Gloster Gladiator Fighter
The Gloster Gladiator was the RAF's last biplane fighter, although it more than made up for it in WWII. In the first two years of the war the Gladiator performed valiantly in the European, African and Mediterranean theatres. It was involved in heavy fighting prior to the Allied withdrawal from the continent, but it gave it's best account in North Africa where it's pilots frequently out-fought the Italians in Fiat Cr.32s and 42s. Several major variants were produced, including a naval version the Sea Gladiator (shown above). The major advantage the Gladiator had over it's main Italian rivals was it's manoueverability. Several incidents have been recored of Italian pilots in more advanced Fiat Gr.50 fighters breaking off an attack on a Gladiator because they couldn't match it's low level agility. Unfortunately, it was generally too slow to catch even the obsolete Italian bombers in North Africa, like the SIAI-Marchetti SR.79. It was produced up to the spring of 1940 when 746 had been made.
Technical Details
The Gladiator was powered by the 840 hp, Bristol Mercury VIIIA, 9-cyl., air-cooled radial engine. This power plant gave it a maximum speed of 257 mph (414 km/h) at 14,500 ft (4,420 m), with a ceiling of 33,490 ft (10,210 m) and a range of 444 mph (715 km). It was heavily armed, for 1934, with four Browning 0.303 machine guns, two on the sides of the fusilage behind the cowling and firing through the propellor, and two mounted under the bottom wing. The Mk II variant had a 3-bladed, metal propellor. The Sea Gladiator was outfitted with an arrestor hook, a catapult attachement and a streamlined dinghy compartment under the fusilage.
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Image From: Eric Brown. Duels in the Sky. Flight International photo.