GreatBritainFighters

Type: Bristol Bullfinch Mk 1 single seat fighter .

Max Speed: 135 mph at 15,000 ft.

Climb Rate: ??? ft per min.

Service Ceiling: 22,000 ft.

Range: endurance 4 hours 0 minutes of 195 miles.

Armament: provision for two 0.303-in (7.7-mm) fixed machine guns.

Photo: Musee de Air

The Bullfinch Mk 1 was an interesting plane. The balanced rudder lacked a fixed fin area ahead of it but was complemented by two ventral fins, and the parasol wings had a very thick section at mid-span tapering in thickness both inboard and outboard of these points.

Type: Bristol Beaufighter Mk IF two seat night fighter.

Max Speed: 306 mph at sea level.

Climb Rate: 1,850 ft per min.

Service Ceiling: 28,900 ft.

Range: 1,500 miles.

Armament: four 20-mm cannon and six 0.303-in (7.7-mm) machine guns.

Photo: Imperial War Museum

For operations in the Mediterranean theater, some Beaufighter Mk 1Fs were tropicalized and fitted with additional fuel tanksage

Type: Blackburn Skua Mk II two seat carrier born fighter and dive bomber.

Max Speed: 225 mph at 6,500 ft.

Climb Rate: 1,580 ft per min.

Service Ceiling: 20,200 ft.

Range: 760 miles.

Armament: four fixed and one trainable 0.303-in (7.7-mm) machine guns and one 500 lb bomb.

Photo: Musee de Air

With its flap. landing gear, and arrester hook lowerd, a Skua Mk 11 of the Fleet Air Arm comes in to catch the arrester wire on board a British aircraft carrier.

Type: Bristol Bulldog Mk IIA single seat fighter.

Max Speed: 174 mph at 10,000 ft.

Climb Rate: 20,000 ft in 14 minutes 30 seconds.

Service Ceiling: 27,000 ft.

Range: 275 miles.

Armament: two 0.303 in 7.7 mm fixed machine guns.

Photo: Musee de 1' Air

From 1929 to the mid 1930s the Bulldog was the workhorse of the British fighter force.

Type: Bristol F.2B two seat fighter.

Max Speed: 123 mph at 5,000 ft.

Climb Rate: 5,000 ft 5 minutes 30 seconds.

Service Ceiling: 18,000 ft.

Range: endurance 3 hours 0 minutes.

Armament: two or three 0.303 in 7.7 mm machine guns (one fixed and one or two trainable), and up to twelve 20 lb bombs.

Photo: Musee de 1' Air

When properly handled, the F.2B was a truly formidable warplane combining performance and firepower with adequate agility.

Type: Fairey Fantome single seat fighter.

Max Speed: 270 mph at 13,125 ft.

Climb Rate: 13,125 ft in 5 minutes 40 seconds.

Service Ceiling: 36,090 ft.

Range: endurance 2 hours 0 minutes.

Armament: two 0.303 in 7.7 mm machine guns.

Photo: Musee de 1' Air

The Fantome's radiator installation was notably neat, being a box structure located under the fuselage between the main landing gear legs, and in effect formed the center section of the lower wing.

Type: Royal Aircraft Factory F.E2b two seat fighter.

Max Speed: 80 mph at sea level.

Climb Rate: 6,000 in 2 minutes 45 seconds.

Service Ceiling: 9,000 ft.

Range: endurance 2 hours 30 minutes.

Armament: one or two 0.303 in 7.7 mm machine guns, and up to 350 lb of bombs.

Photo: S. H. A. A.

At its base on a Royal Flying Corp airfield in France an F.E.2b is readied for a mission.

Type: Supermarine Spitfire F.Mk IX single seat fighter and fighter bomber.

Max Speed: 408 mph at 25,000 ft.

Climb Rate: 3,950 per minute.

Service Ceiling: 43,000 ft.

Range: 980 miles.

Armament: two 20 mm cannon and four 0.303 in 7.7 mm machine guns in fixed installation, and up to 1,000 lb of bombs carried under the wing.

Photo: Robineau

This Spitfire F.Mk IX carries the black/white "invasion strips" characteristic of aircraft involved in the D-Day landings of June 1944.

Type: Fairey Fulmar Mk I two seat carrier borne fighter.

Max Speed: 247 mph at 9,000 ft.

Climb Rate: 1,200 ft per minute.

Service Ceiling: 21,500 ft.

Range: endurance 4 hours 0 minutes.

Armament: eight 0.303 in 7.7 mm machine guns.

Photo: RAF Museum

Handicapped by its two seat layout, which demanded a large and weighty airframe, the Fulmar was seriously lacking in power for a warplane, and was not an effective fighter because of its low performance and indifferent agility.

Type: SNCASE SE 535 Mistral single seat fighter and fighter bomber.

Max Speed: 575 mph at sea level.

Climb Rate: 7,087 ft per minute.

Service Ceiling: 49,210 ft.

Range:

Armament: four 20 mm cannon and up to 2,000 lb of disposable stores.

Photo: S. H. A. A.

Half brother to the British Vampire, the Mistral was a transitional type in French service pending the arrival of more modern fighters of wholly French design and manufactur.

Type: Hawker Hurricane Mk I single seat fighter.

Max Speed: 308 mph at 10,000 ft.

Climb Rate: 10,000 ft in 4 minute 15 seconds.

Service Ceiling: 33,400 ft.

Range: 525 miles.

Armament: eight 0.303 in 7.7 mm machine guns.

Photo: P. Guerin

The Hurricane is best remembered for its part in the Battle Of Britain, but despite a very large production total only a few precious examples remain airworthy.

Type: de Havilland Sea Mosquito TR.Mk 33 two seat carrier borne torpedo and reconnaissance fighter.

Max Speed: 385 mph at 13,500 ft.

Climb Rate: 3,000 ft per minute

Service Ceiling: 30,000 ft.

Range: 1,260 miles.

Armament: four 20 mm cannon and up to 2,000 lb of bombs or one 18 in 457 mm torpedo.

Photo: RAF museum

The Sea Mosquito TR.Mk 33 was distinguishable from its land based brethren by its thimble radome, folding wings, and arrester hook.

Type: Hawker Sea Fury FB..Mk 11 single seat carrier borne fighter-bomber.

Max Speed: 460 mph at 18,000 ft.

Climb Rate: 4,320 ft per minute.

Service Ceiling: 34,300 ft.

Range: 680 miles.

Armament: four 20 mm cannon and up to 2,000 lb of disposable stores.

Photo: M. Hodeir

The Sea Fury FB.Mk 11 was to late for the Second World War, but this powerful fighter-bomber performed admirable during the Korean War.

Type: Sopwith Triplane sing seat fighter

Max Speed: 117 mph at 5,000 ft.

Climb Rate: 1,200 ft per minute.

Service Ceiling: 20,500 ft.

Range: endurance 2 hours 45 minutes.

Armament: one or two 0.303 in 7.7 mm machine guns.

Photo: D. R.

Relatively few Triplanes were built, but their effect was considerable. A redoubtable exponent was the Canadian, Raymond Collishaw, who down seven German aircraft and damaged another 17 in May and June 1917 while flying a Triplane.