Gloster Gauntlet

The Gloster Gauntlet was a British single-seat biplane fighter of the RAF.

It was the last RAF fighter to have an open cockpit and the penultimate biplane fighter in service.

Variants

SS.18 

Single-seat prototype.

The aircraft was fitted with a 450-hp (336-kW) Bristol Mercury IIA radial piston engine.

SS.18A

The SS.18 was fitted with a 480 hp (358 kW) Bristol Jupiter VIIF radial piston engine.

SS.18B 

The SS.18 was later fitted with a 560 hp (418 kW) Armstrong Siddeley Panther III radial piston engine.

SS.19 

Single-seat prototype; fitted with a Bristol Jupiter radial piston engine.

SS.19A 

The SS.19 was later fitted with two wheel spats and a single spatted tail wheel.

SS.19B 

Single-seat prototype; fitted with a 536 hp (400 kW) Bristol Jupiter VIS radial piston engine.

Gauntlet Mk I

Single-seat fighter aircraft for the RAF.

Gauntlet Mk II

Single-seat fighter aircraft; modified version of the Gauntlet Mk I.

Specifications

Crew

1

Length

26 ft 5 in (8.05 m)

Wingspan

32 ft 9.5 in (9.995 m)

Height

10 ft 3 in (3.12 m)

Wing area

315 sq ft (29.3 m2)

Empty weight

2,770 lb (1,256 kg)

Gross weight

3,970 lb (1,801 kg)

Powerplant

1 × Bristol Mercury VI S2 9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 645 hp (481 kW)

Propellers

2-bladed fixed-pitch propeller

Performance

Maximum speed

230 mph (370 km/h, 200 kn) at 15,800 ft (4,816 m)

Range

460 mi (740 km, 400 nmi)

Service ceiling

33,500 ft (10,200 m)

Rate of climb

2,300 ft/min (12 m/s)

Time to altitude

20,000 ft (6,096 m) in 9 minutes

Wing loading

12.6 lb/sq ft (62 kg/m2)

Power/mass

0.162 hp/lb (0.266 kW/kg)

Armament

Guns

2 × 0.303 in Vickers machine guns.