Blackburn Roc

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Blackburn Roc- version overview



DesignationAircraft design - description
Blackburn Roc prototype The first two prototypes were completed as deck fighters, the third with floats
Blackburn Roc Mk.I mass-produced deck fighter
Blackburn Roc float plane 2-3 planes were tested with floats, failure, project stopped




ManufacturerProduction periodUnits produced
Blackburn Aircraft Company Ltd, Brough Wolverhampton 23 Dec 1938 - 3 Dec 1939 3 rototypes
 Boulton Paul Aircraft, Ltd., Wolverhampton 03. 1939 - 08. 1940 133 production aircraft




Sources used:
Matthew Willis, Blackburn Skua and Roc, Mushroom Model Publications, Orange Seies, No. 8105, ISBN: 978-83-8945044-9
Aubrey Joseph Jackson, Blackburn Aircraft since 1909, Putnam Aeronautical Books, Naval Institute Press, 1St Edition edition (April 1989), ISBN 0-87021-024-6.
author's archive
URL : https://www.valka.cz/Blackburn-Roc-t181050#531010 Version : 0

Blackburn Roc[/heading]

The british naval air force was in the second half of the thirties of the last century in an unenviable situation, if we ignore the on-board torpedo bombers - obstarožně-looking biplanes Fairey Swordfish and slightly more modern Fairey Albacore, we are left with on-board fighter force, and here the situation was only slightly different. In 1934 he started as per the specifications of the Ministry of aviation the number Of.27/34 development jednoplošné on-board fighters Blackburn Skua. Already, according to the award, however here we cannot talk about a pure fighter, the Ministry of aviation following the specifications of the required on-board the bomber, which should, if necessary, to perform even the role of the on-board tank. In imagination the Fleet Air Arm (hereinafter the FAA) had a carrier-based fighter primarily from their own union to stave off the enemy long-range reconnaissance machines, which should be flying boats, or float planes, furthermore, carrier-based fighter to accompany your own torpedo bombers in attacks on the enemy's fleet, to defend their own carriers should take care anti-aircraft artillery. The prototype bomber, the Skua was [in 1937 and to the units of the FAA began the first Skuy coming one year later. It was a not very good looking, podmotorované aircraft, which were naval pilots received with skepticism and some resistance. The resistance, however, nepramenil of the weak performance, the reason for this was jednoplošná the concept of aircraft, marine pilots were accustomed to biplanes and couldn't do with monoplanes accept, he wrote to the year 1938! But the truth is that the Skua had a very good flight characteristics, in addition, if ingested as a bomber - to carry more bombs, and as the fighter with the higher weight, larger dimensions, and with four fixed machine guns of rifle caliber, also this was no miracle.

The british Ministry of aviation, however, was soon after prepared in one plane that maritime pilots proved that the Skua is far from the worst thing that can ever meet. In 1935 were the ministry formulated the specifications F.9/35, thanks to which began the development and approval of the project and the prototype production two-seater fighter jets Boulton Paul Defiant. This fighter had no fixed armament, armament consisting of four machine guns, Browning Mk.II was concentrated in a rotary turret, Boulton Paul And Mk.II. According to the ideas of the Ministry of aviation had such a fighter complement one RAF fighter and fire led from unexpected angles should have these fighter jets to destroy enemy aircraft. Apparently, therefore, that the naval forces of the FAA were not on the aircraft such a conception deprived, compiled by the Ministry of aviation still in the same year, specifications About.30/35. These specifications on paper looked pretty good, universal Skua (then fly) is adjusted so that to her it was possible to install the gun turret of the Defianta. Will not, therefore, necessary to develop the entire aircraft, but the adjustment shall be carried out on the already "best" type. The designers had to from the uav Skua to remove all of the fixed gun armament, gun sight, bomb sight and a device enabling the swift raid, thanks to this, at least partially, managed to eliminate the weight of the electrically powered turret, four machine guns and ammunition, but even so, he had a new aircraft of higher take-off weight of less than 300 kg. The middle part of the fuselage had to be extended, in order to install a large gun turret. Other modifications were: enlarged dihedral of the wings to the outside of the midsection of the fitting plug deflectors, which allow the air flow without turbulence around the turret, while shooting these deflectors zasouvaly. The prototypes were built by the parent factory of the Blackburn Aircraft Company Ltd. in town Brough, later serial production was entrusted to a company Boulton Paul Aircraft Limited in town Wolverhampton. The total was 28. April 1938 ordered 133 serial aircraft Blackburn B.25 with the name of the Roc (the mythical bird Roch).

