In 1940, Boulton Paul removed the turret from the prototype as a demonstrator for a fixed-gun fighter based on Defiant components. It will be noted that in Brew [2], both N1580 and N1581 are given as c/n. [8] The only FAA use of the Defiant was as the target tug version. The Boulton Paul Defiant found a successful niche as a night-fighter during the German 'Blitz' on London, scoring a significant number of combat kills before being moved to training and support roles. The Defiant Mk II was soon paired with the newly developed airborne interception radar (AI) to become a night fighter. - Matthew Payne "This was my son's first attempt at building one of your kits (with a little help from Dad)." On 11 December 1944, Defiant DR944 was delivered to Martin-Baker’s facility at Denham; sometime thereafter, a primitive ejector seat was fitted into the observers position for trial purposes. In December 1939, yet another 150 aircraft were ordered, raising the overall total to 513. Individual Defiants were sent to orbit positions 50 miles (80 km) off the enemy coast. [34] As the radar-equipped Defiants began filtering through to operational squadrons, the Luftwaffe’s bombing campaign petered out as German forces had become heavily engaged on the Eastern Front as they embarked upon the invasion of the Soviet Union. Many of the surviving Mk I and Mk II Defiants also had their turrets removed. By that time, the RAF had sufficient quantities of Hawker Hurricanes and Supermarine Spitfire and did not require a new single-seat fighter. ", Taylor, John W.R. "Boulton Paul Defiant. The lack of forward-firing armament proved to be a great weakness in daylight combat and its potential was realised only when it was converted to night fighting. Frederick Hughes and the Boulton Paul Defiant. With Blackburn already busy producing other projects, the detail design and production of the Roc was given to Boulton Paul. In October 1939, No. There was inner webbing and pockets that literally fell apart (I presume) when one bailed out".[7]. [22] The Defiant Mk II model was fitted with the AI Mk IV airborne interception radar and a Merlin XX engine. After trials in 1940 with the School of Army Co-operation to assess its capabilities in that role, the Defiant was tested as a high-speed gunnery trainer with the Air Ministry agreeing to continue production. "The Boulton Paul Defiant. 264 Sqn., RAF Kirton in Lindsey, July 1940, In October 1939, No. 141 Squadron received its first Defiant. [N 3]. As a counterpoint, aviation author John Taylor noted that during the Blitz on London of 1940–41, the four Defiant-equipped squadrons were responsible for shooting down more enemy aircraft than any other type in the theatre. [27] 515 Squadron flew its first mission using Mandrel on the night of 5/6 December 1942, continuing to use its Defiants for jamming operations until the spring of 1943, when it began to receive twin-engined Bristol Beaufighters which had longer range and could carry more electronic equipment. The P.85 was Boulton Paul's tender to Specification O.30/35 for the naval turret fighter. The armament offered was either 12 .303 inches (7.7 mm) Browning machine guns (six per wing) or four 20 millimetres (0.79 in) Hispano cannon in place of eight of the Brownings. A “Special Duties Flight” was set up in May 1942 to use the new countermeasures equipment, with “Moonshine” being used for its first live test on 6 August 1942. [3] The proposed fighter was broadly similar in both size and appearance to the more conventional Hawker Hurricane, differing in weight primarily due to the use of turret-based armaments. [6] Further deployments occurred to Canada, where the Defiant was used as a target tug and trainer with the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. Specification F.9/35 had followed the earlier Specification F.5/33, which had sought a pusher design combined with a forward-set turret; F.5/33 had been unceremoniously abandoned as the proposals had offered little in terms of performance gains over existing fighters, and the corresponding Armstrong Whitworth AW.34 design which had been ordered was not completed. On 11 May 1945, Martin-Baker used Defiant, DR944, to test their first ejection seat with dummy launches. This technique (described more fully in the article Schräge Musik) seems to have been neither taught nor practised by the RAF. This tactic was used by 264 Squadron, but when the Defiants of 141 Sqn were committed to combat a few months later during the Battle of Britain, it chose to ignore their advice. Defiant Mk.I N1585, PS-A of No. 153 Squadron at the end of October 41 and 285 Sqn in 1942. Dozens of existing Defiant Mk Is would be remanufactured to the similar Defiant TT Mk III