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Avro Avenger

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566 Avenger
Avro Type 566
General information
TypeFighter
ManufacturerAvro
Designer
StatusCancelled
Primary userRAF (intended)
Number built1
History
First flight26 June 1926
Retired1931

The Avro 566 Avenger was a prototype British fighter of the 1920s, designed and built by Avro. It was a single-seat, single-engine biplane of wood and fabric construction. Although it was a streamlined and advanced design, it never entered production.

Development

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The Avenger was designed as a private venture and Roy Chadwick penned a machine of great aerodynamic cleanliness for its time. As originally built, it was powered by a 525 hp (391 kW) Napier Lion VIII and it first flew on 26 June 1926,[1] but no order was forthcoming; this was partly because by the time it was evaluated, the Air Ministry did not favour the Lion as a fighter engine.

In May 1928, the machine was modified as a racer, with equi-span wings of 28 ft (8.53 m) and revised struts and ailerons; it was fitted with a 553 hp (412 kW) Lion. The machine was subsequently redesignated Avro 567 Avenger II.

The Avenger ended its days as an instructional airframe.

Specifications (Avenger)

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Data from The Complete Book of Fighters[2]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 1
  • Length: 25 ft 6 in (7.77 m)
  • Wingspan: 32 ft 0 in (9.75 m)
  • Height: 10 ft 3 in (3.12 m)
  • Wing area: 244 sq ft (22.7 m2) [1]
  • Empty weight: 2,368 lb (1,074 kg)
  • Gross weight: 3,220 lb (1,461 kg)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Napier Lion VIII or Lion IX W-12 liquid-cooled piston engine, 525 hp (391 kW) (Lion VIII)
553 hp (412 kW) (Lion IX)
  • Propellers: 2-bladed fixed-pitch propeller

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 180 mph (290 km/h, 160 kn)
  • Cruise speed: 130 mph (210 km/h, 110 kn)
  • Service ceiling: 22,000 ft (6,700 m) [1]
  • Rate of climb: 2,100 ft/min (11 m/s)

Armament

  • Guns: provision for two machine-guns

References

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  1. ^ a b c Jackson, A.J. Avro Aircraft since 1908. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books, 1990. ISBN 0-85177-834-8.
  2. ^ Green, William; Swanborough, Gordon (1994). The Complete Book of Fighters. London: Salamander. p. 47. ISBN 1-85833-777-1.
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