However, let us return to the prototypes. The first prototype Sn. L3057 was completed and the fly 23. December 1938. The aircraft had a higher weight, larger frontal resistance and as a powerful engine, so it was clear that their performances couldn't the original aircraft Skua overcome. The second prototype was completed also as a carrier-based fighter, but the third prototype (Sn. L3059) was from the 3. December 1939 tested in the test center IAEA (Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment) at Helensburgh, this prototype was equipped with floats derived from the aeroplane Blackburn Shark. This adjustment was made on the basis of specifications About.20/37, the aircraft was very unstable and shortly after the start of the tests was destroyed in the crash, the admiralty, however, insisted on the resumption of the tests and so it was for these purposes, the modified first prototype. On this machine was increased by the added tail area of the lateral surface, this adjustment slightly directional instability improved, but the aircraft remained for its performance and maneuverability completely unusable for any operational deployment. Some sources mention a third plane with floats, that should have the serial number of the L3060.

Blackburn Roc Mk.Also, they were marked with serial machines, their arrival to the units of the FAA received the Royal Navy's cumbersome, little-powerful and already outdated machine considerably dubious combat value. Defianty in units of the RAF were initially at least partially successful, the Defiant, however, had a powerful engine Merlin III and better aerodynamics also a higher performance than what you could get from Skuy naval fighter of the Roc. The Roc as a fighter aircraft could not accompany the aircraft, Skua during their bombing events, because he was slower than the bombs podvěšené Skuy. Fighter aircraft have also reduced the fuel supply to your range bombers he could, he had to be podvěšen size to accommodate the additional tank polokapkovitého shape, while the range extended, but at the same time still greatly increased air resistance. Blacburn Roc was on-board a jet, which, in its essence operationally on the decks of aircraft carriers never deployed was not. On your board it is carried only a short period the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, which was deployed in operations in Norway, then on board was deployed two squadrons of the FAA (800. and 801.), which had in its arsenal aircraft, Blackburn Skua, and also fighter aircraft Blackburn Roc, the operational aircraft has taken off only to patrol flights over the convoy, but it was assumed that they will not be able effectively to prosecute the enemy planes. Otherwise the tower the fighters of the Roc operationally serve only on ground bases, for example, on the Orkney islands to protect the base of the british fleet in Scapa Flow, but even here they were considered not powerful enough and rather have been replaced by Skuami, later Fulmary and Sea Hurricanes. Probably the only success was the shooting down of the bomber Ju 88, it happened 28. may 1940 in the belgian port of Ostend, five Ju 88 attacked a convoy of allied ships, these aircraft attacked the patrol 806. the squadron FAA composed of two fighter aircraft Skua and one of the fighters of the Roc. Both aircraft Skua attacked from above and the Roc one Junkerse shot down by gunfire from the side. Shortly were deployed even in covering the evacuation of allied forces from the Dunkirk and a few small actions against German ships, where the decks of ships postřelovaly machine gun fire. In addition to these rare deployment went made Rocy directly to the production line to the units in the second line. Here served the purpose of training and after removing the gun turrets to the towing practice targets. In 1943 they were out of service completely phased out.


Used springs:
Matthew Willis, Blackburn Skua and Roc, Mushroom Model Publications, Orange Seies, Well. 8105, ISBN: 978-83-8945044-9
Aubrey Joseph Jackson, Blackburn Aircraft since 1909 Putnam Aeronautical Books, Naval Institute Press, 1St Edition edition (April 1989), ISBN 0-87021-024-6.
William Green, War Planes of the Second World War, Volume Two, Fighters, Macdonald, London 1961.
Jaroslav Schmid, Aircraft 1939 - 45, Fighter and bomber aircraft of Great Britain, vol. 1, str. 20 - 22, Nakladatelství Fraus, Plzeň, ISBN: 80-85784-37-8
Of aeronautics and astronautics no. 10/1976, volume LII., Václav Němeček, Aircraft 39-45, Blackburn Roc, str. 27, the publishing Magnet.
http://www.airwar.ru/enc/fww2/b25roc.html
www.fleetairarmarchive.net
archives of the author.
.
URL : https://www.valka.cz/Blackburn-Roc-t181050#531009 Version : 0
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