Bristol Beaufighter carrier variant

If you read Eric Brown's book about landing a Mossie on a carrier, it was not easy. The landing speed is lower than the stall speed so they had to modify the plane and upgrade the engines. Eric Brown wrote that they had to hang the plane on the propellers to land it. The other problem is if one engine quits while landing you are going to crash in a spectactulor way. Can a Beaufighter fly slow enough to land on a carrier?
 

MatthewB

Banned
Gents, I’m not proposing a simple, Sea Hurricane like naval conversion where we stick a hook on a RAF Beaufighter and call it a day. We’re going to make a naval Beaufighter that’s suitable for carrier ops, like the Sea Hornet.

The Beaufighter enters RAF service before the Mosquito, so my thinking is that FAA/AM brass see the Beaufighter and ask Bristol to modify one for carrier ops. A few conditions, first it must fit down the wider lift on the then building Implacables.
 
Gents, I’m not proposing a simple, Sea Hurricane like naval conversion where we stick a hook on a RAF Beaufighter and call it a day. We’re going to make a naval Beaufighter that’s suitable for carrier ops, like the Sea Hornet.

Problem is that as folks have said, the Beau empty is heavier than anything the FAA flew off its decks in the whole war when loaded up. And turning it into a carrier launched plane would probably make it heavier. You'd have to add a tail hook, strengthen the landing gear and the frame, all this adds weight as does the wing folding mechanism. You could try navalising the Gloster 'Reaper' which evolved into the Beau but I doubt you could get a Beau onto a carrier otherwise.
 
The only analogue twin that I can see working in this time frame is an earlier Sea Hornet developed as a true multirole carrier plane capable of long range escort (or self escort due to its speed), Useful bomb load, dive bomb capable and capable of lofting with a torp

It would make up for its larger foot print by being an F/A18 Hornet in the mid 40s

The need would have to be realized in the very late 30s in order for this to be realised
 
According to my copy of "British Aircraft of World War II" the Beaufighters Empty weight was 15,600lb. this is 1300 lb more than a basic Mosiquito, also the wingspan on the Beaufighter is four and a half feet greater than the Mossie and it's also a foot longer. the only possible advantage for the Beau is it's larger wing area, 503 sq,ft as opposed to 454 sq.ft but the empty wing loadings are almost identical a around 31.5 Lb/Sq,ft
 

Driftless

Donor
This is why a British equivalent of the Grumman F5F (in size) would be a useful alternative. Something in the 8-9,000 lb empty and 12-14,000 lb loaded range? Two Hercules engines ought to get that plane off the deck, carrying a useful war load.
 

MatthewB

Banned
Is this a bomber? If its not then its a target, not a fighter.
For naval twin-engined fighter I want the Whirlwind, optimized for lower speed landings/takeoffs, drop tanks for range, and with more than 5 seconds of ammunition. Keep the Peregrines, their low-level performance window is fine for naval combat.

But I see that's been discussed to death.... perhaps the second option on post 1 here would do the trick... https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/the-british-p-38.234727/
 
The B25 flew off the USS Hornet.
This aircraft was 11ft longer, 10ft greater span and 4 1/2 ton heavier. Yes the British carriers are 60-70ft shorter, but theoretically it could be done, especially if the two improved armoured carriers are sent to Far East earlier, but aircraft numbers would be very small to accomodate landings.
 
The Gloster F.9/37 might well be the best starting point, the biggest problem is the fact that both engines it was designed to use were well below par.
 
The B25 flew off the USS Hornet.
This aircraft was 11ft longer, 10ft greater span and 4 1/2 ton heavier. Yes the British carriers are 60-70ft shorter, but theoretically it could be done, especially if the two improved armoured carriers are sent to Far East earlier, but aircraft numbers would be very small to accomodate landings.

The thing with the Dolittle raiders is that the plane wasn't just a B-25 that was on the Hornet, they practiced for quite some time and had stripped the planes of any excess weight, it wasn't a normal B-25 by that point. Yes it could be done, but using the Beau as a conventional plane is probably asking too much (IE expecting regular landings and take offs etc rather than using them on a single throw away strike).
 
The B25 flew off the USS Hornet.
This aircraft was 11ft longer, 10ft greater span and 4 1/2 ton heavier. Yes the British carriers are 60-70ft shorter, but theoretically it could be done, especially if the two improved armoured carriers are sent to Far East earlier, but aircraft numbers would be very small to accomodate landings.
Flew off yes. Never landed on USS Hornet which shows the difference. Never went below deck either iirc, was deck parked on the way out because it couldn't fit below deck.

Was thinking you could maybe use a carrier to fly off planes but that's not a carrier plane.

Club runs to Malta flying off at long range yeah sure carrier operations no way.
 

MatthewB

Banned
Flew off yes. Never landed on USS Hornet which shows the difference. Never went below deck either iirc, was deck parked on the way out because it couldn't fit below deck.

Was thinking you could maybe use a carrier to fly off planes but that's not a carrier plane.

Club runs to Malta flying off at long range yeah sure carrier operations no way.
As an aside, I wonder what the largest British twin bomber is that could fly off a carrier. Could a single Wellington take off from Furious before her island was added?
 
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