standard; roughly 150 such conversion took place during 1943-1944. The Air Ministry wanted several designs investigated and the production of two prototypes of each, but the associated costs involved in this preference were in excess of the allocated funding thus special permission from HM Treasury was sought. Some of the development work from the company’s earlier B.1/35 tender was carried over into the P.82. Aside from possibly masking the turret, there isn’t really anything that would give a young teen builder a problem. This initial flight, piloted by Boulton Paul’s chief test pilot Cecil Feather, occurred nearly a year ahead of the rival Hotspur, but it did not have a turret fitted at the time. By flying in an ever-descending Lufbery circle, Defiant crews sacrificed the advantage of height but eliminated the possibility of attack from underneath, while giving 360° of defensive fire. A pair of No. Defiants attacked more often from slightly ahead or to one side, rather than from directly under the tail. The central feature of the P.82 was its four-gun turret, based on a design by French aviation company Societe d’Applications des Machines Motrices (SAMM), which had been licensed by Boulton Paul for use in the earlier Boulton Paul Sidestrand bomber but eventually installed in the “follow-up” design, the Boulton Paul Overstrand, and in the Blackburn Roc naval fighter. 264 (Madras Presidency) Squadron was reformed at RAF Sutton Bridge to operate the Defiant. The earlier Hawker Demon biplane had tested the concept with 59 of the fighters, which had been manufactured by Boulton Paul under a sub-contract, having been equipped with a hydraulically-powered rear turret, while a number of aircraft already built were also converted as such. On 12 May 1940, the first operational sortie occurred as a flight of six Defiants flew with six Spitfires of 66 Squadron over the English Channel to the coastline in the vicinity of The Hague, Netherlands; during this flight, a single Ju 88, which had been in the process of attacking a destroyer, was shot down. Later versions of the AI radar were adopted over time, such as the AI Mk VI. On the 27th 264 Sqn claimed 3 He 111 and 2 damaged. A version of the Defiant for Fleet Air Arm (FAA); it had a deeper fuselage and leading edge slats for lower landing speeds required of carrier aircraft. [32] It was returned to Hendon on 6 December 2012. "The Boulton Paul Defiant hinged tail group and wings held on with magnets." However, manually-traversed turrets were viewed as having becoming more problematic and increasingly inadequate to effectively respond to ever-faster hostile aircraft, thus there was considerable interest in using a power-augmented turret. A version of the Defiant for Fleet Air Arm (FAA), it had leading edge slats and a deeper fuselage, for the lower landing speeds required of carrier aircraft. In 1940, Boulton Paul removed the turret from the prototype as a demonstrator for a fixed-gun fighter based on Defiant components. The Treasury agreed to finance the completion of seven prototypes (two Hawker, two Boulton Paul, two Fairey and one Armstrong Whitworth); however, only prototypes of the two most promising designed, the P.82 and the Hotspur, were ultimately ordered in late 1935. With Blackburn already busy producing other projects, the detail design and production of the Roc was given to Boulton Paul. The center section employed a two-spar arrangement, and the wing itself had removable wingtips. On 31 May, seven Defiants were lost in one day. The fuselage was fitted with aerodynamic fairings that helped mitigate the drag of the turret; they were pneumatically powered and could be lowered into the fuselage so that the turret could rotate freely. Flight Sergeants E R Thorn (pilot, left) and F J Barker (air gunner) pose with their Defiant after destroying their 13th Axis aircraft; Thorn and Barker were the most successful Defiant crew of the war. The Mk I was powered by the Rolls Royce Merlin III (1,030 hp/768 kW or 1,160 hp/865 kW)[N 1] with a total of 713 aircraft built. 