Miles M.20

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M.20

Second prototype of the Miles M.20
Type	Lightweight fighter
Manufacturer	Miles Aircraft
Maiden flight	1940
Primary users	Royal Air Force Fleet Air Arm
Number built	2 prototypes
Developed from	Miles Master

The Miles M.20 was a World War II fighter developed by Miles Aircraft in 1940. During the Battle of Britain, the Royal Air Force was faced with a potential shortage of fighters. To meet the Luftwaffe threat, the Air Ministry commissioned Miles to design the M.20; nine weeks and two days later the first prototype flew.^[1]

To reduce production times the M.20 was of an all-wood construction, used many parts from the earlier Miles Master trainer, lacked hydraulics, and had streamlined fixed landing gear. The engine was a complete Rolls-Royce Merlin XX "power egg", and was identical to those used on the Avro Lancaster and some Bristol Beaufighter marks. The design also featured a bubble canopy for improved pilot visibility, one of the first fighters to do so.

Armed with the same eight .303 Browning machine guns as the Hawker Hurricane, the M.20 prototype was faster than the Hurricane and slower than the Spitfire types then in production, but carried more ammunition, and had greater range than either. A second prototype was built for the Fleet Air Arm, equipped with an arrestor hook and catapult launch points.

As the Luftwaffe was defeated over Britain, the need for the M.20 vanished and the design was abandoned without entering production.

[edit] Specifications (M.20, as tested)

Data from British Aircraft of World War II^[2] and Military.cz^[3]

General characteristics

Crew: One pilot
Length: 30 ft 8 in (9.35 m)
Wingspan: 34 ft 7 in (10.54 m)
Height: 12 ft 6 in (3.81 m)
Wing area: 234 ft² (21.74 m²)
Empty weight: 5,870 lb (2,663 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 8,000 lb (3,629 kg)
Powerplant: 1× Rolls-Royce Merlin XX inline piston, 1,390 hp (1,036 kW)

Performance

Maximum speed: 333 mph (536 km/h)
Range: 1,200 mi (1,930 km)
Service ceiling: 32,800 ft (10,000 m)
Rate of climb: 2,300 ft/min (11.7 m/s
Time to climb: 9.6 min to 20,400 ft (6,218 m))

Armament

8× .303 inch Browning machine guns

[edit] References

^ Jane, Fred T. “The Miles M.20.” Jane’s Fighting Aircraft of World War II. London: Studio, 1946. p. 133. ISBN 1 85170 493 0.
^ British Aircraft of World War II (2003). "MILES M.20". Retrieved August 11, 2005.
^ Military.cz (2005). "Miles M.20". Retrieved August 11, 2005.