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That's an over-simplification of the American position because it ignores the use of the F8F as a pure fighter and the obsolescence of the dive bomber as a concept. And note that the Americans were not interested in having a two-seat single-engine strike fighter because they chose to utilise the F4U complemented and later supplanted by the AD Skyraider in the strike role. Until the late 1950s American carrier-borne fighters were rarely two-seaters. It could be argued that even in the 21st century the USN continues to rely on single-seat multi-role strike aircraft in the form of the F/A-18E series which, incidentally, partly replaced the two-seat F-14.
Where did you get this idea? There was a requirement for a turret fighter under N. 9/39 - which resulted in the useless Blackburn Roc. The FAA also wanted a single-seat fighter and were offered a Sea-Spitfire in 1938, plus there were plans for a single seat fighter under N.11/40, which eventually resulted in the Blackburn Firebrand - an aircraft which only became a "strike fighter" because it was useless at anything else; the plans for a Sea-Spitfire with folding wings came to naught because, as mentioned elsewhere, Dick Fairey absolutely refused to allow his factories to build anything other than Fairey designs.
There is absolutely no evidence that a Firefly/Barracuda combination would have been superior to the IJN or USN - that's an assumption on your part.
he concept of continuing with a two-seat fighter in 1942 was wasteful of resources when it had been proven that single-seat, single engine fighters were more than useful, and it should be noted that no more specifications were issued for two-seat naval fighters after 1940.
The Firefly would have been even better and more useful in 1942 as a smaller aircraft without the back seat - it might have even truly been a winner. Useful in 1944/45, sure but essential, no.
... The development of both the Firefly and Barracuda were delayed but if they had entered service as planned then instead of the interim Fulmar/Abacore the FAA would have fielded the Firefly/Barracuda as their sole carrier borne aircraft, and in 1942 this combination generally outperformed the IJN/USN equivalents and in the Fulmar/Albacore actually compared well with foreign carrier borne aircraft...:
It's not an over simplification at all, because the USN put this doctrinal change into practice. The F8F was a response to the need for a fast climbing fighter to meet a similar development in the IJN (which didn't materialize ) and later as an anti-kamikaze fighter, but the last variants of the multi-role F4U had similar performance. The Seafire had a somewhat similar rationale, but it was Luftwaffe FBs that drove it's development.
Simple, there was only two planned possibilities for folding wing carrier aircraft to come into service in 1942 and that was the Firefly and Barracuda - nothing else was even close to fruition.
The Admiralty was short of crystal balls in 1939, but Firefly performance was not hampered by its two seat requirements; both the F6F and F4U were in the same weight class as was the Typhoon. Any naval fighter with the same requirements for range, firepower and strike capability will weigh about the same, and IMHO, the problem stemmed from the RAF having priority for aircraft and engine development.
It's not an over simplification at all, because the USN put this doctrinal change into practice. The F8F was a response to the need for a fast climbing fighter to meet a similar development in the IJN
What? Haven't been reading this thread? The Firefly was greatly superior to the F4F-4 and would have been a very potent CV borne air defence fighter in 1942 with unrivalled firepower and strike capability.
The Barracuda could carry a heavier bomb load than either the Val or SBD and outperformed the TBD and Kate as well.
The Firefly still performed very useful service as a strike/escort fighter in 1944/5 and the FAA continued it's development long after WW2 ended.
The Admiralty was short of crystal balls in 1939, but Firefly performance was not hampered by its two seat requirements; both the F6F and F4U were in the same weight class as was the Typhoon. Any naval fighter with the same requirements for range, firepower and strike capability will weigh about the same, and IMHO, the problem stemmed from the RAF having priority for aircraft and engine development.
So are you claiming that Fulmar/Albacore compared well with Zero/Kate/Val?
Evidence please that the USN ever contemplated replacing single seat fighters with multi-seat, multi-purpose designs.
That's because because Fairey absolutely refused to have anything to do with helping develop or build a folding wing Sea-Spitfire in 1938! One of the PRIME reasons single-seat fighter development was retarded for the FAA was because of Fairey's refusal to allow such development to take place.
Really? - top speed of Griffon engine Firefly I in 1944 was 316 mph at 14,000; 5 min 45 sec to 10,000 ft:
top speed of Griffon engine Seafire XV was 392 mph; climb rate = 4,600 ft/min:
F6F-3 = 391 mph; 3,650 ft/min:
F4U = 416 mph; 3,210 ft/min:
Typhoon = 413 mph; 6 min to 15,000 ft
there was a huge performance penalty paid for having an extra seat.
The Fulmar/Albacore entered service in 1940. In 1940 they compared well with foreign contemporary carrier aircraft.
The Firefly/Barracuda was intended to replace both by 1942.
Neither the Val or SBD was in service in any numbers until 1941, ditto for the F4F and Zero, and the first folding wing version of the F4F didn't enter service until 1942.
Yes, but that's not was pushed it's development, especially when the Kamikaze threat appeared.Part of the F8F requirement was a NEW plane to operate of small carriers, ie, a F4F/FM-2 replacement.
