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Armstrong Whitworth A.W.29

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A.W.29
Role Day bomber
National origin England
Manufacturer Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft
First flight 6 December 1936[1]
Number built 1 prototype

The Armstrong Whitworth A.W.29 was a British bomber aircraft built by Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft.

Design and development

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It was built to satisfy Air Ministry specification P. 27/32, which was for a single-engined long-range day bomber. The A.W.29 was a mid-wing cantilever monoplane. Its front fuselage was a welded tubular steel structure, and the rear fuselage a monocoque light alloy with an unbraced tailplane, fin and rudder. The conventional landing gear was hydraulically retractable by either an engine-driven or hand pump leaving the tyres partially exposed. The long-chord cowled, nose-mounted engine drove a three-bladed propeller.[1][2]

The A.W.29 was a two-crew aircraft. The pilot was seated ahead of the wing leading edge and the gunner/observer in a distant cockpit aft of the spar enclosed in a hand-operated turret. The aft cockpit could be fitted with a second set of controls for flight training.[2]

Not long after the A.W.29's first flight on 6 December 1936, it was damaged in a wheels up landing. Since the Fairey Battle had been awarded the P27/32 contract, the A.W.29 was not repaired to fly again.[1]

Specifications

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Data from Air Pictorial Oct. 1958 [3][4][5]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 2
  • Length: 43 ft 10 in (13.36 m)
  • Wingspan: 49 ft 10 in (15.19 m)
  • Height: 13 ft 3 in (4.04 m)
  • Wing area: 412 sq ft (38.3 m2)
  • Empty weight: 9,000 lb (4,082 kg)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Armstrong Siddeley Tiger VIII , 870 hp (650 kW) at 2,450 rpm
  • Propellers: 3-bladed Hamilton metal two-pitch propeller

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 225 mph (362 km/h, 196 kn) at 14,700 ft (4,500 m)
  • Cruise speed: 208 mph (335 km/h, 181 kn) at 14,700 ft (4,500 m)
  • Range: 1,200 mi (1,900 km, 1,000 nmi)
  • Ferry range: 1,200 mi (1,900 km, 1,000 nmi)
  • Service ceiling: 21,000 ft (6,400 m)
  • Rate of climb: 1,100 ft/min (5.6 m/s) at sea level

Armament

  • Guns:
  • Bombs:
    • 2 × 500 lb (230 kg) or
    • 4 × 250 lb (110 kg) or
    • 4 × 100 lb (45 kg) or
    • 4 × 112 lb (51 kg) or
    • 4 × 100 lb (45 kg) or
    • 4 × 120 lb (54 kg)

References

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  1. ^ a b c Tapper 1973, pp. 203–8
  2. ^ a b Air Pictorial, pp. 360–361
  3. ^ "The Armstrong Whitworth A.W.29", Air Pictorial, Lesser Known Types, 20 (10), London, Eng.: 360–361, October 1958
  4. ^ Tapper, Oliver (1973), Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft since 1913, London: Putnam Publishing, ISBN 0-370-10004-2
  5. ^ Tapper notes that the performance specifications were estimates, never substantiated by flight tests as the aircraft's life was so short
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