British WWII's fighters

QUICK LINKS

Westland Welkin

High altitude fighter. The design of the Welkin was based on the configuration of the Whirlwind, with high-aspect ratio, long-span wings and Merlin engines. The engines and propellors proved to be unreliable, and the wing was too thick, resulting in a low limiting Mach number. Because the high-flying bomber treat never materialized, the 67 Welkins built were kept in storage. Later Westland built a prototype of a two-seat nightfighter version, but the development of the advanced cabin pressurisation system was the only real benefit from this project.

General characteristics Welkin F Mk. I
Primary function	Fighter
Power plant	Two R.R. Merlin 61
Wingspan	70 ft		21.34 m
Length	41.5 ft		12.65 m
Height	15.3 ft		4.65 m
Wingarea	460 sq ft		42.73 sq m
Weight	empty	14,375 lb	6,520 kg
	max.	19,775 lb	8,970 kg
Speed	387 mph		623 km/h
Ceiling	44,000 ft		13,410 m
Range	1,491 mi		2,400 km
Armament	4x 20mm cannon
Crew	One
Date deployed	1943
Number built	67

Jirka Wagner