The Beardmore W.B.XXVI was a prototype British two-seat fighter of the 1920s.
A single engine biplane, one example, was built and evaluated by Latvia, but was not accepted for service.
In 1924, the Scottish shipbuilding firm William Beardmore and Company crafted a two-seat fighter aircraft for Latvia, designated the W.B.XXVI.
The company’s chief designer, W.S. Shackleton, developed a wooden single-bay biplane propelled by a Rolls-Royce Eagle engine.
The aircraft featured a hexagonal-section fuselage with slab sides, accommodating two crew members in separate cockpits.
To minimise drag, the design omitted bracing wires on the wings, relying solely on struts and allowing a significant gap between the wings.
A Lamblin radiator was integrated into the leading edge of the lower wing.
Uniquely, the plane was equipped with Beardmore’s proprietary gas-operated Beardmore-Farquhar machine guns rather than the standard Vickers and Lewis armaments.
The prototype took its maiden flight in 1925.
Although it demonstrated good manoeuvrability, it was underpowered, resulting in subpar performance.
The Latvians declined to finance the replacement of the Eagle engine with the more potent Napier Lion engine.
In 1926, the aircraft was dispatched to Latvia for assessment but was flown merely three times before being rejected.
Subsequently, it was returned to Beardmore and dismantled.