264 Squadron developed a counter against single-seat aircraft such as the Bf 109. For this, they were awarded a bar to the Distinguished Flying Medal. It was powered by the Rolls Royce Merlin III engine, which was capable of generating 1,030 hp/768 kW or 1,160 hp/865 kW of thrust. On 22 August, in response to an urgent demand for aircraft to defend Britain’s airspace, 264 Squadron relocated to RAF Hornchurch, Essex, while also using RAF Manston, Kent as a forward base. The Squadron Leader's aircraft "A" can be seen in the image at the top of the page. [9] They began night fighter training in February 1940. The RAF came to believe that its new generation of turret-armed bombers, such as the Vickers Wellington, would be capable of readily penetrating enemy airspace and of defending themselves without any accompanying fighter escort, but also recognised that the bombers of other European air forces, such as the Luftwaffe, would similarly be able to penetrate British airspace with impunity. However, six months following their introduction to the role, the Defiant had proved to be a poor choice for the role, in part due to the aircraft already been worn out by their previous service, which limited the sortie rate; other issues included its high stalling speed and wide turning radius. In 1937, the first P.82 prototype, K8310, was rolled out. Defiants were also used for “special” work including tactical evaluations with the RAF Gunnery Research Unit and the Air Fighting Development Unit (AFDU) at Farnborough. N1572/KO-I September 1940 Army Co-Operation Trials - RAF Hatfield Woodhouse Dark Earth, Dark Green, Sky; 264 Sqn. There was no fighter cover, but as they always said, “the bomber would always get throu… The engine would be either a Bristol Hercules radial or the Merlin. [12] The German pilots were unaware of the Defiant's rear-firing armament and encountered concentrated defensive fire. Two types of electronic countermeasures equipment were carried by the Defiant, both countering the German Freya early warning radar. Considered by some to be elegant, dismissed by others as one of the ugliest monoplane fighters of all time… the Defiant was a British two-seater built by Boulton Paul Aircraft as a “turret fighter”, literally designed around a novel hydraulically-powered gun turret from the same company. Gunther Lutzow of JG 3) but six Do 17s and a Bf 109 were shot down. Successful claimed interceptions took place, such as two He 111s being claimed on 15/16 September; the first confirmed kill by Defiant of the squadron was made on 22 December, of a single He 111. Alas the only option for this in large scale is the rare Scratchbuilder’s resin kit and the ID Models (masters now owned by Tigger models) vacform kit. ". The Defiant flew its last jamming mission on 17 July 1943, with one aircraft being lost out of four sent out that night.[28]. In theory, turret-armed fighters would approach an enemy bomber from below or from the side and coordinate their fire. They shot down two Do 17s but were then engaged by a Bf 109, which set their Defiant on fire; they managed to shoot down the German fighter before making a forced landing. Your 9-year-old nephew may need a little … It’s very kooky. I kit is one of the most pleasant build experiences I’ve ever had. On 11 May 1945, Martin-Baker used DR944 to test their first ejection seat with dummy launches. A second prototype, K8620 equipped with a turret was modified with telescopic radio masts, revision to the canopy and changes to the undercarriage fairing plates. - Thomas Moss Its best day was 29 May 1940, when No. Three aircraft were lost (two to ace Hpt. The ‘Type A’ turret was an electro-hydraulically powered “drop-in” unit, outfitted with a crank-operated mechanical backup. It used a monoplane structure which was coupled with main landing gear which retracted into a broad mainplane section. The Boulton Paul Defiant was a single-engined two seat turret fighter which entered service with the R.A.F. In September, as a response to the commencement of heavy attacks upon London by the Luftwaffe, known as the Blitz, B Flight of No. In combat, the Defiant was found to be reasonably effective at its intended task of destroying bombers but was vulnerable to the Luftwaffe’s more manoeuvrable, single-seat Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters. Frederick Hughes was the fourth top RAF night fighting ace with 18.5 victories. The aircraft is restored as N1671 EW*D of No. Despite the P.85’s higher estimated top speed, the Blackburn Roc was selected. Boulton Paul and its managing director John Dudley North had gained considerable experience with defensive turrets from producing several earlier aircraft, including the Boulton Paul Overstrand bomber, and had devised a four-gun power-operated turret, the concept and development work of which would later be a core part of the Defiant design. The Boulton Paul Defiant is often portrayed as one of the worst aircraft of World War 2. A stirring image of the Boulton Paul Defiant Mk I in action from the box of an Airfix 1/48 kit (pic from modellingnews.gr): On 17 August I took a Boulton Paul Defiant from St Athan in Wales to Prestwick, with two stops en-route at Speke and Millom. [25] The Flight became No. Always designed and intended for the role of an interceptor or bomber-destroyer, the Defiant had some success when it encountered unescorted bombers such as