Boulton Paul Bittern
| P.31 Bittern | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Second prototype | |
| Role | |
| Manufacturer | Boulton Paul Limited |
| Designer | J.D. North |
| First flight | February 1927 |
| Number built | 2 |
The Boulton Paul Bittern was a 1920s British night-fighter aircraft built by Boulton Paul Limited of Norwich, named after the marsh bird of the same name.
Design and development
Designed to Air Ministry Specification 27/24, which called for a single-seat night fighter for use against enemy bomber aircraft, the Bittern design was unusual for its time in that it was a twin-engined shoulder wing monoplane rather than a single-engine biplane.
Two prototypes were built, both very underpowered. As a result, during testing performance was so poor that further development was abandoned.[1]
The first prototype had fixed .303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine guns, the second had guns that could be angled from 0-45° upwards so the fighter could attack bombers from below without having to put the aircraft into a climb. The wingspan of the second prototype was increased by about 5 ft (1.5 m).[2][3]
Specifications (P.31 Bittern J7936)
Data from Boulton Paul Aircraft since 1915[4]
General characteristics
- Length: 32 ft 4 in (9.86 m) [5]
- Wingspan: 41 ft 0 in (12.50 m)
- Empty weight: 3,215 lb (1,458 kg)
- Gross weight: 4,500 lb (2,041 kg)
- Powerplant: 2 × Armstrong Siddeley Lynx 7-cyl. air-cooled radial piston engine, 230 hp (170 kW) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 145 mph (233 km/h; 126 kn) (J7936) 152 mph (245 km/h) (J7937)
- Endurance: 3¾ hours[5]
Armament
- Guns:
- 2 x fixed forward-firing 0.303 in (7.70 mm) Vickers machine-guns (J7936)
- 2 x two 0.303 in (7.70 mm) Lewis machine-guns in revolving barbettes either side of the nose (J7937).
- Night landing flares under the fuselage
References
- Notes
- ^ Donald, David, ed. (1997). The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. Prospero Books. p. 118. ISBN 1-85605-375-X.
- ^ Boulton-Paul P.31 Bittern - night fighter
- ^ The WWII Fighter Gun Debate: Upward firing guns
- ^ Brew, Alec (1993). Boulton Paul Aircraft since 1915. Putnam & Company Ltd. pp. 199–203. ISBN 0-85177-860-7.
- ^ a b Mason, Francis K. (17 Sep 1992)). The British Fighter since 1912 (1st edition ed.). London: Putnam ; Language English. p. 187. ISBN 0-85177-852-6.
- Bibliography
- Mason, Francis K. (1992). The British Fighter since 1912. Annapolis, Maryland, US: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-082-7.
- Brew, Alec (1993). Boulton Paul Aircraft since 1915. Putnam & Company Ltd. pp. 199–203. ISBN 0-85177-860-7.
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