Vickers F.B.11
| Industry | Aerospace |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1828 |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom |
The Vickers F.B.11 represented a British experimental three-seat escort fighter developed during the First World War. This sizeable single-engine biplane featured a gunner positioned in a nacelle atop the upper wing, providing an extensive field of fire. Only one unit of this model was ever constructed.
Development and design
At the beginning of 1916, the British War Office issued a requirement for a multi-crew escort fighter powered by one of the new Rolls-Royce Eagle engines. Its primary mission was to shield bomber formations from enemy fighters like the Fokker E.I, while also possessing capabilities to engage hostile airships.[1] Although high speed was not a priority in the specification, an expansive firing arc for its weaponry was critical,[2] and the secondary role of combating Zeppelins necessitated a minimum endurance of seven hours.[1]
Prototypes were commissioned from Armstrong Whitworth (the F.K.6), Sopwith (the L.R.T.Tr.), and Vickers. Each design aimed to maximize gun coverage due to the lack of effective synchronisation gear that would permit safe firing through the propeller arc.[1]
Vickers' submission, the F.B.11, was crafted by R. L. Howard-Flanders as a large, single-bay biplane featuring a tractor configuration. The pilot and one gunner occupied separate but adjacent cockpits beneath the upper wing’s trailing edge, while an additional gunner was stationed within a nacelle—often referred to as a "fighting top"—mounted forward on the upper wing.[2][3] The Rolls-Royce Eagle engine was enclosed in a streamlined cowling with its radiator positioned behind it inside the fuselage.[4]
Two prototypes were ordered, with the first taking flight between September and October 1916,[2] and undergoing trials at RNAS Eastchurch in November of that year.[5] Testing revealed inadequate lateral control and underwhelming performance, culminating in its destruction during a crash.[6] The second prototype remained unfinished,[7] and with effective synchronisation gears now available—including Vickers' own Vickers-Challenger mechanism—further development of these escort fighters was discontinued.[8]
Specifications
See also
Notes
References
- Andrews, C. F., and Morgan, E. B. Vickers Aircraft since 1908. London: Putnam, 1988. ISBN 0-85177-815-1.
- Bruce, J. M. British Aeroplanes 1914-18. London: Putnam, 1957.
- Bruce, J. M. War Planes of the First World War: Volume Three Fighters. London: Macdonald, 1969. ISBN 0-356-01490-8.
- Green, William, and Swanborough, Gordon. The Complete Book of Fighters. New York: Smithmark, 1994. ISBN 0-8317-3939-8.
- Lewis, Peter. The British Fighter since 1912. London: Putnam, Fourth edition, 1979. ISBN 0-370-10049-2.
- Mason, Francis K. The British Fighter since 1912. Annapolis, Maryland, USA: Naval Institute Press, 1992. ISBN 1-55750-082-7