British WWII's fighters

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Blackburn B-24 Skua

A rugged monoplane dive bomber. Advanced in concept, it was nevertheless nearing obsolescence when it entered service. The Skua was a low-wing monoplane with a distinctive 'greenhouse' cockpit. Originally intended to act also as two-seat fighter, it was clearly unsuitable for that role. The German cruiser Koenigsberg had the dubious honour, on 10 April 1940, to be the first large warship sunk by aircraft --- 16 Skuas.

All types was removed from first-line service in 1941.

Blackburn B-25 Roc

Fighter developed from 136 aircrafts Skua, armed with a four-gun turret. This shipboard equivalent to the Defiant suffered not only from a bad tactical concept but also from having ridiculous performance for a fighter. After a few months it was relegated to training duties. The Roc could be equipped with floats, but only three ever were.

General characteristics Skua II
Primary function	Dive bomber
Power plant	One 9cylinder Bristol Perseus XII radial engine
Thrust	905 HP		675 kW
Wingspan	46.2 ft		14.07 m
Length	35.6 ft		10.85 m
Height	12.4 ft		3.79 m
Wingarea	312 sq ft		28.98 sq m
Weight	empty	5,490 lb	2,490 kg
	max.	8,228 lb	3,732 kg
Speed	225 mph		362 km/h
Ceiling	19,095 ft		5,820 m
Range	800 mi		1,287 km
Armament	5x 7.7mm machine gun;1x 227 kg bomb or 8x 14 kg bombs
Crew	Two
First flight	9.2.1937
Date deployed	November 1938
Number built	192
General characteristics Roc
Primary function	Fighter
Power plant	One 9cylinder Bristol Perseus XII radial engine
Thrust	905 HP		675 kW
Wingspan	46 ft		14.02 m
Length	35 ft		10.67 m
Height	12.4 ft		3.79 m
Wingarea	310 sq ft		28.8 sq m
Weight	empty	5,018 lb	2,276 kg
	max.	8,800 lb	3,992 kg
Speed	196 mph		315 km/h
Ceiling	17,720 ft		5,400 m
Range	800 mi		1,287 km
Armament	4x 7.7mm machine gun; 110 kg bombs
Crew	Two
First flight	23.12.1938
Date deployed	April 1939
Number built	136

Jirka Wagner