- Yes
- No
Introduction: As technology progressed, the need to upgrade existing aircraft to keep them ahead of the curve became a persistent issue for all the nations involved in the Second World War. Various modifications were tried out on many different aircraft, including the addition of radar and countermeasures to it. The Fairey Barracuda was no different, with the Mk.III being an upgrade over previous models.
Description: The Fairey Barracuda Mk.III is essentially the same aircraft as the Mk.II, with very few modifications made to the actual aircraft itself. The main change was the addition of a new radar in a bulge underneath the rear fuselage. The radar was the ASV Mk.III air-to-surface radar, which gave greatly improved performance over the previous ASV Mk.II radar. The latter was present on the Barracuda Mk.II, and was present above and below the wings. The antennae were removed on the Mk.III, and replaced by aerodynamic fairings, as the radar was now moved underneath the aircraft. The ASV Mk.III was initially designed to replace the Mk.II in RAF Coastal Command use, as it was noticed that U-Boats would dive whenever they were approached with the radar switched on. This was due to the fact that they were fitted with the Metox radar detector, which allowed them to detect the radar output from an aircraft some distance away, and allow them to dive. The ASV Mk.III used improved technology, and it was thus not detectable by the Metox system. Whilst the Germans scrambled to create a countermeasure, U-Boats were lost at increasingly higher rates, and their new radar detection system, Naxos, still could not provide a credible means of detecting the radar system by the end of the War. The Barracuda Mk.III was fitted with the new radar as it gave better performance than the original radar sets the previous versions were fitted with. Many sources claim that this Barracuda variant was specifically made for anti-submarine warfare, but further research reveals that this does not seem to be the case. Many squadrons operated the Barracuda Mk.II and III alongside each other, with the Mk.III more or less acting as a pathfinder or leader to detect targets and guide the other aircraft in. The main evidence for this is the fact that many Mk.IIIs participated in raids alongside Mk.IIs. However, from 1943 onwards, there was a significant decrease in Axis surface shipping activity, and the decision was likely made to operate the Barracuda Mk.IIIs as anti-submarine aircraft, due to the capabilities of its radar. These aircraft would serve in the Fleet Air Arm until the Barracuda family as a whole was withdrawn in the early 1950’s.
Performance:
Spoiler
| Power: | 1x Rolls-Royce Merlin 32 |
|---|---|
| Armament: | 2x 0.303in (7.7mm) Browning machine guns |
1x 1620lb (735kg) torpedo
OR
1x 1000lb (454kg) bomb
Beneath fuselage
OR
4x 450lb (204kg) bombs
OR
6x 250lb (113kg) bombs
OR
Depth charges and mines
Underneath wings|
|Size:|Wingspan: 49ft 2in (14.99m)
Length: 39ft 9in (12.12m)
Height: 15ft 1in (4.60m)
Wing Area: 367sq ft (34.09sq m)|
|Weights:|Empty: 9350lb (4245kg)
MTOW: 14,100lb (6401kg)|
|Maximum Ceiling:|16,600ft (5060m)|
|Maximum Speed:|228mph (367km/h)|
|Range:|1150 miles (1851km)|
|Climb|5000ft (1524m) in 6 minutes|
Conclusion: The Fairey Barracuda Mk.III would make for an interesting counterpart to the Mk.II in game, especially if more battles with night and bad weather are added to the matchmaker. Sources about the aircraft specifically are limited in nature, and most of the references made to the development and operational nature of this aircraft were extrapolated from other sources, and from previous research into the Barracuda Mk.II. I appreciate evidence that will help correct my analysis, for the betterment of the research and preservation of British aviation history.
Sources:
Spoiler
“British Secret Projects 4: Bombers 1935 to 1950” by Tony Buttler
“Bombers” by Francis Crosby
Fairey Barracuda | Naval Air History
Fairey Barracuda | Historic Aviation on Key Aero
Fairey Barracuda | Classic Warbirds
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