The Bristol Type 153

perfectgeneral

Donor
Monthly Donor
The Bristol Type 153a twin radial carrier aircraft

The claims made about the Bf 110 piqued the interest of the British Air Ministry, who issued specification F.37/35 in 1935, which called for a single-seat day and night fighter armed with four cannon.
To meet Spec F37/35 - Fighter with 20mm cannon (met by whirlwind OTL)

bcustomuj3.jpg


The wing was larger than the Type 151 which would have improved climb and maneuverability. Top speed expected to be 357 mph at 12.500 ft with full military load. Service ceiling 33,200 ft. If it had gone into production the Type153 would have benefited from the steady development of the Hercules engine - from 1,150 hp in 1939 to 2,000 hp at the end of the war.
The FAA decide that they are interested in the twin engine design: type 153A They want to see naval versions with wing folds and arrester gear. The Bristol twin Hercules engined fighter (now considered as a torpedo/dive bomber/fighter) first flies 1938. Early versions of the Hercules engine compare well with the rival Merlin. The first prototype (L6844) flew on 10 June 1938. It exhibited excellent handling and was very easy to fly at all speeds. The only exception was the high landing speed; Fowler flaps were added to correct this problem, which also required the horizontal stabilizer (tail plane) to be moved up out of the way of the disturbed air flow caused when the flaps were down.The vertical tails dropped down from this higher horizontal surface requiring a larger (retractable) tail wheel. An initial production order for 150 aircraft was placed in September 1938 followed by a second order for a similar number, deliveries to fighter squadrons being scheduled to begin in June 1940. Although less 'clean' than the single engine Spitfire it has nearly double the power and reaches an outstanding 355 mph once new propellers are fitted. While the four central 20mm cannon make it the most heavily armed fighter yet. The FAA are very excited and the RAF start to take an interest too.

Early production versions exceed the prototype's top speed with the enhanced Hercules engine powering the aircraft to a staggering 360 mph. They still lacked the Spitfires handling at speed, but could land at 60 mph on a carrier deck thanks to the Fowler flaps. Deck visibility from the bubble canopy was good and the type 153A proved an excellent carrier aircraft.

General characteristics

* Crew: One pilot
* Length: 32 ft 9 in
* Wingspan: 46 ft 0 in (folds to 29 ft)
* Height: 11 ft 7 in (13 ft 8in when wings folded)
* Wing area: 350 ft²
* Empty weight: 8,010 lb
* Loaded weight: 11,456 lb
* Max takeoff weight: 12,510 lb
* Powerplant: 2× Bristol Hercules radial engines (1,150hp) each

Performance

* Maximum speed: 360 mph (420mph by the end of the war)
* Range: 1200 miles
* Service ceiling: 33,000 ft
* Rate of climb: 3,550 ft/min (cannons only)

Armament

* Guns: 4x Hispano 20 mm cannon with 60 rounds per gun
* Bombs: 12x 250 lb bombs (two rows of six), 6x 500 lb bombs, 1 × 1,670 lb torpedo or 1,500 lb sea mine
 
Last edited:
The Bristol 153A was not to be powered by Hercules engines but the lower hp Bristol Aquila engines - doubt the airframe could handle the bigger engine.
But it is a small aircraft for a twin - even smaller than the Whirlwind, and indeed smaller than the cannon Hurricane to the same spec. Although could have advantages for ship-board use, IMO can't see how it would carry the weapons load you envisage!?
There are of similarities between this design and the Grumman XF5F-1 Skyrocket which flew in April 1940.

In OTL the Bristol designs were not favoured, if the Treasury had coughed up the funds it would have been not only the Whirlind prototypes but the Supermarine 313, and the Boulton Paul P88A & P88B.
 
Top