Bristol Type 107
| Company type | Fighter aircraft prototype |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aviation |
| Founded | 1920s |
| Founder | Frank Barnwell |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom |
| Products | Fighter aircraft |
The Bristol Type 107 Bullpup was a British fighter developed during the 1920s. Only a single prototype was constructed, as it was ultimately not adopted for operational squadron deployment.
Background
The Bullpup emerged from a series of fighter design efforts led by Frank Barnwell throughout the 1920s. In 1924, Barnwell initiated a project for a fighter powered by the Rolls-Royce Falcon engine to satisfy specification F.17/24. This initiative was put on hold because Bristol preferred to utilise its own engine designs. The concept was revived in 1926 when Barnwell began work on the Bristol 102, intended to meet either the F.9/26 specification for a day-and-night fighter or N.21/26 for a carrier-based fighter. Another design, the Type 105, was proposed to fulfill F.9/26 requirements and was to be powered by Bristol’s then-developmental Mercury engine.
These proposals led to the construction of two mock-ups presented to the Air Ministry in February 1927. Both designs shared similar features; however, the interceptor designed for F.17/24 was slightly smaller, lighter, and lacked radio equipment. Consequently, Bristol was requested to modify the design to comply with the updated interceptor specification F.20/27. Following this, a prototype was commissioned for evaluation, while the alternative design did not receive official support.
Despite this, Bristol found enough potential in the project to proceed with building a prototype as a private venture to compete in the F.9/26 trials. This version was powered by a Bristol Jupiter engine due to anticipated limitations in Mercury engine availability and eventually evolved into the Bristol Bulldog.
Design and development
The Type 107 featured an unequal-span, single-bay biplane configuration with interplane struts, powered by a 480 hp (360 kW) Bristol Mercury air-cooled radial engine that turned a two-bladed propeller. Its construction was entirely metal, covered with fabric, utilizing components fabricated from rolled high-tensile steel strips riveted together. To enhance the pilot's visibility, the upper wing incorporated a large semi-circular cutout along its trailing edge, while the inboard portion of the lower wing was designed with a reduced chord. Only the upper wing was equipped with Frise ailerons. Armament consisted of two 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine guns positioned on each side of the cockpit.
The prototype made its maiden flight on 28 April 1928, initially powered by a Bristol Jupiter engine due to the unavailability of a flight-ready Mercury engine at that time. It was not until March 1929 that the aircraft was delivered to Martlesham Heath for official evaluation. Subsequently, the Bullpup prototype received a Jupiter F type cylinder head featuring twin compensator rods for the penthouse heads, and engine trials with this modification were conducted at Martlesham later in 1929.
Operational history
During the 1929 F.20/27 competition, the aircraft demonstrated satisfactory performance; however, none of the entrants were adopted for service. Ultimately, this requirement was fulfilled by the Hawker Fury, which was an evolution of the Hawker F.20/27 design powered by a Rolls-Royce Kestrel engine. The Bullpup prototype continued in use as an engine test platform until it was dismantled in 1935 following completion of the Bristol Aquila engine development program.
Specifications
Notes
Bibliography
- Barnes, C.H. Bristol Aircraft Since 1910. London: Putnam, 1964. ISBN 0-370-00015-3.
- Barnes, C.H. Bristol Aircraft since 1910. London: Putnam, 1988. ISBN 0-85177-823-2.
- Green, William and Gordon Swanborough. The Complete Book of Fighters. Godalming, UK: Salamander, 2001. ISBN 1-84065-269-1.