FAIREY FULMAR Mk I

Ursprungsland:  UK      
Einsatzzweck:   Trägergestütztes Jagdflugzeug
Hersteller:        Fairey Aviation Co. Ltd.
Im Kriegseinsatz:  1940 - 1945

Der Fulmar-Prototyp machte am 4. Januar 1940 seinen Erstflug und kam schnell zur Serienfertigung. Erste Auslieferungen der Fulmar Mk I, von der 250 Stück gebaut wurden, traten ab Juni 1940 in den Truppendienst. Alsbald löste die Mk II mit stärkerem Motor und Tropenausrüstung versehen, die Mk I ab.

350 Mk II wurden fertig gestellt, die sich in verschiedenen Einsatzarten von Flugzeugträgern aus bewährten, wie Aufklärung, Begleitschutz, Geleitzugunterstützung und nächtliche Störflüge. Mitte 1942 waren 14 Staffeln mit der Fulmar ausgerüstet.

Zu ihrer wertvollen Feuerkraft kam bei der Fulmar die ausgezeichnete Wendigkeit, Flugleistung und Reichweite; ihr einziger Mangel war die relativ niedrige Fluggeschwindigkeit infolge zusätzlichen Gesamtgewichts durch das Trägerflugzeugzubehör und das zweite Besatzungsmitglied. Besonders erfolgreich kämpfte sie gegen die Italiener.

1943 begann die Seafire die Fulmar abzulösen, die jedoch bis 1945 in abnehmenden Stückzahlen im Truppeneinsatz blieb und sich auf eine weitere Einsatzart, die Nachtjagd konzentrierte.

Die Fulmar war in Europa und im Mittleren und fernen Osten ein wertvoller Bestandteil des Fleet Air Arm, der britischen Marine-Luftflotte, vor allem als Nacht-Begleitjäger für Konvois nach Malta und Nordafrika.

Technische Daten:

Besatzung

2

Triebwerke

1300 PS Merlin 30 Motor

Top speed

398 km/h in2745 m Höhe

Reichweite

1280 km

Dienstgipfelhöhe

7930 m

Spannweite

14,12 m

Länge

12,27 m

Höhe

3,25 m

Bewaffnung

acht 7,6 mm-Browning MG’s

 

The Fairey Fulmar was a British carrier-borne fighter aircraft that served with the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) during the Second World War. A total of 600 were built by Fairey Aviation at their Stockport factory between January 1940 and December 1942. The Fulmar's design was based on that of the earlier Fairey P.4/34 that was in turn developed in 1936 as a replacement for the Fairey Battle light bomber. Although its performance (like that of its Battle antecedent) was lacking, the Fulmar was a reliable, sturdy aircraft with long range and an effective eight machine gun armament.

Design and development

The Fairey P.4/34 was built to Specification P.4/34 as a light bomber capable of being used as a dive bomber, in competition with the Hawker Henley and an unbuilt Gloster design. Its performance was disappointing and it lost out to the Henley (which was eventually ordered as a target tug).

The Fulmar, a navalised version of the P.4/34 was submitted to meet Specification O.8/38 for a two-crew fleet defence fighter. As it was not expected to encounter fighter opposition, high performance or maneuverability was not considered important but long range and heavy armament were. The provision of a navigator/wireless operator was considered essential for the long, over-ocean flights which would be required.

Looking much like its sister, the Battle, the Fulmar prototype was aerodynamically cleaner and featured a folding wing that was 16 in (41 cm) shorter than its bomber lookalike. The prototype P.4/34 K5099 first flew on 13 January 1937 at Fairey Aviation's Great West Aerodrome with Fairey test pilot Chris Staniland at the controls. After the first flight tests, the tail was revised, being raised 8 in (20 cm).

The first prototype Fulmar acting as "flying mock-up" was powered by a 1,080 hp (810 kW) Rolls Royce Merlin III engine. With this engine, performance was poor, the prototype only reaching 230 mph (370 km/h). With the Merlin VIII engine - a variant unique to the Fulmar and with supercharging optimised for low-level flight - and aerodynamic improvements, speed was improved to 255 mph (410 km/h), which, owing to the desperate need for modern fighters, was considered adequate. As a simple derivative of an existing prototype, the Fulmar promised to be available quickly and an initial order for 127 production aircraft was placed in mid-1938 and the first example flew from Fairey's facility at RAF Ringway near Manchester on 4 January 1940 and the last of 600 Fulmars was delivered from Ringway on 11 December 1942.

Operational history

The first squadron to be equipped with the Fulmar was No. 806 Squadron FAA in July 1940 and this squadron began operating from HMS Illustrious shortly afterwards. The Fulmar was not well matched with land-based fighters. The Navy had specified a two-seat machine, feeling that a navigator was needed to cope with the challenges of navigating over the open ocean. As a result, the Fulmar was far too large and unwieldy when it came into contact with single-seat, land-based opposition, as it did in the Mediterranean Theatre. Yet its long range was useful at times as evidenced in the 1941 chase of the German battleship  Bismarck where Fulmars acted as carrier-borne spotters, tracking and trailing the fleeing battleship.

First seeing action on Malta convoy protection patrols in September 1940, the sturdy Fulmar was able to achieve victories against its far more agile Italian and German adversaries. By the fall, Fulmars had shot down ten Italian bombers and six enemy fighters, while giving top cover to the Swordfish raid on Taranto.

By 1942, the Fulmar was being replaced by single-seat aircraft adapted from land fighters such as the Supermarine Seafire or by American single seat fighters such as the Grumman Martlet. It saw useful service in nighttime roles as a convoy escort and intruder and was used to train crews for the Fairey Barracuda. On the other hand, its flight characteristics were considered pleasant, its wide undercarriage provided good deck handling capacities and it had excellent fuel capacity and range. Fulmars were used in long-range reconnaissance after they were withdrawn as fighters. Most Fleet Air Arm fighter aces scored at least part of their victories in Fulmars, for example, Sub Lieutenant S.G. Orr, finished the war with 12 confirmed air victories, as the third-highest scoring pilot in the FAA.

At one time, 20 squadrons of the FAA were equipped with the Fulmar. It flew from eight fleet aircraft carriers and five escort carriers. No. 273 Squadron RAF operated them for a while though the crews were FAA. Fulmars destroyed 112 enemy aircraft, which made it the leading fighter type, by aircraft shot down, in the Fleet Air Arm during the Second World War. The Fulmar ended its front line operational career on 8 February 1945, when a Fulmar MK II night-fighter from No. 813 Squadron had a landing accident at the safety barrier on HMS Campania and was written off.

Approximately 100 Fulmars were converted to a night fighter variant, but had limited success in this role.

The Vichy French captured some examples of Fulmar Mk II during wartime for propaganda and evaluation use, and later these were taken over by the Germans.

Variants

Mk I

First production variant powered by a 1,035 hp (772 kW) Rolls-Royce Merlin VIII, 250 built.

Mk II

Updated variant powered by a 1,300 hp (970 kW) Merlin XXX with a new propeller and the addition of tropical equipment, some finished as night fighters, one prototype converted from a Mk I and 350 built.