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Aviation History
1948
1948 - 0862.PDF
FLIGHT Mosquito N.f.36i of Fighter Command. (Right) Sea Hornet N.F.ll. JViffht Fighters I T is beginning to seem a long time since the com-muniques were proclaiming the successes of E.A.F.Mosquitoes against German night raiders—a long time since John Cunningham and the rest were winning their dark victories. The fact is that the first Mosquito fighters Mark Us. without A.I. radar equipment) became opera- tional nearly six years ago. Now the R.A.F. Mosquito night-fighter squadrons are being rearmed. . At this late date some newer design—a contemporary of the Meteor, at least—might have been expected, but the type selected— the Mosquito N.F. Mk. 38—differs little from the N.F. Mk. 36 which it replaces. Were the Mosquito not such an exceptionally fine and adaptable machine this would be a sorry situation indeed. As it is, the Merlin 113/114 engines will give the Mk. 38 little margin of speed over the twin-engined medium bombers which it may be called upon to engage, and the destruction of jet-propelled raiders, unless these can be "bounced," will be out of the question. Some people will remember the urgency with which nitrous-oxide injec- tion equipment was installed in Mosquitoes to enable them to deal more effectively with Fw 190s and Me 410s. It is to be hoped that such a situation will not recur. To the added credit of the Meteor it can now be said that this 585 m.p.h. single-seater is being operated at night by R.A.F. squadrons, though it is obvious that its value as a night fighter will be restricted by its relatively short endurance. The Vampire, too, is amenable to night opera- tion. In Royal Naval units the Firefly IV and V suitably adapted, are available as night fighters, and a two-seater of much higher performance—the Sea Hornet 21— is being developed, though this type is not yet in service. The Air Staff night fighter policy has evidently ,been dictated by both financial and technical considerations. No doubt it is argued that the night raiders which might assail us within the next year or two are unlikely, in the main, to be jet propelled, and in the knowledge, or hope, that " the good old Moseie will see us through '' it has been deemed prudent to direct resources towards the rearming of the day fighter units with jet aircraft. In the late days of the war the Germans adapted the Me 262—the counterpart of the Meteor—as a two-seat, radar-equipped night fighter, though they were fully aware that a specialized machine was an urgent requirement They had, in fact, invited tenders for a "night and bad weather'' fighter—a heavily armed multi-seater carrying elaborate radar and combining high performance and long endurance. The Americans, working on the same lines, are now testing the Curtiss XP-87, illustrated here. Powered with four Westinghouse axial-flow turbojets this massive machine seats a crew of two side by side and is as long as a Wellington bomber. America's new night and bad-weather fighter—the Cunin XP-ttT.
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