- Yes
- No
- BeNeLux subtree (France)
- United Kingdom tree
- Both
- I said no
Welcome to another suggestion, in this one we will be having a look at a rather interesting biplane from the mid 1930s. The Fairey Féroce, also known as the Fairey Fantôme.
The Féroce was Fairey’s response to a 1934 requirement by the Belgian air force for a new fighter aircraft to replace their aging Fairey Fox biplanes. The requirement outlined the need for an aircraft with a top speed of at least 400 km/h at 5000 m, a climb time to said altitude of 6 minutes or less, a flight duration of more than 2 hours and finally an armament consisting of 4 7.7mm machine guns, or 1 20 autocannon and 2 smaller machine guns.
Fairey’s response to this requirement was a design that looks like a progression from the Fox biplanes that Belgium already operated. Fairey’s chief designer, Marcel Lobelle designed the aircraft with a construction consisting almost entirely of metal (only the part of the aircraft behind the cockpit was stretched canvas) with a large upper wing and a smaller lower wing. The landing gear was covered by an aerodynamic casing to maximize performance of the aircraft. The resulting aircraft was a very sleek looking biplane. The plane was fitted with a Hispano Suiza 12Y engine, which produced 925 hp.
The aircraft first took to the skies from Great West Airfield (UK) in 1935 and immediately impressed with its performance.
Before being shipped to Belgium, the vehicle was displayed at several expositions in the UK. Once in Belgium, the aircraft took part in demonstrations for Belgian officials at Evere airfield near Brussels. Unfortunately, the aircraft suffered an accident during these tests and crashed, killing its pilot.
Despite this major setback, the order for 3 more vehicles for testing that had already been placed was carried through. The parts were shipped from Fairey in the UK to Avions Fairey is Gosselies in 1936 where they were subsequently assembled. By now however, Belgium had revised its requirements for a new fighter aircraft, resulting in the Féroce no longer qualifying. Officials quickly lost their interest and the aircraft lost relevance. The Soviet Union ended up buying 2 units, which were shipped in the same year after having been flight tested in Belgium. Once in Russia, the vehicle was fitted with skis and extensively tested against contemporary Russian fighters, noting that the vehicle struggled quite a lot against the newer and faster I-16 aircraft. After these tests, the aircraft was flown to several factories for display, but eventually the record of the aircraft vanishes.
The Final Féroce was acquired by the British air ministry and flown off to Britain, where it was examined further and finally the track of this plane too disappeared, ending the story of Fairey’s final biplane.
The Fantôme, powered by its 925 hp engine was capable of reaching a top speed of 434 km/h at 5000m, thus easily making the early requirement of 400 km/h top speed. At ground level, top speed of the aircraft was only 360 km/h though. This performance could be achieved because the whole aircraft was very light, having an empty weight of only 1,134 kg. Despite all this being excellent performance for a biplane, it was just no match for the more modern monoplane aircraft which were rapidly appearing at the time of its conception.
Nonetheless, the aircraft had some redeeming factors, one of which being its armament. This could come in 2 predefined arrangements. Either the 20 mm Hispano-Suiza HS.9 was mounted, in which case there would be an additional 2 7.65 mm FN-Browning machines guns fitted in the lower wings, or the cannon was not mounted, in which case it was replaced by 2 more 7.65 mm FN-Browning machine guns mounted above the engine. This gave the vehicle considerable firepower for a vehicle of this time. Additionally, the aircraft was capable of carrying up to 4x small 10 kg bombs under its wings.
One of the interesting features of the aircraft was its use of compressed air for its brakes, engine start sequence and weaponry. This air was provided by a small tank fitted in the rear section of the aircraft.
Despite its qualities, the vehicle just came to late to have a proper impact on the market. Although Belgium definitely would have been better off acquiring these vehicles over their further extended search. The latter effectively taking so long that most of Belgium’s air force had not been modernized and went in to war with the relic Fairey Fox and Fairey Firefly biplanes.
General Characteristics:
- Crew: 1
- Length: 8.41 m
- Width: 10.52 m
- Height: 3.45 m
- Empty weight: 1134 kg
- Maximum takeoff weight: 1869 kg
- Powerplant: 1x Hispano-Suiza 12Y, providing 925 hp
- Maximum speed: 434 km/h
- Service ceiling: 10997
Armament:
- 1x 20mm Hispano-Suiza HS.9 autocannon (60 rounds) and 2x 7.65 mm FN-Browning machine guns
OR - 4x 7.65 mm FN-Browning machine guns
- Up to 4x 10 kg bombs.
Place in-game:
This is one of the final biplane fighters to have been built, and definitely one of the most beautiful ones, for those reasons alone I feel the aircraft deserves a spot in game. However, if added as a Belgian vehicle (my preference, after all, it was designed by a Belgian, for Belgium and largely assembled in Belgium) it would rejoin the French tree, where it would stand out as only the second biplane to be added to that nation. The vehicles admirable performance (for a biplane) would make it an excellent and unique addition to further expand the lowest aviation ranks of the tree. Players will be able to enjoy its good combination of armament, agility and speed, making it a most desirable vehicle. Even if added to Britain, the vehicle would be an enjoyable step up from the starter biplanes that can currently be found there. All-in-all it’s a well rounded aircraft that would make for a great addition to the game.