Vickers Type 143

infobox Aircraft
name = Type 143
type = Fighter
manufacturer = Vickers



caption =
designer =
first flight = 1929
introduced = 1930
introduction=
retired =
status =
primary user = Bolivia
more users =
produced =
number built = Six
unit cost =
developed from = Vickers Type 141
variants with their own articles = The Vickers Type 143 or Bolivian Scout was a British single seat fighter biplane designed and built by Vickers in 1929-1930. Six were built for Bolivia in 1930, which used the survivors in the Chaco War against Paraguay.

Design and development

Early in 1929, Bolivia, which was engaged in border disputes with Paraguay over the Gran Chaco region, and was trying to build up its air forceAndrews and Morgan 1988, p. 235.] , placed an order with Vickers for six fighter aircraft, the Vickers Type 143. The Type 143, or Bolivian Scout , was a development of the earlier Vickers Type 141 fighter, with the Type 141's Rolls-Royce Kestrel engine replaced by a Bristol Jupiter VIA, already powering other aircraft used by the Bolivian Air Force, and a stronger undercarriage to cope with the rough airfield surfaces in Bolivia . It was an all-metal, single seat, biplane aircraft, with single bay wings.

The Type 143 first flew on 11 June 1929, and successfully met all performance criteria Mason 1992, p. 223.] . One of the six aircraft was evaluated by the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment (A & AEE) at Martlesham Heath before delivery to Bolivia.

A seventh aircraft, the Vickers Type 177 was built as a private venture to meet the requirements of Air Ministry Specification N.21/26 for a naval fighter, being fitted with a Jupiter XF engine and steerable wheel braking to aid on-deck manoeuvering. The Type 177 first flew on 26 November 1929 Andrews and Morgan 1988, p. 237. ] , and while it was shown to have a maximum speed of 190 mph (306 km/h) Mason 1992, p. 225] , with the Hawker Nimrod, not designed against this specification, chosen instead to meet the Fleet Air Arm's requirement for a fighter.

Operational history

Delivery of the six Type 143s to Bolivia began in January 1930 Green and Swanborough 1994 ] . While the type proved popular in Bolivian service Mason 1992, three of the six had been written off by the time that the border disputes between Bolivia and Paraguay escalated into the Chaco War. The three remaining Type 143s continued to serve in the Chaco War until superseded by Curtiss Hawks , damaging at least one Paraguayan Wibault 73 in air-to-air combatGreen and Swanborough 1994, p. 580.] .

Variants

;Vickers Type 143: Six aircraft for Bolivia, powered by 450 hp Bristol Jupiter VIA engine.;Vickers Type 177: One prototype Naval Fighter, evaluated for Fleet Air Arm, powered by 540 hp Bristol Jupiter XFS engine. No production.

Operators

;BOL
*Bolivian Air Force received 6 aircraft.;UK
*Fleet Air Arm tested one prototype.

pecifications (Type 143)

aircraft specifications

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

ref=The Complete Book of Fighters
crew=One
capacity=
length main= 27 ft 10½ in
length alt= 8.50 m
span main= 34 ft 0 in
span alt= 10.36 m
height main= 11 ft 3 in
height alt= 3.43 m
area main= 336 ft²
area alt= 31.2 m²
airfoil=
empty weight main= 2,246 lb
empty weight alt= 1,019 kg
loaded weight main= 3,120 lb
loaded weight alt= 1,415 kg
useful load main=
useful load alt=
max takeoff weight main=
max takeoff weight alt=
more general=

engine (prop)=Bristol Jupiter VIA
type of prop= 9 cylinder air cooled radial
number of props=1
power main= 450 hp
power alt= 336 kW
power original=
max speed main= 130 knots
max speed alt= 150 mph, 241 km/h
max speed more= at 11,500 ft (3,500 m)
cruise speed main=
cruise speed alt=
never exceed speed main=
never exceed speed alt=
stall speed main=
stall speed alt=
range main=
range alt=
ceiling main= 20,000 ft
ceiling alt= 6,100 m
climb rate main=
climb rate alt=
loading main= 9.29 lb/ft²
loading alt= 45.4 kg/m²
thrust/weight=
power/mass main= 0.144 hp/lb
power/mass alt= 0.237 kW/kg
more performance= *Climb to 13,100 ft (3,990 m): 10 min

armament=*Two Vickers machine guns

avionics=

ee also

aircontent

related=*Vickers Type 141

similar aircraft=

lists=

see also=

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Andrews, E.N. and E.B. Morgan. "Vickers Aircraft Since 1908, Second edition". London: Putnam, 1988. ISBN 0-85177-815-1.
* Green, W. and Gordon Swanborough. "The Complete Book of Fighters". New York: Smithmark, 1994. ISBN 0-8317-3939-8.
* Mason, Francis K. "The British Fighter since 1912". Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1992. ISBN 1-55750-082-7.

External links

* [http://worldatwar.net/chandelle/v1/v1n3/chaco.html The Gran Chaco War: Fighting for Mirages in the Foothills of the Andes]
* [http://avia.russian.ee/air/england/vickers_143.php Vickers 143 (1929)]