fubar57
General
Ok, so the French weren't the sole proprietors of butt ugly aircraft. The first I've heard of this monstrosity...
Knowing exactly where your enemy is lurking is one of the greatest advantages a military commander can have over his opponent. During World War Two, while the navies of the allies were playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse with their counterparts in the axis navies, this was never more true. Aerial observation played a key role in finding out where the enemy fleet, or single vessels, were stationed, or where they were headed.
In the build up to the war, the Royal Navy put out a brief for a long-range, slow-flying, low-noise aircraft which could be launched from a carrier and could shadow enemy fleets without being detected, and all the while report back their position to their own fleet. Five companies, Percival, Short Brothers, Fairey Aviation, General Aircraft Ltd and Airspeed, took up the challenge and submitted proposals for such aircraft. Of these five designs five were selected for further development, and both General Aircraft and Airspeed got the funding to build two prototypes each.
The design of the Airspeed A.S. 39 Fleet Shadower and the competing aircraft, the General Aircraft Ltd G.A.L 38, were very similar. Both were high-wing, semi-cantilever monoplanes with four engines and a tall, almost helicopter-like fuselage. The layout of the fuselage was in order to provide the observer – who sat up front and had a wide viewing angle through the nose – with quick access and good communication with the radio operator who was sat further back in the fuselage. The pilot sat above on another level.
Powering the Airspeed Fleet Shadower were four small 130 horsepower Pobjoy Niagra V seven-cylinder radial engines. The positioning of the engines maximized propwash over the wings to provide extra lift at low speed. In fact the Airspeed Fleet Shadower had an incredibly low stall speed of just 33 mph. It's maximum speed was just 126 mph. The wings could be folded back for storage aboard the aircraft carrier.
Of the two prototypes ordered, only one was finished. It flew for the first time on October 17 1940. The program had been delayed somewhat due to vibration problems with the engines. During testing it was discovered that the Airspeed Fleet Shadower had stability issues and the underpowered engines led to poor stall handling. The Royal Navy requested Airspeed redesign the aircraft to accommodate two superior Armstrong Whitworth Cheetah XI engines and also add some armament in the form of rear-facing machine guns. Airspeed drew up plans for the upgrades, but before they could begin work the Navy cancelled their request and terminated the program in 1941. Airspeed's competitor, General Aircraft Ltd fared little better, their Fleet Shadower design was cancelled the next year. The main reason for the Navy losing interest in the concept was the fact air-to-surface radar was now available – and in use on the Liberator I – making the necessity for a dedicated fleet observation aircraft obsolete.
Geo
Knowing exactly where your enemy is lurking is one of the greatest advantages a military commander can have over his opponent. During World War Two, while the navies of the allies were playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse with their counterparts in the axis navies, this was never more true. Aerial observation played a key role in finding out where the enemy fleet, or single vessels, were stationed, or where they were headed.
In the build up to the war, the Royal Navy put out a brief for a long-range, slow-flying, low-noise aircraft which could be launched from a carrier and could shadow enemy fleets without being detected, and all the while report back their position to their own fleet. Five companies, Percival, Short Brothers, Fairey Aviation, General Aircraft Ltd and Airspeed, took up the challenge and submitted proposals for such aircraft. Of these five designs five were selected for further development, and both General Aircraft and Airspeed got the funding to build two prototypes each.
The design of the Airspeed A.S. 39 Fleet Shadower and the competing aircraft, the General Aircraft Ltd G.A.L 38, were very similar. Both were high-wing, semi-cantilever monoplanes with four engines and a tall, almost helicopter-like fuselage. The layout of the fuselage was in order to provide the observer – who sat up front and had a wide viewing angle through the nose – with quick access and good communication with the radio operator who was sat further back in the fuselage. The pilot sat above on another level.
Powering the Airspeed Fleet Shadower were four small 130 horsepower Pobjoy Niagra V seven-cylinder radial engines. The positioning of the engines maximized propwash over the wings to provide extra lift at low speed. In fact the Airspeed Fleet Shadower had an incredibly low stall speed of just 33 mph. It's maximum speed was just 126 mph. The wings could be folded back for storage aboard the aircraft carrier.
Of the two prototypes ordered, only one was finished. It flew for the first time on October 17 1940. The program had been delayed somewhat due to vibration problems with the engines. During testing it was discovered that the Airspeed Fleet Shadower had stability issues and the underpowered engines led to poor stall handling. The Royal Navy requested Airspeed redesign the aircraft to accommodate two superior Armstrong Whitworth Cheetah XI engines and also add some armament in the form of rear-facing machine guns. Airspeed drew up plans for the upgrades, but before they could begin work the Navy cancelled their request and terminated the program in 1941. Airspeed's competitor, General Aircraft Ltd fared little better, their Fleet Shadower design was cancelled the next year. The main reason for the Navy losing interest in the concept was the fact air-to-surface radar was now available – and in use on the Liberator I – making the necessity for a dedicated fleet observation aircraft obsolete.
Geo
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