Blackburn Skua
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| Blackburn Skua | ||
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| Description | ||
| Role | Dive-bomber; fighter; target-tower | |
| Crew | 2 | |
| First Flight | February 9, 1937 | |
| Entered Service | August 28, 1938 | |
| Manufacturer | Blackburn Aircraft Ltd | |
| Dimensions | ||
| Length | 35 ft 7 in | 10.8 m |
| Wingspan | 46 ft 2 in | 14.1 m |
| Height | 14 ft 2 in | 4.3 m |
| Wing area | 312 ft² | 29.0 m² |
| Weights | ||
| Empty | 5,490 lb | 2,490 kg |
| Loaded | 8,228 lb | 3,730 kg |
| Maximum takeoff | lb | kg |
| Powerplant | ||
| Engine | Bristol Perseus XII | |
| Power | 905 hp | 675 kW |
| Performance | ||
| Maximum speed | 225 mph @ 6,500 ft | 360 km/h @ 2,000 m |
| Combat range | 800 miles | 1,290 km |
| Ferry range | miles | km |
| Service ceiling | 20,200 ft | 6,150 m |
| Rate of climb | ft/min | m/min |
| Wing loading | 26.4 lb/ft² | 128 kg/m² |
| Power/Mass | 0.11 hp/lb | 0.18 kW/kg |
| Armament | ||
| Guns | 4 × 0.303 in (7.62 mm) forward-firing machine guns
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| Bombs | 500 lb | 225 kg |
The Blackburn Skua was a combat aircraft operated by the Fleet Air Arm. The prototype first flew in 1937 with a Bristol Mercury powerplant, but production models used the Bristol Perseus.
Built to specification O 4/34 it was a radical development for the FAA, being of all-metal construction and their first service monoplane.
192 Skuas were built. Skuas are credited with shooting down the first enemy aircraft of the Second World War, a Dornier Do 18 downed on September 26, 1939. On April 10, 1940 16 Skuas flying from the Orkney Islands sank the German cruiser Königsberg in Bergen Harbour during the invasion of Norway. This was the first large warship sunk by allied forces in the war.
The Skua suffered heavy losses when confronted with modern fighters, particularly the Messerschmitt Bf 109, and they were withdrawn from front-line service in 1941.
External link
- Fleet Air Arm Archive - Blackburn Skua (http://www.fleetairarmarchive.net/Aircraft/Skua.htm)
| Related content | |
|---|---|
| Related Development | Blackburn Roc |
| Similar Aircraft | |
| Designation Series | |
| Related Lists | List of aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm |
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