- Yes
- Maybe
- No
History.
The Fairey Swordfish is a biplane torpedo bomber and is the most famous British torpedo bomber in history. The aircraft was produced by the British company Fairey Aviation Company Limited after the request from the British Air Ministry for a reconnaissance and observation aircraft for directing naval artillery fire, and after the initial success the aircraft was released into the ranks of the Fleet Air Arm in 1936. Over time various other armed forces used the aircraft including the RAF and the Regia Aeronautica. The last of these, the Italian Royal Air Force, captured some Fairey Swordfish during the course of World War II. On 2 August 1940, relatively shortly after Italy’s entry into the conflict, around ten Swordfish were launched from HMS Ark Royal to bomb Cagliari and its airfield. During the mission one of the planes, piloted by Lieutenant G. R. Humphries, was damaged and was forced to land in hostile territory at Elmas airport. The crew was captured and the plane was sent to the Caproni company. The aircraft, after the necessary repairs and the replacement of the engine with an Italian analogue, was sent to the Stabilimento Costruzioni Aeronautiche of Guidonia at the end of February 1941, and was tested by the Regia Aeronautica until at least 6 April 1942, when they were lost. the tracks of the plane. It was probably destroyed during one of the various Allied bombings.
Armaments and propulsion.
The aircraft was armed with a Vickers E 7.7 mm machine gun located in the nose synchronized with the propeller. Furthermore, the aircraft could mount up to 680 kg of bombs or a torpedo.
After re-engineering, the aircraft was equipped with an Alfa Romeo 125 R.C.35 engine with 650 hp. The engine was derived from the English Bristol Jupiter. Unfortunately the performance with the new engine is unknown due to the loss of documentation, but considering the engine it is presumable that the aircraft could achieve similar performance to that with the original Bristol Pegasus engine.
Specifications.
Spoiler
Crew: 3
Length: 10.87 m
Wingspan: 13.87 m
Width: 5.26 m, wings folded
Height: 3.76 m
Wing area: 56.4 m2
Maximum weight: 3,438 kg
Engine: 1 × Alfa 125 R.C.35 9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 650 hp
Propellers: 3-bladed metal fixed-pitch propeller
Maximum speed: 230 km/h without drop weapons
Range: 840 km
Pictures and drawnings.
Sources.
Spoiler
Fairey Swordfish - Wikipedia
Fairey Swordfish - Wikipedia
Fairey Swordfish - Wikiwand
HMS Ark Royal, British aircraft carrier, WW2
Captured Aircraft Fleet Air Arm Archive 1939-1945 Contents Page
War Machines Drawn: Fairey Swordfish, part one, foreign users
https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/247653
K8422 | Captured Wings Wiki | Fandom
Alfa Romeo 125 - Wikipedia
FAIREY SWORDFISH
FAIREY SWORDFISH - ZIMMERIT FORUM
Fairey Swordfish (1935)
Fairey Swordfish | Military Wiki | Fandom
Combat Biplanes of World War II - Peter C. Smith - Google Libri