Gloster Gauntlet

Gauntlet
An ex-Finnish Air Force Gloster Gauntlet Mk II, GT-400, at Kymi Airfield Aviation Museum. At some stage, this aircraft has been fitted with a new engine in a longer cowling, and a three bladed variable pitch propeller.
Role	Fighter
Manufacturer	Gloster Aircraft
First flight	1933
Introduction	1935
Retired	1943
Primary users	Royal Air Force Finland Denmark
Produced	1933-1936
Number built	246
Developed from	Gloster S.S.19B
Variants	Gloster Gladiator

The British Gloster Gauntlet was a single-seat, biplane fighter of the RAF designed and built by Gloster Aircraft in the 1930s. It was the last RAF fighter to have an open cockpit and the penultimate biplane fighter in service.

Contents 1 Design and development 2 Operational history 3 Variants 4 Operators 5 Survivors 6 Specifications (Gauntlet Mk II)

Design and development

The Gloster SS.18 first flew in January 1929. The Gauntlet was a development of the Gloster S.S.19B design, which originally mounted six machine guns (ie four in the wings and two in the fuselage).^[1] The original S.S.19 prototype being re-engined with a Bristol Mercury VIS engine, first flying in this form in 1933.^[2] On testing the S.S.19, the Air Ministry placed an order for 24 aircraft in September 1933, to be named the "Gauntlet".^[2]
This initial order was followed up with orders for the revised Gauntlet Mk. II. This new model used a revised construction method based on that used by Hawker following Hawker's takeover of Gloster, as this was much easier to build and repair than Gloster's welded structure.^[2] A total of 204 Mk IIs were produced in the UK.

Operational history

The Gauntlet Mk. I first entered service with No 19 Squadron at RAF Duxford in May 1935. The Gauntlet proved successful and popular in operational service, having a large margin of performance over the aircraft it replaced (i.e. the Bristol Bulldog, over which the Gauntlet had a 56 mph (90 km/h) advantage in speed) to form the main part of the RAF's fighter strength.^[2] The Gauntlet was the fastest aircraft in the RAF from 1935 to 1937.^[3]
The Gauntlet Mk II entered service with 56 Squadron and 111 Squadron in May 1936, a further six squadrons being re-equipped with the Gauntlet by the end of the year.^[2] At the height of its career, the Gauntlet equipped a total of 14 Squadrons of RAF Fighter Command.^[3] No. 32 (The Royal) Squadron RAF Gauntlets were used in early trials of ground direction of fighters by radar.^[2]
As more advanced fighters, such as the Gloster Gladiator, Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire started to re-equip the Gauntlet squadrons in 1936 and 1937, the surplus Gauntlets were passed on to freshly formed units as their first equipment to allow then to gain training before receiving more modern fighters. Gauntlets were also shipped to the Middle East, equipping three RAF squadrons.
All home based Gauntlet squadrons had re-equipped with more modern fighters by the start of the Second World War, but remained in service in the Middle East for longer, with a flight of Gauntlets remaining in service with No.3 Sqn RAAF in the Middle East when Italy declared war in 1940. These were briefly used for ground attack operations against the Italians before being retired from operations owing to maintenance problems.^[4] Gauntlets continued in use for meteorological flights until 1943.^[2]
Seventeen Gauntlets IIs were licence produced in Denmark, while 25 ex-RAF machines were supplied by South Africa as support to Finland in 1940 as a result of the Winter War. Already obsolete, they were used as advanced trainers by the Finns.^[5] The Finnish nickname for the Gauntlet was Kotletti (literally "cutlet").

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 tailwheel.
• 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; 24 built.
• Gauntlet Mk II : Single-seat fighter aircraft; modified version of the Gauntlet Mk I; 221 built.

Operators

 Australia

• Royal Australian Air Force
  • No.3 Sqn

 Denmark

• Hærens Flyvetropper
  • No. 1 Squadron Hærens Flyvetropper

 Finland

• Finnish Air Force
  • No. 30 Squadron
  • No. 34 Squadron
  • No. 25 Squadron
  • No. 17 Squadron
  • No. 35 Squadron

 Southern Rhodesia

• Southern Rhodesian Air Force
  • No. 1 Squadron SRAF

 South Africa

• South African Air Force
  • No. 1 Squadron SAAF
  • No. 2 Squadron SAAF

United Kingdom Royal Air Force No. 6 Squadron RAF No. 17 Squadron RAF No. 19 Squadron RAF No. 32 Squadron RAF No. 33 Squadron RAF No. 46 Squadron RAF No. 47 Squadron RAF No. 54 Squadron RAF No. 56 Squadron RAF No. 65 Squadron RAF No. 66 Squadron RAF No. 73 Squadron RAF

No. 74 Squadron RAF No. 79 Squadron RAF No. 80 Squadron RAF No. 111 Squadron RAF No. 112 Squadron RAF No. 151 Squadron RAF No. 213 Squadron RAF No. 234 Squadron RAF No. 237 Squadron RAF No. 504 Squadron RAF No. 601 Squadron RAF No. 602 Squadron RAF No. 615 Squadron RAF No. 616 Squadron RAF

Survivors

Gloster Gauntlet in Kauhava, Finland at Midnight Sun Airshow 2006

As of 2008, the only airworthy Mk II in the world, GT-400, is registered in Finland where it spends its summers in Kymi Airfield Aviation Museum near Kotka.

Specifications (Gauntlet Mk II)

Data from^{[citation needed]}

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 26 ft 5 in (8.05 m)
• Wingspan: 32 ft 9½ in (10.0 m)
• Height: 10 ft 3 in (3.13 m)
• Wing area: 315 ft² (29.3 m²)
• Empty weight: 2,770 lb (1,259 kg)
• Loaded weight: 3,970 lb (1,805 kg)
• Powerplant: 1× Bristol Mercury VI S2 9-cylinder radial engine, 645 hp (481 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 200 knots (230 mph, 370 km/h) at 15,800 ft (4,820 m)
• Range: 400 nm ^[3] (460 mi, 740 km)
• Service ceiling: 33,500 ft (10,210 m)
• Rate of climb: 2,300 ft/min ^[3] (11.7 m/s)
• Wing loading: 12.6 lb/ft² (61.6 kg/m²)
• Power/mass: 0.162 hp/lb (266 W/kg)
• Climb to 20,000 ft (6,100 m): 9 min

Armament

• Guns: Two x 0.303 in Vickers machine guns