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You are thinking of the SCR-522 VHF set and the first airborne microwave radars. In both cases I think the Brits gave up on building those themselves when they saw how fast we could make them. But those were not the radios those carriers would have used.
Yes, and many British trainer aircraft had no radios of any kind. They even sent large flights of trainer aircraft overseas with only the lead aircraft equipped with a radio.RDF/ADF and HF comms were becoming necessary in the US because of the distances traveled
Go Grumman!I worked on a Tracker off and on for a couple of years and should know what that extra linkage is for but cannot for the life of me think what it is.
I do remember that there were a set of interlocks that prevented the flaps being lowered when the wing was unlocked or folded and it may be part of that but I am far from happy with that being what it is. I will try and remember - I gave away my S2F manuals over 25 years ago but cannot remember who to.
As an aside you may have noticed that the Tracker fin has two rudders, one behind the other. The aft one is the actual rudder. I cannot remember the name of the front one but it was connected to the engine torque metering system so that if the aircraft had an engine failure when stooging along just above sea level this provided instant automatic rudder "trim" to counteract the swing before the wing tip dipped in the water.
I loved the way you can manoeuvre the aircraft on the ground by pulling the tail down until the nose wheels just clear the ground and then rotate the aircraft.
View attachment 792026
HiYes, and many British trainer aircraft had no radios of any kind. They even sent large flights of trainer aircraft overseas with only the lead aircraft equipped with a radio.
Many of the RAF fighters in the BoB had not VHF sets but battery powered short range HF sets.
When the British brought the secret of the high power magnetron to the US they initially were rather skeptical of the US enthusiasm for the development. But one month after the British revealed the magnetron the US knew everything the British did about radar. A month after that the new factory for the new airborne radar set had been completed. And a month after that the factory was in full production. The British decided it was pointless to build the sets themselves, although later realized if they did not build at least a few they would forget how.
The US developed a very sophisticated IFF called the BC-645, operating on 400 MHZ frequencies and even allowing aircraft to interrogate each other. The RAF refused to adopt that system; they already had one that worked and the change over would be a significant effort. So after the war that equipment became surplus.View attachment 792063View attachment 792062
Yes, and many British trainer aircraft had no radios of any kind. They even sent large flights of trainer aircraft overseas with only the lead aircraft equipped with a radio.
Many of the RAF fighters in the BoB had not VHF sets but battery powered short range HF sets.
Bill Gunston's book on night fighters. I was referring to airborne night fighter intercept radars, not air to surface radars.What source are you using for this info?
Still less than the weight of the Fulmar's second crewman, seat and overall larger size. Put the Fulmar's Merlin into a folding wing Sea Hurricane with optional underwing tanks and see how it goes. Because that's the bar our folding-wing Hurricane needs to be measured against - does it: fly and climb faster; does it have greater agility; does it cost less to man, produce and maintain; than the Fulmar that entered service in 1940. Yes, the Fulmar carries more internal fuel for longer range and reduces the pilot's workload re. navigation and locating its aircraft carrier, but internal or external tanks can be added to the folding Sea Hurricane, and everyone else's single seat carrier fighter can navigate to its carrier well enough.Manual wing fold would add ~200lb or more.
That was an informed guesstimate. On the F4F/Martlet wing folding added about 450 lbs. On the Seafire it was somewhat less, IIRC at around 200lb.Still less than the weight of the Fulmar's second crewman, seat and overall larger size. Put the Fulmar's Merlin into a folding wing Sea Hurricane with optional underwing tanks and see how it goes. Because that's the bar our folding-wing Hurricane needs to be measured against - does it: fly and climb faster; does it have greater agility; does it cost less to man, produce and maintain; than the Fulmar that entered service in 1940. Yes, the Fulmar carries more internal fuel for longer range and reduces the pilot's workload re. navigation and locating its aircraft carrier, but internal or external tanks can be added to the folding Sea Hurricane, and everyone else's single seat carrier fighter can navigate to its carrier well enough.
The Sea Hurricane weighed about 5,500 lbs. (empty), with a maximum takeoff weight of approximately 8,500 lbs. The Fairey Fulmar had an empty weight of 7,015 lb. and a max of 10,200 lb. This suggests that give the same powerplants, that a folding Sea Hurricane would still be significantly lighter than the Fulmar, and that in hindsight it makes more sense to skip the Fulmar entirely and to replace the Nimrod and Sea Gladiator with folding Sea Hurricanes in time to enter service in 1939. We can tell Sir Fairey to focus instead on making a better replacement for the Swordfish.Seafire____adding the wing fold ability increased the weight by 126/130 lbs (early/late) depending on the Mods incorporated
F4F-4_____adding the wing fold ability increased the weight by 225 lbs
I don't pretend to know what the weight of a single seat Fulmar would be but its worth thinking about as the Fulmar had far more ammunition and a much better range. I am not suggesting that it would match the performance on the Sea Hurricane, but if it wasn't much difference, it might be worth it.The Sea Hurricane weighed about 5,500 lbs. (empty), with a maximum takeoff weight of approximately 8,500 lbs. The Fairey Fulmar had an empty weight of 7,015 lb. and a max of 10,200 lb. This suggests that give the same powerplants, that a folding Sea Hurricane would still be significantly lighter than the Fulmar, and that in hindsight it makes more sense to skip the Fulmar entirely and to replace the Nimrod and Sea Gladiator with folding Sea Hurricanes in time to enter service in 1939. We can tell Sir Fairey to focus instead on making a better replacement for the Swordfish.
You have to change the spec.The Sea Hurricane weighed about 5,500 lbs. (empty), with a maximum takeoff weight of approximately 8,500 lbs. The Fairey Fulmar had an empty weight of 7,015 lb. and a max of 10,200 lb. This suggests that give the same powerplants, that a folding Sea Hurricane would still be significantly lighter than the Fulmar, and that in hindsight it makes more sense to skip the Fulmar entirely and to replace the Nimrod and Sea Gladiator with folding Sea Hurricanes in time to enter service in 1939. We can tell Sir Fairey to focus instead on making a better replacement for the Swordfish.
I based my F4F estimate on the weight difference between the F4F-3 (7556lb) and -4 (7975lb) and FM1 (8050lb) according to SAC data.Seafire____adding the wing fold ability increased the weight by 126/130 lbs (early/late) depending on the Mods incorporated
F4F-4_____adding the wing fold ability increased the weight by 225 lbs
So did the British, where the R in the Fairey Swordfish TSR and its predecessor, the Blackburn Shark TSR, and its successors the Fairey Albacore TSR and Barracuda TSR is for Recon (TSR = torpedo/spotter/reconnaissance).The Japanese would use the torpedo bombers as recon planes