hawker Henleys, later reduced to 200 in 1938. At Brockworth, continued production of Hurri I and IIs spanned from 1938 through to 1941. Not really much space to build anything else once contracts for Hurricanes start arriving in 1938. Gloster twin F.9/37, originally F.34/35, was promising, but powered by either two Taurus or Peregrines; not much future with either, besides, had it been put into production, what would Gloster not build in order to accommodate it? From late 37 - 38 on it was committed already to Gladiator production and was about to receive contracts to build Hurricanes, in the scheme of things more important in the long run. The Gloster twin also couldn't match the Mosquito in terms of performance and with the Beaufighter also, it really was going nowhere.
I very much agree with your timeline, bar the 'fortunately that NF version didn't go ahead' part.
The Reaper with Merlins would be head and shoulders above night fighter Beaufighter. It would have had easier time to survive in daylight when enemy can throw fighters in. And at least as good as NF Mossie; with no NF duty to do, more Mossies would be produced as bombers.
Don't know about the jet running too late either. Eg. task Westland to design the jet fighter (instead of designing the Welkin), and/or Supermarine for same job (no Spiteful), plus task Bristol to make a jet bomber (no Buckingham and it's derivatives).
Don't know about the jet running too late either. Eg. task Westland to design the jet fighter (instead of designing the Welkin), and/or Supermarine for same job (no Spiteful), plus task Bristol to make a jet bomber (no Buckingham and it's derivatives).
Never said: let Supermarine start the design of a jet fighter in the time they started Spiteful. I was thinking along these lines: instead of Gloster, invite other people to design a jet aircraft. With Supermarine building a jet fighter, the historic Spiteful is not built.