Early Sea Jets 1938-44
Please note that these drawings are hack jobs of jpeg drawings sourced from the internet. Being mostly jpegs they all have grey shadows around the outlines. While I have cleaned up the easy bits I have not cleaned up everything. These are mainly to give some indication of what late 1930's jets may have looked like for use on aircraft carriers. The later jets (that were jets) are as they should be.
Fairey Sea Battlejet
Mk1 (1939). Torpedo Bomber with internal bomb bay for 18" torpedo or 1,000 lbs bombs internally, 500lb external or, extra fuel tanks under the wings. 2 forward firing .303 machine guns in the nose with one Vickers K gun in rear cockpit mount. 345 mph.
Mk2 (1941) - Increased powerplant (better power, fuel economy and range), same layout and armament. 380 mph
| 18 inch Mark XII - Air Launched | |
|---|---|
| Type | Torpedo |
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1937-1945 |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1935 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 1,548 lb (702 kg) |
| Length | 16 ft 3 in (4.95 m) |
| Diameter | 17.72 in (450 mm) |
| Warhead | TNT |
| Warhead weight | 388 lb (176 kg) |
| Engine | Burner cycle 140 hp (at 40 knots) |
| Speed | 40 knots (74 km/h; 46 mph) for 1,500 yd (1.4 km ) or 37 knots (69 km/h; 43 mph) for 3,500 yd (3,200 m) |
Supermarine Seafirejet
Mk1. (1938) Single engine fighter, 6 x .303 mg in the wings, 1 x 250lb bomb on centerline mount or extra fuel tank on same mounting. 405 mph.
Mk2. (1940) More powerful engine (speed, range, ceiling, all increased), armament guns increased to 4x20mm cannons. 460 mph.
Westland Whirlijet
Twin engine fighter, 4 x 20mm cannon in the nose, 2 x 250lb bombs in nacelle between engine and fuselage or extra fuel tanks using same mounts, 415 mph. (upgraded powerplant) 470 mph.
Fairey Gannet Mk1
Large Torpedo Bomber that entered service late in 1943. Fairey provided the same engine layout as they had used on the Battle but with 5 years of improvements increasing range and speed. Armament was increased to 2x20mm cannons in the nose while the rear machine gun was removed. The internal bomb bay was larger and could hold a 21" torpedo or 4x500lb bombs. 410 mph.
| 21 inch Mark XI - Air Launched | |
|---|---|
| Type | Torpedo |
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1941-1949 |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1939 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 1,848 lb |
| Length | 17 ft 3 in |
| Diameter | 21.5 in |
| Warhead | TNT |
| Warhead weight | 465 lb |
| Speed | 45 knots for 1,500 yd or 40 knots for 3,500 yd |
De Havilland Vampire Mk1.
Introduced late 1943. Single seat, single engine fighter with a twin boom configuration. This small, lightweight fighter was perfect for the navy. With wings folded the Vampire took up little space. 4x20mm cannons in the nose gave a good forward firing armament. Bombs, rockets and or external fuel tanks could be carried on the wings. It was the Vampires manouverability that really gave the Vampire the edge. The new Goblin engine proved a winner providing a power range far better than its predecessors. First Royal Navy fighter through the 500mph barrier.
Performance
Armament
Gloster Meteor (1944)
With increased and better propulsion units, the Meteors were the first fighters to go through the 600 mph barrier. They were not as nimble as the Vampire but were more fighter-bombers. Rockets on the outer wings, bombs or external drop tanks could be carried in the area between the engines and fuselage.
Performance
Armament
