Post by Diarist on Jul 20, 2014 11:27:08 GMT 1
Design and development
The Gloster S.S.18 first flew in January 1929. The Gauntlet is a development of the Gloster S.S.19B design, which originally mounted six machine guns (i.e. four in the wings and two in the fuselage). The original S.S.19 prototype being re-engined with a Bristol Mercury VIS engine, first flying in this form in 1933. On testing the S.S.19, the Air Ministry placed an order for 24 aircraft in September 1933, to be named the "Gauntlet".
This initial order was followed up with orders for the revised Gauntlet Mk. II. This new model used a revised construction method based on that used by Hawker following Hawker's takeover of Gloster, as this was much easier to build and repair than Gloster's welded structure. A total of 204 Mk IIs were produced in the UK.
General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 26 ft 5 in (8.05 m)
Wingspan: 32 ft 9½ in (10.0 m)
Height: 10 ft 3 in (3.13 m)
Wing area: 315 ft² (29.3 m²)
Empty weight: 2,770 lb (1,259 kg)
Loaded weight: 3,970 lb (1,805 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Bristol Mercury VI S2 9-cylinder radial engine, 645 hp (481 kW)
Performance
Maximum speed: 200 knots (230 mph, 370 km/h) at 15,800 ft (4,820 m)
Range: 400 nm [3] (460 mi, 740 km)
Service ceiling: 33,500 ft (10,210 m)
Rate of climb: 2,300 ft/min [3] (11.7 m/s)
Wing loading: 12.6 lb/ft² (61.6 kg/m²)
Power/mass: 0.162 hp/lb ( 266 W/kg)
Climb to 20,000 ft (6,100 m): 9 min
Armament
Guns: Two x 0.303 in Vickers machine guns
Source: Wikipedia - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloster_Gauntlet