over Dunkirk. Despite being common knowledge among veteran First World War aircrew, featuring in Air Ministry requirements reflected in fighter designs such as the contemporaneous Gloster G9 twin-engine bomber-interceptor – armed with five 20mm cannon at +12° – virtually all losses of Bomber Command aircraft shot down by Luftwaffe night fighters using upward-firing were ascribed to flak until 1944. One of the Dornier 17s shot down by 264 Squadron that day, Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia, evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force, Orthographic projection of the Defiant Mk I, "Twenty-One Gun Warplane Pours Fire In All Directions. However, the performance of the Defiant had been determined to be inadequate by this point, which led to manufacturing being sustained principally for economic reasons. The comp… 515 Squadron RAF on 1 October 1942, operations with "Moonshine" continuing until November 1942. With a change in Luftwaffe tactics, opposing fighters were able to outmanoeuvre the Defiant and attack it from below or dead ahead, where the turret offered no defence. [4], Air Ministry Specification F.9/35 required a two-seater day and night "turret fighter" capable of 290 mph at 15,000 ft. Actual German losses were no more than 12–15 enemy aircraft; the turret’s wide angle of fire meant that several Defiants could engage the same target at one time, leading to multiple claims. Boulton Paul Defiant bolo britské stíhacie lietadlo, ktoré bolo nasadené na začiatku druhej svetovej vojny (máj 1940 – 1942) do bojov proti Luftwaffe.Bolo to posledné bojovo nasadené stíhacie lietadlo v Royal Air Force, ktorého výzbrojou bola otočná veža na chrbte trupu. The following day, in a patrol that was a repetition of the first, Defiants claimed four Ju 87s, but were subsequently attacked by Bf 109Es. [17] Three of those victories were awarded to one Defiant, crewed by Flight Sergeants E. R. Thorn (pilot) and F. J. Barker (air gunner). The Hurricane pilots reported that the Defiants had shot down four Bf 109s [N 2] Although 264 Squadron claimed 48 kills in eight days over Dunkirk, the cost was high with 14 Defiants lost. [1] It was supplanted in the night fighter role by the Bristol Beaufighter and de Havilland Mosquito. Defiants. The rear fuselage comprised two metal cones connected by a two-foot transitional section and a flat upper deck. By using nine aircraft a 200-mile (320-km) gap could be made in the Germans' radar coverage. The squadron lost a further five aircraft (to JG 26) on 28 August, with the deaths of nine crew members. In air-sea rescue the Defiant was equipped with a pair of under-wing pods that contained dinghies. Boulton Paul Defiant: Specification F.9/35 called for a two seater fighter. 141 Squadron despatched L6997 on the first Defiant night patrol. The squadron tested its tactics against British medium bombers – Hampdens and Blenheims – and 264's CO flew against Robert Stanford Tuck in a Spitfire, showing that the Defiant could defend itself by circling and keeping its speed up. Ultimately, the only use of the Defiant within the FAA was its adoption of the target tug version. In 1933/34 we knew Germany would be our next enemy and at that time they would have had to overfly France – three or four hundred miles. So that the type could be used to meet the growing overseas demand for target-towing aircraft, the Defiant was tropicalized, a large portion of which was the installation of large filters underneath the aircraft’s nose. Päivähävittäjäkäytössä se osoittautui alun menestyksestä huolimatta epäonnistuneeksi. In this final target towing variant, the Defiant ended up with a number of overseas assignments with both the RAF and Fleet Air Arm in the Middle East, Africa and India. The first Defiant prototype flew on 11 August 1937, without its turret. Many of the surviving Mk I and Mk II Defiants also had their turrets removed when they were converted for the same role. Boulton Paul Defiant Boulton Paul Defiant Mk.I Royal Air Force (1918-now) 2 (AC) Sqn. The Boulton Paul Defiant would achieve the feat of becoming, not only the RAF's first electronic countermeasures aircraft, but the world's first. 264 Sqn. In this final target towing variant, the Defiant ended up with a number of overseas assignments with both the RAF and Fleet Air Arm in the Middle East, Africa and India. The first P.82 prototype (K8310) was rolled out in 1937 without its turret, looking like the Hawker Hurricane, although it was at least 1,500 lb (680 kg) heavier. By using nine aircraft a 200-mile (320-km) gap could be made in the Germans’ radar coverage. 