Not really in the 1942 version unless you bring the Griffon even more forward in timing. Like using at least the MK XII Griffon in 1942 instead of the IIB. A fight at 25000 ft might have been rather interesting. The F4F might have double the climb rate of a Firefly MK I. At that altitude. Climb of the MK I Firefly according to one source was 5 min 45 seconds to 10,000ft which is within a few seconds of what the F4F-4 was supposed to to do.
The Firefly does have a large edge in firepower and strike capability though.
No kidding??? It should, it had DOUBLE the power of a TBD (even with the low powered Griffon), the last of which rolled out the factory door back in 1938 if not before. Kates had about 1000hp even in the 2nd model.
You want to move up the service introductions of aircraft?
Fairey Firefly " Z1826 made its maiden flight on 22 December 1941, Z1827 on 4 June 1942 and Z1828 on 26 August 1942"
Curtiss SB2C, "first prototype made its maiden flight on 18 December 1940,....The revised prototype flew again on 20 October 1941........Large-scale production had already been ordered on 29 November 1940"
Granted the Curtiss SB2C was one of the big "turkeys" of WW II but it did go into operational service about ONE month after the Firefly.
And the Grumman Avenger, first flown on 7 August 1941, was at Midway in small numbers in June of 1942. About the same day the second prototype Firefly flew. Granted it was about useless as a fighter but how about comparing the Firefly to fighters and bombers of IT'S generation rather than planes that were one or two generations earlier. First flight of a TBD Devastator was just about exactly (2 days different) one year later than the first flight of a Fairey Swordfish.
Yes it did but then both the US and the RN used the Avenger for a number of roles post war that it was not used for during the war, and in RN and Canadian service the Avenger replaced both the Barracuda and the Firefly. So the continued development of the Firefly proves what?
And for what the FAA was really thinking it needed for a "fighter" in late 1943/44 " The first Sea Fury prototype, SR661, first flew at Langley, Berkshire, on 21 February 1945, powered by a Centaurus XII engine"
Work had started in 1943.
Well something was going on because a MK 4 Firefly..... " Fairey produced a true prototype, which made its maiden flight on 25 May 1945 (at this stage it had the standard Mk I wings).........A second prototype made its maiden flight on 21 February 1946, and the first production aircraft took to the airs on 25 May 1946."......Would get eaten for lunch by a 1943 Spec F4U-1 WITHOUT water injection.
...No, the "ensign eliminator" was faster, but not a better CV based aircraft.
but this doesn't alter the fundamental priority placed on the two seat fighter.
The development of both the Firefly and Barracuda were delayed but if they had entered service as planned then instead of the interim Fulmar/Abacore the FAA would have fielded the Firefly/Barracuda as their sole carrier borne aircraft, and in 1942 this combination generally outperformed the IJN/USN equivalents and in the Fulmar/Albacore actually compared well with foreign carrier borne aircraft.
If the Firefly had been coming into service in 1942 then both the HSH and Martlet would have been superfluous, as neither (especially the Martlet) has enough of a performance/range or firepower edge over the Firefly to make them worthwhile.
Yes, but that's not was pushed it's development, especially when the Kamikaze threat appeared.
The Firefly F1 could climb to 20k ft in 12.4 minutes with normal climb power versus 12.6 minutes for the F4F-4 with military power. However naval combat typically took place well under 20k ft, and the Firefly has the edge here
Again, we have discussed the fact that FAA development priority took a huge hit due the FofF and BofB, so the fact the Fairey couldn't meet it's planned timetable is no surprise, but the fact is that the Firefly/Barracuda would have been a potent combo in 1942, if their planned develop and production schedule could have been met.
It proves that the Firefly concept was a valid one, and it produced a high performance strike fighter that went on to see front line combat in Korea.
Yeah, 1943.
No, the "ensign eliminator" was faster, but not a better CV based aircraft.
Why not FAA just kep t Sea Gladiators, they turned even better than Firefly, after all turning was the only aspect in which Firefly beat Corsair in aerial combat besides somewhat better firepower. But Firefly was slow and lazy climber when it arrived.
First off, the Firefly was planned for 1942 (how many times to I have to say this?) and in 1942 it would have been more than competitive. However, in 1944 it needed a lot more HP to remain competitive.
However, and I'll say this again, the 2nd seat didn't create a performance penalty, as it was the requirement for large internal fuel capacity and a 2000lb bomb load that required a large aircraft,
and the weight and external dimensions of the Firefly were very similar to other naval fighters with the same internal fuel capacity, firepower and bomb load.
The Firefly did fly a variety of missions in 44/45 and generally did quite well.
V
You have to remember that at the outbreak of war, the FAA was equipped with obsolescent aircraft by comparison to other carrier armed countries. Apart from the Skua, every other carrier type in the FAA was a biplane. By 1941 the Japanese did not have a single biplane type operating in a front line role on board their carriers. The decision to configure the Swordfish replacement as a biplane was again based on pre-war practise and did not take into account advances in technology abroad, nor the future needs of the FAA as evolving technology forced warfare to change. Just because the FAA did it that way, does not mean that was the most efficient way of doing things. Wartime experience taught the Admiralty that. Your statement that the Fulmar/Albacore compared well with foreign aircraft is pure nonsense. Both types were obsolescent when they entered service compared to their contemporaries; as has been demonstrated, the Fulmar was too slow as a fighter and the Nakajima B5N was widely regarded as the most advanced carrier based torpedo bomber when it entered service.
sorry I didn't have time to respond to your entire post.
