Bristol Bulldog
The
Bristol Bulldog was a
British Royal Air Force (RAF) single-seat
biplane fighter designed during the 1920s by the
Bristol Aeroplane Company, with over four hundred
Bulldogs produced, that arguably became the most famous aircraft during the RAF's inter-war period.
[img=http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/4165/300pxbristolbulldog1eu5.jpg]
Design and development
In September 1926, the
Air Ministry stated a need for a single-seat fighter capable of operating in day and night-time conditions; to be armed with two 0.303 in (7.7 mm)
Vickers machine guns and to be powered by a
radial air-cooled
engine. This requirement was laid down in
Specification F9/26. The Bulldog was designed by
Frank Barnwell, the Chief Designer of the Bristol company, (who had served as a Captain in the
British Army during the
First World War), as a private venture to meet the requirements of this specification. The prototype Bulldog, the
Bulldog Mk. I first flew on 17 May 1927.
[1] After initial consideration of all the types entered to meet the specification, the Bulldog and the
Hawker Hawfinch were selected for more detailed evaluation.
[1] While the Bulldog's manoeuvrability and strength were praised by the RAF,
[2] it initially had poor spinning recovery properties and was therefore fitted with a lengthened rear fuselage. In this form, it was declared the winner of the competition, having slightly superior speed
[2] and was easier to maintain,
[2] and required fewer changes to produce an operational aircraft than the Hawfinch.
[1]
The full-production Bulldog came in the form of the
Mk.II, which had a modified structure but in every other respect was identical to the original Bulldog; having two 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine guns; a
capacity for four 20 lb (9 kg) bombs; a 450 hp (336 kW)
Bristol Jupiter radial engine; giving the Bulldog a maximum speed of just under 180 mph (290 km/h) and a range of 300 miles (480 km). The aircraft then entered production in 1928, entering service the following year, and becoming, during the early 1930s, the most widely used aircraft in the RAF. It was cheap to maintain and thus, at a time of defence budget constraints, was the more preferable option to any other competitors. The
Mk. IIA was again virtually similar to its predecessor, though it had a new Jupiter engine and a strengthened structure.
A Bristol Bulldog preserved at the
RAF Museum, Hendon
The Bulldog proved to be quite a successful export to foreign air forces, seeing service with
Australia,
Denmark,
Estonia,
Finland,
Japan,
Latvia,
Siam,
Spain and
Sweden. The
Bulldog was withdrawn from RAF service in 1937, being replaced by the
Hawker Hurricane and
Supermarine Spitfire, both of which would become legends of the RAF for their contributions during the
Second World War. The Bristol Bulldog's career was not over though, for the type continued to serve with other air forces.
Operational history
The Bulldog never saw combat service with the RAF, though during the
Abyssinia Crisis of 1935-36, Bristol Bulldogs were sent to the
Sudan to reinforce
Middle East Command.
Douglas Bader, better known for his Second World War actions, lost both of his legs when his Bristol Bulldog crashed while he was performing unauthorised flying
acrobatics. A number of Bulldogs, ex-Latvian aircraft, saw service during the
Spanish Civil War, as part of the forces fighting the Nationalists. Nineteen Bulldogs also saw combat as part of the
Finnish Air Force during the
Winter War against the
Soviet Union, which began in 1939. The
Bulldogs fought well against their Soviet opponent, gaining six kills by five pilots for the loss of one of their own,
[3] the types shot down being two
Polikarpov I-16s and four
Tupolev SB-2s,
[3] both of which were quite superior in terms of technology compared to the Bulldog. In fact, the very first aerial victory of
Finnish Air Force was achieved by a Bulldog piloted by SSgt Toivo Uuttu on 1 December 1939.
[4] The Bulldog continued in service during the subsequent
Continuation War against the Soviet Union, though without scoring any further kills or suffering losses.