07-2021 FAIREY BATTLE MK.I

The Fairey Battle was a British single-engine tactical and field support bomber of all metal construction with a retractable landing gear. It was created as an implementation of the RAF command concept of a fast and light bomber, which, thanks to its high speed, would be able to attack the enemy without escorting fighters. The prototype, with the 1030HP Rolls-Royce Merlin I engine, flew on March 10, 1936. At the end of this year, the plane was put into mass production. 2,185 units were produced in the years 1936-1940. In total, several versions of the Fairey Battle aircraft were created. The combat versions were marked from Mk.I to Mk.V, they differed only in the use of successive versions of the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine with increasing power. There was also a "T" (training) and "TT" version designed for towing targets. Fairey Battle machines were used during the fighting in the West in 1939-1940. However, during the French campaign, they suffered huge losses due to their poor protective armament, lack of armor and incorrect use of these aircraft (attacks on heavily defended objects without fighter cover). In preparation for the German invasion of Albion, they were used as night bombers to destroy enemy barges and landing craft. After 1940, they only served as training and target tugboats. Technical data (version Mk.II): Maximum speed: 413 km / h, climb speed: 6.18 m / s, maximum ceiling 7620 m, maximum range: 1610 km, armament: fixed - 2 Vickers cal.7 machine gun, 7mm, suspended - up to 670 kg of bombs.