Fairey Firefly
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The Fairey Firefly was a World War II-era carrier-borne fighter aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm. It was superior in performance and firepower to its predecessor, the Fairey Fulmar, but did not enter operational service until towards the end of the war. It remained a mainstay of the FAA until 1950.
The Firefly was designed by H.E. Chapman at Fairey Aviation in 1940 and in June of that year the Admiralty ordered 200 of the aircraft to meet Specification N.5/40. The prototype of the Mk.I Firefly flew on December 22, 1941. Although it was two tons heavier than the Fulmar (due largely to its armament of two 20mm cannon in each wing), the Firefly was 40 mph (64 km/h) faster due to improved aerodynamics and a more powerful engine; the 1,730 hp (1290 kW) Rolls-Royce Griffon IIB. In March 1943 the first Firefly Mk.Is were delivered but they did not enter operational service until July 1944 when they equipped No. 1770 Squadron aboard HMS Indefatigable.
Two variants of the Mk.I Firefly were built; 429 "fighter" Firefly F Mk.Is, built by Fairey and General Aircraft Ltd, and 376 "fighter/reconnaissance" Firefly FR Mk.Is (which were fitted with the ASH detection radar). The last 334 Mk.Is built were upgraded with the 1,765 hp (1,316 kW) Griffon XII engine.
Only 37 Mk.II Fireflies were built, all of which were night fighter Firefly NF Mk.IIs. They had a slightly longer fuselage than the Mk.I and had modifications to house their airborne interception radar, however, they were superseded by the "night fighter" Firefly NF Mk.I variant. A Firefly Mk.III was proposed, based on the Griffon 61 engine, but never entered production. The final model was the Firefly Mk.IV which was equipped with the 2,330 hp (1,740 kW) Griffon 72 engine and first flew in 1944, however it did not enter service until after the end of the war.
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Specifications (Mk.I)
General characteristics
- Crew: two
- Length: 11.46 m (37 ft 7 in)
- Wingspan: 13.56 m (44 ft 6 in)
- Height: 4.14 m (13 ft 7 in)
- Wing area: m² ( ft²)
- Empty: kg ( lb)
- Loaded: kg ( lb)
- Maximum takeoff: 6,359 kg (14,020 lb)
- Powerplant: 1x Rolls-Royce Griffon IIB 12-cylinder Vee-type engine, 1,290 kW (1,730 hp)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 509 km/h at 4,300 m (316 mph at 14,000 ft)
- Range: 1,722 km (1,070 miles) with auxiliary tanks.
- Service ceiling: 8,530 m (28,000 ft)
- Rate of climb: m/min ( ft/min)
- Wing loading: kg/m² ( lb/ft²)
- Power/Mass:
Armament
- 4 x 20 mm Hispano cannon
- 1 x 1,000 lb (450 kg) bomb
- 8 x 60 lb (27 kg) rockets
Related content
Related development: None
Comparable aircraft: Fairey Fulmar
Designation sequence: Albacore - Barracuda - Firefly - Spearfish - Gyrodyne
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