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Gloster Gauntlet (Jun 1928): The Gauntlet was the ultimate evolution of the Royal Aircraft Factory Mono-Hunter H.E. 5, spun off to private aircraft manufacturer Gloster (which had acquired some of the R.A.F.’s talent when it transitioned away from design and manufacture upon its rebirth as the Royal Aircraft Establishment). Introduced into service in June 1928, the Gauntlet was hardy, adaptable, and easy to fly, and its radial engine made it rugged and easy to maintain. Highly maneuverable, descended from a monoplane designed to fight biplanes on even terms, it also had excellent short- and rough-field performance. All these factors, refined over years of design work and service on prior models, made it an excellent warplane for colonial use and for lesser powers, and the Gauntlet was exported widely and copied more widely still. It served in many of the brushfire wars and “emergencies” of the post-First World War era, infamously in Algeria and the Far East. It is also notable for serving on both sides of the French Civil War; export models and home-built copies with the républicains and Italian copies and derivatives with the actionistes. Outclassed by frontline hunters from the Great Powers at the start of the Civil War, and despite exceptional domestic aeronautical design talent, it nonetheless remained in active use until the war’s conclusion. By the time of the Second World War it remained in service only with minor powers in South America, Africa, and Asia, and none saw active combat. Gauntlet Mk VI: 2535lb dry, 3307lb loaded, 840HP, 272mph. 4x .303cal MG.
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