Armstrong Whitworth A.W.29
| A.W.29 | |
|---|---|
| Role | Day bomber |
| National origin | England |
| Manufacturer | Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft |
| First flight | 6 December 1936[1] |
| Number built | 1 prototype |
The Armstrong Whitworth A.W.29 was a British bomber aircraft built by Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft.
Design and development
It was built to satisfy Air Ministry specification P. 27/32, which was for a single-engined long-range day bomber. The A.W.29 was a mid-wing cantilever monoplane. Its front fuselage was a welded tubular steel structure, and the rear fuselage a monocoque light alloy with an unbraced tailplane, fin and rudder. The conventional landing gear was hydraulically retractable by either an engine-driven or hand pump leaving the tyres partially exposed. The long-chord cowled, nose-mounted engine drove a three-bladed propeller.[1][2]
The A.W.29 was a two-crew aircraft. The pilot was seated ahead of the wing leading edge and the gunner/observer in a distant cockpit aft of the spar enclosed in a hand-operated turret. The aft cockpit could be fitted with a second set of controls for flight training.[2]
Not long after the A.W.29's first flight on 6 December 1936, it was damaged in a wheels up landing. Since the Fairey Battle had been awarded the P27/32 contract, the A.W.29 was not repaired to fly again.[1]
Specifications
Data from Air Pictorial Oct. 1958 [3][4][5]
General characteristics
- Crew: 2
- Length: 43 ft 10 in (13.36 m)
- Wingspan: 49 ft 10 in (15.19 m)
- Height: 13 ft 3 in (4.04 m)
- Wing area: 412 sq ft (38.3 m2)
- Empty weight: 9,000 lb (4,082 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × Armstrong Siddeley Tiger VIII , 870 hp (650 kW) at 2,450 rpm
- Propellers: 3-bladed Hamilton metal two-pitch propeller
Performance
- Maximum speed: 225 mph (362 km/h, 196 kn) at 14,700 ft (4,500 m)
- Cruise speed: 208 mph (335 km/h, 181 kn) at 14,700 ft (4,500 m)
- Range: 1,200 mi (1,900 km, 1,000 nmi)
- Ferry range: 1,200 mi (1,900 km, 1,000 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 21,000 ft (6,400 m)
- Rate of climb: 1,100 ft/min (5.6 m/s) at sea level
Armament
- Guns:
- 1× 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis Gun in an Armstrong manual turret
- 1× fixed 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine gun mounted in the wing
- Bombs:
- 2 × 500 lb (230 kg) or
- 4 × 250 lb (110 kg) or
- 4 × 100 lb (45 kg) or
- 4 × 112 lb (51 kg) or
- 4 × 100 lb (45 kg) or
- 4 × 120 lb (54 kg)
References
- ^ a b c Tapper 1973, pp. 203–8
- ^ a b Air Pictorial, pp. 360–361
- ^ "The Armstrong Whitworth A.W.29", Air Pictorial, Lesser Known Types, 20 (10), London, Eng.: 360–361, October 1958
- ^ Tapper, Oliver (1973), Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft since 1913, London: Putnam Publishing, ISBN 0-370-10004-2
- ^ Tapper notes that the performance specifications were estimates, never substantiated by flight tests as the aircraft's life was so short