- Yes
- No
Introduction: The Blackburn Roc is an interesting aircraft on many counts, mainly due to it being a turret-fighter variant of an already somewhat ambitious aircraft. Its service was short, and it had its major issues, yet it remains an interesting footnote in British aviation history.
Background: The British were always interested in the turret-fighter concept, the idea being that these aircraft would exploit dead-zones in a bomber’s defensive arc to maximum effect by providing a stable firing platform. This would allow for the maximum amount of time to fire at a single aircraft, at least in theory. Such a concept was used by the RAF throughout the 1920’s and 30’s, with the most recent aircraft at that point being the Boulton-Paul Defiant. The Royal Navy also needed a replacement for the Hawker Osprey, which had performed the roles of long-range reconnaissance fighter in both land and sea plane variants in the latter part of its career. A requirement was thus drawn up to combine these two needs into a single aircraft, calling for a single-engine, carrier capable monoplane reconnaissance turret fighter. A naval variant of the Defiant was proposed, but it did not meet size-restrictions without significant redesign.
Description: Blackburn put forward a turret-fighter proposal based on the Skua, and it was accepted. Whilst seemingly straightforward on paper, the development of the Roc turned out be everything but. The Skua was already somewhat underpowered, and despite undergoing a weight-loss program, the additional weight brought about by the addition of the turret led to a significant increase in weight over the Skua and thus a major performance penalty. Despite these issues, 136 aircraft were ordered, with the first aircraft flying on 23rd December, 1938. The aircraft would enter squadron service in 1939, alongside Skuas, only to be promptly withdrawn from frontline service in 1940. This was due to the aforementioned lacklustre performance, which prevented it from getting into a position from which it could fire upon an aircraft. The turret fighter concept also missed out on the possibility of escort fighters for the most part. This may have made sense when the concept was drawn up in the 1920’s, when fighters were highly limited by range, but by the end of the 1930’s, this was no longer the case. With all the added weight from the turret and additional crew member, turret-fighters suffered in performance, and this was often exploited by escort fighters. The type proved to be a ‘constant hindrance’ in the words of one officer, and more Skuas were requested as a replacement. Despite their ineffectiveness, they did see some minor success, with one engagement leading to the destruction of a Ju 88, with another damaging He 59 in another engagement. The Roc would take part in target-towing and air-sea rescue before quietly leaving service in 1944.
Performance:
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Conclusion: The Roc would be an interesting low-tier fighter aircraft, with some of its inadequacies being less of an issue in game. Turret-fighters may be somewhat limited, but it is certainly possible to have fun in them; any Sunderland or Hudson player could probably vouch for this.
Sources:
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“The British Fighter since 1912” by Francis K. Mason
https://www.baesystems.com/en/heritage/blackburn-b-25-roc
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