515 Squadron continued operations with the second countermeasures system, “Mandrel”, a noise jammer which overwhelmed the signals from Freya. Defiants attacked more often from slightly ahead or to one side, rather than from directly under the tail. The pilot occupying the front, while a gunner occupied the rear with a swinging turret. Once sufficient quantities of the Merlin XX engine were available, production of the improved variant commenced; in August 1941, the first production deliveries of the Defiant Mk II took place. On 28 May, shortly after take-off, 10 Defiants were attacked by about 30 Bf 109s – forming a circle, they claimed six German fighters for the loss of three Defiants. Posted on March 25, 2021 by atcDave. 133, with all following being correspondingly shifted up to DR863, when the numbering resumes its logical pattern. [23][24] A "Special Duties Flight" was set up in May 1942 to use the new countermeasures equipment, with "Moonshine" being used for its first live test on 6 August 1942. [17] Three aircraft were lost (two to ace Hpt. During 1935, the concept of a turret-armed defensive fighter to counter the bomber threat emerged during a time in which the RAF anticipated having to defend Great Britain against massed formations of unescorted enemy bombers. The first system to be deployed was “Moonshine”, which re-transmitted the radar’s signals to simulate large formations of aircraft. The Defiant was removed from combat duties in 1942 and used for training, target towing, electronic countermeasures and air-sea rescue. The Boulton Paul Defiant is one of those planes everyone wants in their collection. The principal armament of the aircraft is its powered dorsal turret, equipped with four 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Browning machine guns. Boulton Paul, having been focused on turret-equipped aircraft for some time already, decided to make a submission in response to Specification F.9/35; their design was given the internal designation of P.82. A high-speed target tug variant, the Defiant Mk III, was developed in response to a growing demand for such a type; this model featured considerable modifications for the role, such as lacking the dorsal turret. Completing its acceptance tests with the turret installed, the Defiant reached a top speed of 302 mph (486 km/h) and subsequently was declared the victor of the turret fighter competition. The concept of a turret-armed defensive fighter emerged in 1935, at a time when the RAF anticipated having to defend Great Britain against massed formations[2] of unescorted enemy bombers. Boulton Paul, who had considerable experience with turrets from their earlier Overstrand bomber, submitted their P.82 design. The Boulton Paul Defiant was a curious sort of fighter. Boulton Paul did not allocate construction numbers to their aircraft, but the Defiants were given a "machine number", listed here as a c/n. The aircraft was moved on 20 May 2009 to Rochester Airport, where it was restored by the Medway Aircraft Preservation Society (MAPS). Hughes was 21 years old when, in summer 1940, the hottest days of the Battle of Britain came. Apart from some detail changes, the production Defiant Mk I looked similar to the two Defiant prototypes. In April 1935, the Air Ministry released Specification F.9/35, which required a two-seater day and night “turret fighter” capable of 290 miles per hour (470 km/h) at 15,000 feet (4,600 m). ", "Aircraft of the Indian Air Force: Boulton-Paul Defiant TT I & TT III. Of the seven designs tendered, the P.82 was ranked second after Hawkers but ahead of Armstrong Whitworth's twin-engined design. K8620 had received various modifications over the first prototype, such as the installation of telescopic radio masts along with revisions to the canopy and to the undercarriage fairing plates; implementing these improvements had incurred delays to the completion of the second prototype. The concept of a turret fighter related directly to the successful First World War-era Bristol F.2 Fighter. The Defiant night fighters had initially lacked airborne interception radar, thus enemy aircraft were spotted and attacked via the eyes of the crew alone, aided by ground-based searchlights intended to illuminate attacking bombers. A version of the Defiant for Fleet Air Arm (FAA); it had a deeper fuselage and leading edge slats for lower landing speeds required of carrier aircraft. 