The USN was operating a biplane fighter and biplane DB in 1939 - most people think that the USN and IJN were operating their Dec 1941 aircraft from 1939 onward when both the IJN introduced new fighters and DBs in mid to late 1941 - just in time for the Pacific war. In 1939 the IJN was just introducing the B5N with a low powered engine that was probabaly barely operable from a CV, and their primary fighter was the fixed wing A5M, and the A6M was only introduced in numbers in 1941, paralleling the F4F.
In 1940 the Folding wing Fulmar was the best carrier borne fighter in service (Fulmar - A5M- F3F), and the Albacore was still better than the TBD, and the Albacore was an efficient DB as well.
The RN had a number of older carriers in service with very short flight decks, so aircraft with good STOL characteristics were a necessity, so a low powered monoplane TB was not an option,
sorry I didn't have time to respond to your entire post.
That's okay, no rush. Firstly, granted, the smaller carrier argument might stand if it were not for the fact that the RN operated Grumman Avengers, larger and heavier than Albacores, with a higher landing speed from escort carriers with far smaller decks than Furious and her half sisters, later in the war. More evidence the FAA's thinking was backward regarding the Albacore. Also, the IJN had the Aichi D3A in 1940, as well as the Nakajima B5N and Zero; all benchmarking carrier warfare. As for your statement about the Fulmar being the best carrier fighter in 1940 - not true by a long shot. The Mitsubishi Zero was the best carrier fighter in the world, bar none when it entered service around the same time as the Fulmar in 1940. Also, the F4F was a match for the Fulmar and my bets would be on the Grumman to whip its ample backside in a fight. Even the A5M would have given the Fulmar a run for its money; small and agile, a very under-rated little aeroplane.
You are missing the point though, despite your assertions. The FAA's policy of long range two-seat fighters was based on pre-war strategy. By 1940 they were outdated. No other carrier based air force operated them, even more evidence the FAA was barking up the wrong tree and the IJN's carrier based aircraft served as a warning of what to expect in the forthcoming war at sea.
It would help if we stayed with the facts instead of doing some flag waving.
"The USN was operating a biplane fighter and biplane DB in 1939"
Yes they were but then the RN was operating biplane fighters also. Key part here for both services is "operating" which does not mean that they were using those types exclusively. The US managed to sneak 10 monoplane fighters onto a carrier in Dec 1939. The Northrop BT-1 was aboard carriers in 1938, granted it was not a success but it lead to the SBD Dauntless which was in service (shore based) in 1940 with the first carrier deployment early in 1941. It also rather ignores the Vought Vindicator which was first used on a carrier in 1937.
" most people think that the USN and IJN were operating their Dec 1941 aircraft from 1939 onward when both the IJN introduced new fighters and DBs in mid to late 1941 - just in time for the Pacific war."
Partially answered above. The US Navy was looking for NEW dive bombers and torpedo bombers in 1939/40. They knew the existing ones were NOT the best that could be built.
"In 1940 the Folding wing Fulmar was the best carrier borne fighter in service (Fulmar - A5M- F3F)"
Now this is a loaded statement. Out of the 3 listed it may be the best, It may be the best folding wing Fighter, although the A5M folds only just enough to say so and teh F3F not at all but it rather ignores the F2A, in service in small numbers, and the fact that by Dec 1940, while they weren't on carriers, F4Fs were in service. It also rather ignores the fact that a number of F2As and F4Fs were sold or released to be sold to Finland, France, Belgium and England which delayed their more widespread use by the US Navy. A Wildcat in British service makes the types first kill claim Dec 25 1940.
"and the Albacore was still better than the TBD, and the Albacore was an efficient DB as well"
Still beating up on the TBD I see. What part of "out of production in 1939" aren't you understanding? The US Navy had no intention of ordering any more TBDs after 1938 and the order for 15 placed in 1938 was to make good on operational losses( crashes). The US Navy knew they wanted something better than the TBD before the Albacore made it's first flight.
I also like this quote from the Fleet air arm Archive; " The Albacore was retired before the Swordfish, and started to be replaced from 1942 by the Fairey Barracuda and Grumman Avenger." Which says something about a plane that was first went operational in April of 1940.
"The RN had a number of older carriers in service with very short flight decks, so aircraft with good STOL characteristics were a necessity, so a low powered monoplane TB was not an option,"
See the Vindicator mentioned above, not a torpedo bomber but the last squadron to issued it was training on the USS Charger ( 492ft long and 17 knots) before re-equipping with SBDs.
The TBD used an 825-850hp engine, Surely with 1060-1090hp available a usable monoplane could have been built? The Japanese B5N2 had 1000hp.
Buying aircraft in 1939-41 based on their suitability for operating from the HMS Argus doesn't seem particularly smart.