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Good question. Since the conditions are so emens different but the budget is tiny, wasnt it to be a jack of all trades, but a champion of nothing to begin with?? What tade off's were made?The Fokker D.XXI fighter was designed in 1935 by Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker in response to requirements laid out by the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force Fokker D.XXI - Wikipedia
While clearly nothing was made, did the British ever conceive of an Empire fighter? Perhaps something with fixed undercarriage (intended for rough-field operations and ease of maintenance) like the D.XXI or FMA Curtiss Hawk 75O?
The fixed undercarriage and simpler poppet-valve radial engine, for starters. Interestingly, rotary-powered Bristol M.1 aside, the British themselves did not operate a single-seat, monoplane, radial-powered fighter until the Centaurus-powered Tempest of 1944. I don't want to go into a deep dive on the Gloster F5/34 as it was intended to be a first-rate home defence fighter. I suppose the ideal option as far as robustness, maintenance and cost is the Gloster Gladiator, but it was not intended as an Empire fighter.What trade off's were made?
No.The Fokker D.XXI fighter was designed in 1935 by Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker in response to requirements laid out by the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force Fokker D.XXI - Wikipedia
While clearly nothing was made, did the British ever conceive of an Empire fighter? Perhaps something with fixed undercarriage (intended for rough-field operations and ease of maintenance) like the D.XXI or FMA Curtiss Hawk 75O?
Was an Empire fighter a good idea? You want maximum performance in your fighter aircraft unless you are absolutely confident in your enemy's incompetence. A small number of good aircraft might be better than lots of cheap, crappy aircraft out in the colonies. As we all know, the Japanese wore coke bottle bottom glasses, and they did not know how to fly.The Fokker D.XXI fighter was designed in 1935 by Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker in response to requirements laid out by the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force Fokker D.XXI - Wikipedia
While clearly nothing was made, did the British ever conceive of an Empire fighter? Perhaps something with fixed undercarriage (intended for rough-field operations and ease of maintenance) like the D.XXI or FMA Curtiss Hawk 75O?
No, I'd say it is not. But as it was, IIRC the Empire east of Suez had no fighters whatsoever until the Buffaloes begin arriving in 1941.Was an Empire fighter a good idea?
Building contemporary aircraft in the dominions and colonies was a good idea, and they did it. Canadian Car and Foundry manufactured Hawker Hurricanes, from scratch as far as I can tell. de Havilland made Mosquitoes in both Canada and Australia. Lancasters were made in Canada, and Beaufighters in Australia. These were up to date aircraft, except for the Hurricanes.No, I'd say it is not. But as it was, IIRC the Empire east of Suez had no fighters whatsoever until the Buffaloes begin arriving in 1941.
However, we could achieve the benefits of a Empire fighter program (reduced cost, less strain on limited design/production capacity and resources) without dramatically sacrificing performance by making CKD (complete knock-down) aircraft and shipping them to the Empire to assemble. Eventually the local plants will gain the experience to manufacture some elements. For example, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in Bangalore was producing P-36 and A-31s by 1942.
Actually there was not a lot of work involved in assembling aircraft in a warzone in WW2 compared to actually constructing it.No, I'd say it is not. But as it was, IIRC the Empire east of Suez had no fighters whatsoever until the Buffaloes begin arriving in 1941.
However, we could achieve the benefits of a Empire fighter program (reduced cost, less strain on limited design/production capacity and resources) without dramatically sacrificing performance by making CKD (complete knock-down) aircraft and shipping them to the Empire to assemble. Eventually the local plants will gain the experience to manufacture some elements. For example, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in Bangalore was producing P-36 and A-31s by 1942.
We need an earlier start to get an Empire fighter program going before the war. A good catalyst would be at the 1937 Imperial Conference (or ideally the 1932 Conference), where we can have Britain cut to the chase and tell the attendees that they need to step on their own defence beyond manpower, with a focus on aircraft production.Building contemporary aircraft in the dominions and colonies was a good idea, and they did it.
Whilst there was an illiteracy problem in India it was not as large as one might imagine. Very many were literate: but not in English. There are many languages in India often with their own writing form. Within a factory one could build upon trained engineers who were literate in English to run and train staff using their own languages and manuals translated into them in their own script. What actually happened later in India was that the nation's engineers continued to use English as a Lingua Franca across the nation and continue to do so and familiarity with written English is linked to social class. An issue which divides the educational world of India with one part championing English as a universal worldwide opportunity for young Indians and another which champions industry and government changing it's habits to accommodate equally valid local languages. This latter suffers from minor languages being ignored which further divides the social strata of India. As a Briton who has to speak a mixture of foreign French and German with a touch of Danish/Norwegian I sympathise with them.Edit:- The problem in someplace like India was the lack of skilled engineers. That hindered expansion of the IAF pre-war, as more of the qualifying engineers preferred to join the Indian Railways where there was more of a future. Unlike Canada & Australia you are looking at a largely illiterate population making the training problem even worse.
No chance to have that in place for a pre-1941 Empire fighter. And the IPTO is radial country.Someone has to start manufacturing Merlin engines.
A lot of Bolingbrokes (Bristol Blenheims manufactured in Canada) had American engines.No chance to have that in place for a pre-1941 Empire fighter. And the IPTO is radial country.
HiA lot of Bolingbrokes (Bristol Blenheims manufactured in Canada) had American engines.
Was an Empire fighter a good idea? You want maximum performance in your fighter aircraft unless you are absolutely confident in your enemy's incompetence. A small number of good aircraft might be better than lots of cheap, crappy aircraft out in the colonies. As we all know, the Japanese wore coke bottle bottom glasses, and they did not know how to fly.
The closest thing to your aircraft would be the CAC Boomerang, which was an act of desperation more than anything else.
True. I was replying specifically on pre-war license production of Merlins.A lot of Bolingbrokes (Bristol Blenheims manufactured in Canada) had American engines.
And that's where I am suggesting a divergence from history. It's the 1937 Imperial Conference held in London from May to late June 1937, where Britain tells Australia that they're focused on the growing might of Germany and Italy, and that Australia needs to get moving on its own defence. To emphasize their point Britain provides an intelligence brief (assuming good British intel) on Japan's military expansion:When Australia was catapulted into the Pacific war it had no fighter squadrons in service....