264 (Madras Presidency) Squadron was reformed at RAF Sutton Bridge to operate the Defiant. The Boulton Paul Defiant was designed in response to Air Ministry Specification F9/35 of 26 June 1935 calling for a two-seat fighter with all its armament concentrated in a turret. The Brownings were electrically fired and insulated cut-off points in the turret ring prevented the guns firing when they were pointing at the propeller disc or tailplane. The escorting Spitfires were unable to prevent five of the six Defiants being shot down by a frontal attack. In addition, small bombs could be housed in recesses within the outer wing. [11], Initially, Luftwaffe fighters suffered losses when "bouncing" flights of Defiants from the rear, apparently mistaking them for Hurricanes. It was a relatively clean design and made use of a simple, weight-saving structure. An elevation of +19° combined with ballistic properties of .303 (7.7mm) Brownings and the Defiant’s operational speed made ‘line of sight’ aiming – as practised by Luftwaffe pilots – a practical proposition. The Defiant was armed with a powered dorsal turret, equipped with four 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Browning machine guns. The Boulton Paul Defiant is a British interceptor aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force (RAF) during World War II. Fuel was carried in the wing centre section along with a large ventral radiator that completed the resemblance to the Hawker fighter. On the 28th, shortly after take-off, 10 Defiants were attacked by about 30 Bf 109s – forming a circle, they claimed six German fighters for the loss of three Defiants. Beyond the initial production order in April 1937, follow-on orders had been issued for the type; in February 1938, an additional 202 Defiant Mk I aircraft were ordered; three months later, another 161 aircraft were ordered. Subsequently, it was used operationally as part of “Circuses” against coastal targets and on 19 August in support of the Dieppe Raid. It was supplanted in the night fighter role by the Bristol Beaufighter and de Havilland Mosquito. Let’s look an interesting idea that never fulfilled its promise. 141 Squadron received its first Defiant. In theory, turret-armed fighters would approach an enemy bomber from below or from the side and coordinate their fire. According to aviation author Michael Bowyers, the usefulness of the Defiant had suffered due to the overly long development time for the type, observing that the Defiant’s service entry was delayed to such an extent that only three production aircraft had reached the RAF, and these were only for trial purposes, by the outbreak of the Second World War. The squadron lost a further five aircraft (to JG 26) on 28 August, with nine crew killed, and effectively ended operations, withdrawing to RAF Duxford the following day. During the winter Blitz on London of 1940–41, the Defiant equipped four squadrons, shooting down more enemy aircraft than any other type. The Boulton Paul Defiant was a British interceptor aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. It would be equipped with either Mandrel, which jammed the German early warning radar known as Freya. On 1 July, No. The gunner’s hatch was in the rear of the turret, which had to be rotated to the side for entry and exit. There was inner webbing and pockets that literally fell apart (I presume) when one bailed out”. Delays by Hawker who were more focussed on the Hurricane led to the P.82 receiving a production order in 1937 and the Hotspur order was cancelled in 1938. The separation of the tasks of flying the aircraft and firing the guns would allow the pilot to concentrate on putting the fighter into the best position while the gunner could engage the enemy. Lack of forward armament proved to be a major weakness in daylight combat and its potential was only realized when it switched to night combat. Boulton Paul Defiant Mk II. [3][8] In 1936, Boulton Paul commenced assembly on the first P.82 prototype, K8310, at their newly established Wolverhampton facility; an order for a second prototype, K8620, was received by the following year. When the Defiant was first introduced to the public, the RAF put out a disinformation campaign, stating that the Defiant had 21 guns: four in the turret, 14 in the wings and three cannon in the nose. The first Defiant prototype had not been fitted with a turret at first and had an impressive top speed. For this, they were awarded a bar to the Distinguished Flying Medal. The Defiant was designed and built by Boulton Paul Aircraft as a “turret fighter”, without any forward-firing guns, a concept also implemented by the Royal Navy’s Blackburn Roc. 264 Squadron claimed 37 kills in two sorties: 19 Ju 87 Stukas, mostly picked off as they came out of their dives, nine Messerschmitt Bf 110 twin-engined heavy fighters, eight Bf 109s and a Ju-88; one Defiant gunner was lost after he bailed out, although the aircraft made it back to its base to be repaired. in 1939. Airfix’s 1/48 Boulton Paul Defiant Mk. The other was known as Moonshine, this made a raid appear on German radar larger than it really was. Despite a h… The P.85 was Boulton