Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.4
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2018}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2018}}
| {{Infobox Aircraft Begin
| name=F.E.4 | image= | caption= }}{{Infobox Aircraft Type | type=Ground attack fighter | national origin=United Kingdom | manufacturer=Royal Aircraft Factory | designer= | first flight=1916 | introduced= | retired= | status= | primary user= | number built=2 | developed from= | variants with their own articles= }} |
The Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.4 was a twin-engine biplane aircraft built by the Royal Aircraft Factory in 1916. Intended as a cannon armed ground-attack aircraft, it was unsuccessful, only two being built.
Design and development
Shortly after the outbreak of the First World War, the Royal Aircraft Factory began development of the F.E.4, a twin engined aircraft intended for ground attack to be armed with a COW autocannon.
The design had large two-bay biplane wings, with the longer upper wing fitted with strut-braced extensions that could be folded down during hangar storage. The lower wing was attached to the fuselage halfway up, so the aircraft sat close to the ground. In addition to the conventional landing gear there was a set of wheels mounted to the nose of the fuselage, to prevent damage if it tipped forward. The tailplane was large, with a central fin and two additional vertical surfaces for rudders.Mason 1992, pp.82-83.
The fuselage housed a crew of three, with the pilot and forward gunner sat in tandem in a large forward cockpit with dual controls. Despite a limited field of fire caused by being sat behind the pilot, the forward gunner was to be armed with two Lewis guns and a COW gun. A rear gunner sat behind the wings in a second cockpit.Mason 1992, p.83.
The two engines, RAF 5s,These were effectively a pusher version of the RAF 4A engine, with a supplemental cooling fan to ensure an adequate airflow. Bruce 1957, p.402. were installed just above the lower wing in a pusher configuration.
The first F.E.4 was built in March 1916, and the second in July 1916. The second aircraft was fitted with Rolls-Royce engines, and did not include the rear cockpit. The intention was to put the rear gunner in an elevated section mounted above the wings, accessible by a ladder and hole in the upper wing, but this was never built.
Both aircraft were tested at Central Flying School beginning in May 1916, but neither performed well. In September 1916 the second F.E.4 was fitted with bomb-carrying equipment for further testing. Designs were created for engine upgrades, intended for RAF 3As, RAF 4As or RAF 4Bs, but no work was actually done.Bruce, 1959. p 335.
Specifications (RAF 5)
{{Aircraft specs
|ref=Bruce, 1959. p 335.
|prime units? = imp
|crew=3
|length m=11.65
|length ft=38
|length in=2.5
|span m=23.49
|span ft=75
|span in=2
|height m=5.11
|height note=Bruce 1957, p.404.|height ft=16
|height in=9
|wing area sqm=95.9
|wing area sqft=1,032
|empty weight kg=1,706
|empty weight lb=3,754
|gross weight kg=3,557
|gross weight lb=7,825
|eng1 number=2
|eng1 name=RAF 5 12-cylinder air-cooled V-12 piston engines
|eng1 kw=112
|eng1 hp=150
|max speed kmh=136
|max speed mph=84.3
|ceiling m=3,660
|ceiling ft=12,000
|ceiling note=|climb rate ms=0.81
|climb rate ftmin=160
|armament = *1× 1.5 pounder COW gun and 2× .303 in Lewis guns in front cockpit
- 1× Lewis gun in rear cockpit
}}
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|related=
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References
=Notes=
{{reflist}}
=Bibliography=
{{refbegin}}
- {{citation|last=Bruce|first=J.M|title=British Aeroplanes 1914-18 |year=1957| publisher=Putnam| location=London}}
- {{Citation | last =Bruce | first =J.M. | publication-date =September 1959 |date= September 1959 | title =The F.E.4 | periodical = Air Pictorial | series =Aircraft of the 1914-18 War | volume =21 | issue =9 | pages =335 }}
- {{citation|last=Mason|first=Francis K|title=The British Fighter since 1912|year=1992|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland, USA|isbn=1-55750-082-7}}
{{refend}}
{{Royal Aircraft Factory aircraft}}
Category:1910s British fighter aircraft