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The Fairey Ferret was a 1930s British general-purpose biplane designed and built by the Fairey Aviation Company.[1] It performed well in trials but was not ordered into production.[1]

Ferret
Ferret Mk.III
Role	Two-seat general-purpose biplane Type of aircraft
National origin	United Kingdom
Manufacturer	Fairey Aviation Company
First flight	June 1925
Number built	3

Development

The Ferret was designed to meet a Fleet Air Arm requirement defined by specification 37/22[2] for a reconnaissance aircraft; it was the company's first all-metal design.[1] With a lack of interest from the FAA the company proposed the design to meet a Royal Air Force requirement for a general-purpose biplane.[1]

The company built three prototypes, two were three-seaters (to meet the naval requirement) and the third was a two-seater.[1] The two-seater Ferret III was also fitted with a new Fairey-designed high-speed gun mounting in the rear cockpit.[1] The first prototype first flew in June 1925 powered by a 400 hp (298 kW) Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar IV radial engine.[1] The other two aircraft had a nine-inch extension to the wingspan and both were fitted with a 425 hp (317 kW) Bristol Jupiter radial engine.[1]

The aircraft performed well during trials at RAF Martlesham Heath but was not ordered into production.[1]

Variants

Ferret Mk I

Three-seat prototype powered by a 400hp (298kW) Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar IVl radial engine, one built.[1]

Ferret Mk II

Three-seat prototype powered by a 425hp (317kW) Bristol Jupiter radial engine, one built.[1]

Ferret Mk III

Two-seat prototype powered by a 425hp (317kW) Bristol Jupiter radial engine, one built.[1]

Specifications (Ferret III)

Data from [1]

General characteristics

• Crew: two
• Length: 29 ft 6 in (8.99 m)
• Wingspan: 40 ft 7 in (12.37 m)
• Height: 10 ft 3 in (3.12 m)
• Wing area: 380 sq ft (35.30 m²)
• Empty weight: 2,583 lb (1,172 kg)
• Gross weight: 4,765 lb (2,161 kg)
• Powerplant: 1 × Bristol Jupiter VI 9-cylinder radial engine , 425 hp (317 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 135 mph (217 km/h, 117 kn) at 5,000 ft (1,524 m)
• Service ceiling: 15,500 ft (4,725 m)
• Rate of climb: 920 ft/min (4.67 m/s) initial [2]

Armament

• 1 × fixed forward-firing 0.303in (7.7mm) Vickers machine-gun (on starboard side of fuselage)
• 1 × 0.303in (7.7mm) Lewis machine-gun in rear cockpit
• Up to 500lb (227kg) bombs fitted under wings

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

• Bristol Type 93A Beaver
• de Havilland DH.65 Hound
• Fairey IIIF
• Gloster Goral
• Hawker Hedgehog
• Potez 25
• Vickers 131 Valiant
• Vickers 116 Vixen V
• Westland Wapiti

Related lists

• List of Fairey aircraft

References

Notes

Bibliography

На других языках

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- [en] Fairey Ferret

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[it] Fairey Ferret

Il Fairey Ferret (in inglese Furetto) fu un aereo da ricognizione e da osservazione imbarcato monomotore, biplano e monoposto sviluppato dall'azienda britannica Fairey Aviation nei primi anni venti e rimasto allo stadio di prototipo.

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