Gloster F.9/37

infobox Aircraft
name = Gloster F.9/37
type =Fighter
manufacturer =Gloster Aircraft Company



caption =Gloster F.9/37
designer =George Carter
first flight =3 April 1939
introduced = Cancelled
retired =
status =
primary user =Royal Air Force (intended)
more users =
produced =
number built = 2
unit cost =
variants with their own articles =

The Gloster F.9/37 was a British twin-engined design for a cannon armed fighter to serve with the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. Although it was initially favoured, the Gloster F.9/37 was not able to compete with other, more advanced designs.

Design and development

It was designed under the direction of W. G. Carter to Specification F.9/37 (hence the name) as a single seat fighter carrying an armament of four 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Browning machine guns and two 20 mm Hispano cannon in the nose.

Testing

A prototype ("L7999") with 1,060 hp Taurus T-S(a) radials flew on 3 April 1939, and demonstrated excellent performance, its maximum speed of 360 mph being the best recorded by a British fighter at the time. Test flights revealed that the prototype was very manoeuverable and "a delight to fly." [ Green 1961, p. 51. ] However, after being badly damaged in a landing accident in July 1939, it was re-engined with 900 hp Taurus T-S(a)-IIIs in 1940, which resulted in a reduced performance. A second prototype ("L8002") with 880 hp Rolls-Royce Peregrine I liquid-cooled in-line engines flew on 22 February 1940, albeit with no overall improvement in top speed.

A second specification for a dedicated night fighter with both nose and turret mounted guns led to Gloster submitting a design which was chiefly the F.9/37 fitted with a dorsal mounted four-gun turret (similar to that used on the Boulton Paul Defiant) and Airborne Interception (AI) radar. This received support from the Air Staff who saw it as superior to the Bristol Beaufighter and the Air Ministry ordered one of the F.9/37 to be converted to the new specification.

Unofficially known as the "Gloster Reaper", the project was terminated in the mock-up stage when concentration on other production including Gloster's work on jet aircraft meant that the foreseeable service date for the aircraft would be 1942 or later by which point the design would be outdated. Accordingly, the Reaper and F.9/37 were dropped and the de Havilland Mosquito was introduced as a night fighter. [Buttler 2004]

pecifications (L7999 (Taurus engine))

aircraft specifications

plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop

ref= The British Figher since 1912Mason 1992, p.279.]

crew=1
capacity=
payload main=
payload alt=
length main= 37 ft ½ in
length alt=11.29 m
span main=50 ft ½ in
span alt=15.26 m
height main=11 ft 7 in
height alt=3.53 m
area main= 386 ft²
area alt=35.9 m²
airfoil=
empty weight main= 8,828 lb
empty weight alt= 4,013 kg
loaded weight main= 11,615 lb
loaded weight alt= 5,280 kg
useful load main=
useful load alt=
max takeoff weight main=
max takeoff weight alt=
more general=

engine (prop)= Bristol Taurus T-S(a)
type of prop= 14 cylinder radial engine
number of props=2
power main= 1,000 hp
power alt= 746 kW
power original=

max speed main= 313 knots
max speed alt= 360 mph, 580 km/h
max speed more=at 15,000 ft (4,570 m)
cruise speed main=
cruise speed alt=
stall speed main=
stall speed alt=
never exceed speed main=
never exceed speed alt=
range main=
range alt=
ceiling main= 30,000 ft
ceiling alt= 9,150 m
climb rate main= 2,460 ft/min [Green and Swanborough 1994
climb rate alt= 12.5 m/s
climb rate more=at 15,000 ft
loading main=30.1 lb/ft²
loading alt=147 kg/m²
thrust/weight=
power/mass main=0.172 lb/hp
power/mass alt=0.283 kW/kg
more performance=*Climb to convert|28000|ft|m: 19 min 36 sec

armament=*Four 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Browning machine guns
*Two 20 mm Hispano cannon

avionics=

ee also

aircontent

related=

similar aircraft=
* de Havilland Mosquito
* Focke-Wulf Fw 187
* Westland Whirlwind (fighter)

sequence=

lists=

see also=
* List of aircraft of the RAF

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Bowyer, Michael J.F. "Interceptor Fighters for the Royal Air Force 1935-45". Wellingborough, UK: Patrick Stephens Ltd., 1984. ISBN 0-85059-726-9.
* Buttler, Tony. "Secret Projects: British Fighters and Bombers 1935 -1950 (British Secret Projects 3)". Leicester, UK: Midland Publishing, 2004. ISBN 1-85780-179-2.
* Green, William. "Fighters: Volume Two (War Planes of the Second World War)". London: MacDonald, 1961.
* Green, William and Swanborough, Gordon. "The Complete Book of Fighters". New York: Smithmark, 1994. ISBN 0-8317-3939-8.
* James, Derek N. "Gloster Aircraft since 1917." London: Putnam, 1987. ISBN 0-85177-807-0.
* Mason, Francis K. "The British Fighter Since 1912". Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1992. ISBN 1-55750-082-7.
* Mondey, David. "The Hamlyn Concise Guide to British Aircraft of World War II". London: Chancellor Press, 1994. ISBN 1-85152-668-4.
* Morgan, Eric B. "The Gloster F.9/37" "Twentyfirst Profile" Volume 1,No.12, March 1992. 21st Profile Ltd., 1992. New Milton, Hants, UK: ISBN 0961-8120-04.

External links

* [http://www.britishaircraft.co.uk/aircraftpage.php?ID=623 British Aircraft Directory]