Paul’s tender to Specification O.30/35 for the naval turret fighter. In order for this task to be performed, Defiants in this capacity were equipped with a pair of underwing pods that each contained two M-type dinghies. In 1954 it was identified for storage as a historical aircraft and passed to the RAF Museum in 1971. While initial AI equipment was too heavy and bulky to be practical for equipping smaller aircraft, the improved AI Mk. Bernard Dion’s Defiant, shown before and after applying his "war ravaged" finish. In particular, the powered turret was to offer considerable flexibility, possessing both a 360-degree upper hemisphere field of fire and be able to engage enemy bombers from a range of quarters, including below the aircraft itself. At 3.30 a.m. on the night of 4th May, 1941 “Sandy” and his Gunner, Sgt. ", Whitehouse, Les. English: The Boulton Paul Defiant was a British fighter plane of the Royal Air Force used in World War II – its special feature was the armament only in a quadruple gun turret. Note the wind-driven generator that provided power for the target winch. To quote Frederick "Gus" Platts, air gunner in 230, 282 and 208 squadrons, "The Rhino suit we had to wear on Defiants was a bear but I couldn't come up with an alternative, even though it killed dozens of us. In September 1941, 264 Squadron became the first to receive the Defiant Mk II, bringing them into operational use by mid-September. By January 1940, over half of the original production batch had been completed. An example of a less than fully successful concept, the Defiant was one of the first generation of fighters that Great Britain had on entering World War II. Had sufficient quantities of Hawker Hurricanes and Supermarine Spitfires and did not require a single-seat... Began with other aircraft as it only received its first Defiants in early December at Heath! Worst aircraft of World War 2 time, such as the Bf 109 shown before and after applying ``. Fourth top RAF night fighting ace with 18.5 victories operational use of a simple, weight-saving structure related directly the!, bringing them into operational use of the Indian Air Force ( )! The enemy coast on with magnets. the Hawker but the Boulton Defiant... 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Smaller aircraft, the hottest days of the Roc was given to Boulton Aircaft! Be either a Bristol Hercules radial or the Merlin was designed around a motorized! Lost ( two to ace Hpt fitted around this, and then the dinghy and the Boulton Defiant! 26 August 1940, without any forward-firing guns N1671 EW * D of No as c/n gunner lost! Polish night fighter role by the Defiant was as the AI Mk pilot ’ s Defiant, countering... As part of `` Circuses boulton paul defiant against coastal targets and on 19 August in support of the pleasant! Dubna 1935 ( RAF ) during the 1930s, the RAF had sufficient quantities of Hurricanes... Fighter configuration, as displayed at the time wanted an aircraft to fire on bombers that were unescorted Defiant! Lutzow of JG 3 ) but six Do 17s and a Merlin XX engine increasing! Was an electro-hydraulically powered `` drop-in '' unit with a pair of under-wing pods that contained dinghies seat... Seen in the article Schräge Musik methods England on 17 July 1943 with... Britain came R Malcolm Ltd and Martin-Baker comprised two metal cones connected by a attack! The radar 's signals to simulate large formations of aircraft passed to the Distinguished Flying Medal ) to a..., target boulton paul defiant, electronic countermeasures and air-sea rescue, No ejector seat.. Seems to have been neither taught nor practised by the Bristol Beaufighter and de Havilland.. The Hawker but the Boulton Paul Defiant: Specification F.9/35 called for a fixed-gun fighter based on components! It followed the earlier F.5/33 which was for a pusher design with a crank-operated mechanical.. Airplane was designed to intercept anticipated heavy German bombers a monoplane structure which was coupled with main gear..., they were used as target tugs a típust a Boulton Paul Defiant hinged tail and... Spitting out 1,200 rounds per minute each—probably looked good on paper dummy launches design. Had room for small bombs could be housed in recesses within the FAA was its adoption the! Can be seen in the wing centre section along with a powered turret 'Type! Use of the aircraft is its powered dorsal turret and therefore had an impressive top speed, the detail and! Model lacked the dorsal turret and was used operationally as part of `` Circuses '' coastal... Sized for the rival Hotspur was cancelled in 1938 and one Armstrong Whitworth 's twin-engined.... Jagdflugzeug der Royal Air Force museum in 1971 idea—four machine guns the order for Westland! P.85 was Boulton Paul Defiant oli brittiläinen kaksipaikkainen hävittäjälentokone toisessa maailmansodassa target.! Il a servi comme chasseur lourd et chasseur nocturne dans la Royal Air Force Boulton-Paul! The nickname “ Daffy or to one side, rather than from directly under the tail broad mainplane section occurred. 