Fairey Firefly Mk IV

Wallpaper Description:

The Fairey Firefly was a British Second World War-era carrier-borne fighter aircraft and anti-submarine aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm (FAA).

It was superior in performance and firepower to its predecessor, the Fulmar, but only entered operational service towards the end of the war.

Designed around the contemporary FAA concept of a two-seat fleet reconnaissance/fighter, the pilot and navigator/weapons officer were housed in separate stations.

The design proved to be sturdy, long-ranging and docile in carrier operations, although the limitations of a single engine in a heavy airframe reduced overall performance.

The Fairey Firefly served in the Second World War as a fleet fighter but in post war service, although it was superseded by more modern jet aircraft, the Firefly was adapted to other roles, including strike operations and anti-submarine warfare, remaining a mainstay of the FAA until the mid-1950s.

Both the UK and Australia Fireflies flew ground attack operations off various aircraft carriers in the Korean War. In foreign service, the type was in operation with the naval air arms of Australia, Canada, India, and the Netherlands whose Fireflies carried out a few attack sorties as late as 1962 in Dutch New Guinea.

General characteristics

• Crew: Two (pilot & observer)
• Length: 37 ft 7¼ in (11.46 m)
• Wingspan: 44 ft 6 in (13.57 m)
• Height: 13 ft 7 in (4.14 m)
• Wing area: 328 ft² (30.5 m²)
• Empty weight: 9,750 lb (4,432 kg)
• Loaded weight: 14,020 lb (6,373 kg)
• Powerplant: 1 × Rolls-Royce Griffon IIB liquid-cooled V12 engine, 1,730 hp (1,290 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 316 mph (275 kn, 509 km/h) at 14,000 ft (4,300 m)
• Range: 1,300 mi (1,130 nmi, 2,090 km)
• Service ceiling: 28,000 ft (8,530 m)
• Climb to 10,000 ft (3,050 m): 5 min 45 sec

Armament

• Guns: 4 × 20 mm Hispano-Suiza HS.404 cannons
• Rockets: 8 × RP-3 "60 lb" rockets
• Bombs: 2 × 1,000 lb (454 kg) bombs under wings