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About the aircraft Fairey Firefly AS-5 |
Photo from Canadian Navy |
| Introduced: |
| Type: |
Manufacturer: Fairey Aviation Co Ltd, Middlesex, UK
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Weight:
Empty weight: 9,859 lb (4,472 kg)
Loaded weight: 13,200 lb (6,000 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 16,096 lb (7,301 kg)
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Dimensions:
Length: 38 ft 9 in (11.8 m)
Wingspan: 41 ft 2 in (12.55 m)
Height: 14 ft 4 in (4.37 m)
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| Role: Carrier-borne fighter, anti-submarine and reconnaissance aircraft. |
| Crew: 2 |
| Engine: One 2,259hp Rolls Royce Griffon 74 |
Performance:
Maximum speed: 386 mph at 14,000 ft (618 km/h at 4,300 m)
Range: 1,300 miles (1,722 km) when fitted with auxiliary fuel tanks
Service ceiling: 31,900 ft (9,723 m)
Rate of climb: 1,900 ft/min (9.7 m/s)
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Armament:
Guns: 4 x 20 mm cannon
Bombs: 2 x 1,000 lb bombs or 16 x 60 lb rockets
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| Camouflage: See drawing |
Primary users:
United Kingdom
Australia
Thailand
Canada
Denmark
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| Source: |
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| More Information: |
| http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairey_Firefly#Operators |
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| The Fairey Firefly was a WW2 Royal Navy carrier-borne fighter introduced in late 1943 to replace the Fairey Fulmar, it remained in production until 1955 at which time 1,702 aircraft had been produced, it was finally retired from RN service in 1958 it's last role being anti-submarine and was replaced by the turbo-prop Fairey Gannet. It is of note that Fireflies gave fighter cover to the famous attack by Fairey Swordfish on the German battleship Tirpitz in 1944. |
| Variants: |
Firefly I / FR.I
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.
Firefly F.Mk 1A
Firefly NF.Mk II
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 (AI) radar.
Firefly NF.Mk I
The NF.II was superseded by the Firefly NF Mk I "night fighter" variant.
Firefly T.Mk 1
Two-seat pilot training aircraft. Post-war conversion of the Firefly Mk I.
Firefly T.Mk 2
Armed operational training aircraft. Post-war conversion of the Firefly Mk I.
Firefly T.Mk 3
Used for Anti-submarine warfare training. Postwar conversion of the Firefly Mk I.
Firefly TT.Mk I
Postwar, a small number of Firefly Mk Is were converted into target tug aircraft.
Firefly Mk III
A Firefly Mk III was proposed, based on the Griffon 61 engine, but never entered production.
Firefly Mk IV
The Firefly Mk IV was equipped with the 2,330 hp (1,740 kW) Griffon 72 engine and first flew in 1944, but did not enter service until after the end of the war.
Firefly FR.Mk 4
Fighter-reconnaissance version based on the Firefly Mk IV.
Firefly Mk 5
Firefly NF.Mk 5
Night fighter version based on the Firefly Mk 5.
Firefly RF.Mk 5
Reconnaissance fighter version based on the Firefly Mk 5.
Firefly AS.Mk 5
The later Firefly AS.Mk 5 was an anti-submarine aircraft, which carried American sonobuoys and equipment.
Firefly Mk 6
Firefly AS.Mk 6
The Fairefly AS.Mk 6 was an anti-submarine aircraft, which carried British equipment.
Firefly TT.Mk 4/5/6
Small numbers of AS.4/5/6s were converted into target tug aircraft.
Firefly AS.Mk 7
The Firefly AS.Mk 7 was an anti-submarine aircraft, powered by a Rolls-Royce Griffin 59 piston engine.
Firefly T.Mk 7
The Firefly T.Mk 7 was an interim ASW training aircraft.
Firefly U.Mk 8
The Firefly U.Mk 8 was a target drone aircraft; 34 Firefly T.7s were diverted on the production line for completion as target drones.
Firefly U.Mk 9
The Firefly U.Mk 9 was a target drone aircraft; 40 existing Firefly Mk AS.4 and AS.5 aircraft were converted to this role.
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