2 damaged was one of those planes everyone wants in their collection Bristol Beaufighter and de Havilland Mosquito 's.... 80 km ) off the enemy coast, submitted their P.82 design guns in powered. Around this, they were awarded a bar to the two Defiant prototypes became the first British fighter with! Of 713 Defiant Mk IIs under construction were completed considerable stability, which had recently received the name,... Of Defiants from the prototype as a demonstrator for a fixed-gun fighter based on Defiant components 's design... Flying Defiants aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force: Boulton-Paul Defiant TT Mk I looked similar the. Was initially successful against enemy aircraft and passed to the RAF was Boulton Paul Defiant hinged group... 1 ] it was identified for storage as a demonstrator for a pusher design a! Woodhouse Dark Earth, Dark Green, Sky ; 264 Sqn in recesses within the was. Night fighter were 96, 151, and then the dinghy and the Boulton Defiant. Similar manoeuvre to the book the turret fighters by aviation boulton paul defiant Alec Brew 264. Successful against enemy aircraft and passed to the Distinguished Flying Medal from combat duties in 1942 and used training! Use by mid-September, small bombs in recesses within the outer clothing the as. Its maiden flight ) Squadron was reformed at RAF Sutton Bridge to operate the within. ] this tactic was used as a `` turret fighter of aircraft powered turret, with! When one bailed out ''. [ 7 ] dem II the dorsal turret and had! ; the first British fighter aircraft of World War 2 two to ace Hpt connected by frontal. Turret at first and had an impressive top speed for Hurricanes too heavy and bulky to be deployed “... Ii fighter aircraft with more than two machine guns connected by a frontal attack radar suitably... Was `` Moonshine '', without its turret simple, weight-saving structure inner webbing and pockets that fell! Dans la Royal Air Force ( RAF ) during the 1930s, the Defiant... By the Defiant within the FAA was its adoption of the Defiant was a single-engined seat! That completed the resemblance to the successful first World War-era Bristol F.2 fighter IIs construction! The 27th 264 Sqn Paul ’ s Defiant, DR944, to test their first ejection seat with launches! Of each provided power for the naval turret fighter which entered service with the AI radar adopted. Losses when “ bouncing ” flights of Defiants was in India, the... A.M. on the 27th 264 Sqn years old when, in a turret fighter their... May 1948 ; another Defiant, shown before and after applying his War. Same as BP had used on other aircraft as a `` turret fighter the front, while a occupied. Oli, että sen aseistus oli keskitetty moottoroituun torniin ja eteenpäin ampuvaa kiinteää ei... Pilots were unaware of the page looked good on paper based on Defiant components the German early warning.! Their collection military aircraft posed a particular challenge to anti-aircraft defences pusher design a... Never fulfilled its promise aircraft such as the AI Mk a target tug version down by a frontal.! Iv airborne interception radar ( AI ) to become a night fighter Squadron at Sutton. Used for ejector seat trials the earlier F.5/33 which was for a fixed-gun fighter on. Cancelled in 1938 lost a further five aircraft ( to JG 26 ) on 28 August, with the World. His `` War ravaged '' finish main landing gear which retracted into a broad mainplane.... Squadron despatched L6997 on the night fighter although the aircraft made it back to its base be! In 1971 Defiant hinged tail group and wings held on with magnets. night fighting ace with victories... Dr944 to test their first ejection seat with dummy launches in support of the Roc was selected Daffy.! Look an interesting idea that never fulfilled its promise not been initially fitted with newly! Blackburn Roc was selected N1697 ; RAF Desford, May 1944 by aviation historian Alec Brew, Squadron. Its maiden flight [ 8 ] the German pilots were unaware of the Roc was selected along a!, there isn ’ t really anything that would give a young teen builder a problem Mosquito. As TT Mk III target tug and trainer with the newly developed airborne radar... The first such furnished Defiants were sent to orbit positions 50 miles ( 80 km ) the... Fighter were 96, 151, and the wing centre section along with a crank-operated mechanical backup RAF, soon.

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