Westland C.O.W. Gun Fighter
| C.O.W. Gun Fighter | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Role | Interceptor |
| Manufacturer | Westland Aircraft |
| First flight | December 1930 |
| Status | Prototype only |
| Number built | 1 |
| Developed from | Westland Interceptor |
The Westland C.O.W. Gun Fighter was an attempt to produce a fighter aircraft armed with a heavy calibre gun. The Coventry Ordnance Works (COW) 37 mm automatic gun was developed for this purpose.
Design and development
The design was in response to Air Ministry specification F.29/27. The design was an open cockpit single engined metal monoplane with fabric covering. The aircraft design had already been submitted for specification F.20/27 as the Westland Interceptor but had lost out to the Gloster Gauntlet. The gun was in the fuselage and fired up at an angle, in order to attack bombers from below. The plane first flew at the end of 1930 but the trials did not give satisfactory results to continue with the idea.
The COW gun had been developed by 1918 for use in aircraft and had been trialled on the Airco DH.4.
Specifications (C.O.W. Gun Fighter)
Data from Westland Aircraft since 1915 [1]
General characteristics
- Crew: One
- Length: 29 ft 10 in (9.10 m)
- Wingspan: 40 ft 10 in (12.45 m)
- Height: 10 ft 7 in (3.23 m)
- Wing area: 223 ft² (20.7 m²)
- Airfoil: RAF 34 [2]
- Empty weight: 2,615 lb (1,189 kg)
- Loaded weight: 3,885 lb (1,786 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × Bristol Mercury IIIA nine-cylinder air-cooled radial engine, 485 hp (362 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 185 mph (161 knots, 299 km/h) at 13,000 ft (3,960 m)
- Service ceiling: 27,900 ft[3] (8,500 m) (Absolute ceiling: 29,400 ft (8,960 m)
- Wing loading: 17.4 lb/ft² (86.3 kg/m²)
- Power/mass: 0.12 hp/lb (0.30 kW/kg)
- Climb to 10,000 ft (3,050 m): 7 min
Armament
- Guns: One fixed upward firing 1½ lb (37 mm) COW 37 mm gun with 39 rounds
See also
- Related development
- Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
References
- James, Derek N. Westland Aircraft since 1915. London: Putnam, 1991. ISBN 0-85177-847-X.
- Mason, Francis K. The British Fighter since 1912. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1992. ISBN 1-55750-082-7.
External links
- British Aircraft Directory Accessed 1 Feb 2007
- Westland history Accessed 1 Feb 2007
- http://users.skynet.be/Emmanuel.Gustin/history/NoAllowance.html Accessed 1 Feb 2007
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