Fairey Fantôme/Féroce

nathanclawfish · August 16, 2025, 2:26pm

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                        Fairey Fantôme/Féroce

Design and Service History:

The Fantôme was a biplane fighter aircraft produced by Fairey, using design drawn up in 1934 by Marcel Lobelle. The design was intended as a private venture, to meet a specification for the Belgian Aéronautique Militaire, who were looking to hold an international competition to find a replacement for the Fairey Firefly II then in service with the Belgian air force. The Aircraft was a sleek design, fitted with a Hisso 12Ycrs liquid-cooled V12 engine capable of producing up to 925hp, though this was often downrated to 860 hp during early testing to prolong engine life. In terms of Armament the Fantome could carry a single engine-mounted Oerlikon 20 mm cannon firing through the propeller hub, along with a pair of two 7.62 mm (0.30 in) wing-mounted Browning machine guns mounted in the wings. The 20mm cannon could be swapped out for a pair of synchronised .303 Brownings fitted in the upper fuselage, giving the aircraft provision for two separate armaments.

The first Fantome prototype would fly on June 6th 1935 at the Great West Aerodrome. Happy with the initial flight, Fairey would then show off the 1935 RAF and SBAC airshow at RAF Hendon in july of that year, before the initial prototype was shipped to Belgium to take part in the aforementioned competition. Unfortunately, the prototype crashed on the 17th of July, killing the test pilot. Fairey had thankfully produced the parts and components nessassry for three more fighters, as they had been confident the type would have been accepted for service due to its impressive speed, where it had achieved 270mph, making it one of the fastest biplanes of its time.

Due to these additional parts, Fairy shipped the components to the Avions Fairey factory at Gosselies to fabricate three additional aircraft. Around this time they also changed the name of the Fantome to the Feroce in an attempt to distance the aircraft from the previous fatal accident, though this would not improve the biplane’s ultimate fate. This was due to the fact that while Fairey was manufacturing the additional airframes, the Belgians revised their requirements for the desired fighter, making the three remaining Feroce unsuitable to compete, rendering them surplus to requirements.

Not disheartened Fairey was able to find buyers for the remaining constructed airframes, with two purchased by the soviet government, with some sources claiming their later use in the Spanish republican Air Force during the Spanish Civil War. The final aircraft would be acquired by the British air minister, who took an interest in it due to its 20mm armament configuration. This aircraft was extensively evaluated in both regards to its flying performance and armament, before being transferred to the Air Gunnery School at Rolleston in December 1940 to be used for training. It would remain in this role until being marked for disposal on the 19th of march 1943, putting an end to Fairey’s little excursion into 20mm biplanes, as due to a lack of a buyer, no further production was undertaken.

Aircraft Specification:

General characteristics

Crew: 1
Length: 27 ft 7 in (8.41 m)
Wingspan: 34 ft 6 in (10.52 m)
Height: 11 ft 4 in (3.45 m)
Wing area: 273 sq ft (25.4 m2)
Empty weight: 2,500 lb (1,134 kg)
Gross weight: 4,120 lb (1,869 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Hispano-Suiza 12Ycrs , 925 hp (690 kW) (Limited to 860 hp for belgium testing to preserve engine life)

Performance

Maximum speed: 270 mph (430 km/h, 230 kn) at 13,000 ft (4,000 m)
Endurance: 2 hours
Time to altitude: 5 min 40 s to 13,000 ft (4,000 m)

Armament:

1 × engine-mounted 20 mm Oerlikon cannon
2 × wing-mounted .30 in (7.62 mm) M1919 Browning machine guns

Or

2 × wing-mounted .30 in (7.62 mm) M1919 Browning machine guns

2 x .30 in (7.62 mm) M1919 Browning machine guns in upper fusulage

Additional Photos/ historical images:

![image|482x185](upload://pK3vCriU