Britain's Blackburn B-25 Roc fighter1
Blackburn B-25 Roc fighter:
Design
The Blackburn B-25 Roc was the fighter bomber version of the Blackburn Skua.1 The Roc was designed by G. E. Petty.1
The Roc was of all metal construction.1
Armament
The main armament of the Roc was a Boulton Paul Type A Mk II powered turret that was at the rear of the cockpit area.1
Prototype
No prototype was produced.1
Production
An order for 136 Rocs was placed on April 28, 1937.1
The first production aircraft flew on December 23, 1938.1,2
- Total: 1362
Variants
- Roc:
- Roc ?: Several early models had Shark floats attached.1 Max speed 178 mph / 286 kph at 6,000' / 1,830 m.1
Usage
Operational service was brief as it was found to not be up to performance.1 Second line land based FAA squadrons received the Roc.1
| Blackburn B-25 Roc1 | |
|---|---|
| Type | Carrier fighter bomber1 Carrier fighter2 |
| Crew | 21,2 |
| Engine (Type) | Bristol Perseus XIII1,2 |
| Cylinders | Radial1, 91,2 |
| Cooling | |
| HP | 8301, 9052 |
| Propeller blades | 32 |
| Dimensions | |
| Span | 46'1,2 14.02 m1,2 |
| Length | 35'2, 35' 7"1 10.67 m2, 10.84 m1 |
| Height | 12' 1"1,2 3.68 m1,2 |
| Wing area | 310 ft2 1 28.8 m2 1 |
| Weight | |
| Empty | 6,124 lb1,2 2,778 kg1,2 |
| Loaded | 7,950 lb1, 8,800 lb2 3,606 kg1, 3,992 kg2 |
| Performance | |
| Speed | 196 mph2 315 kph2 |
| Speed @ 10,000' / 3,050 m |
223 mph1 359 kph1 |
| Climb | 1,130'/minute1, 1,500'/minute2 5.74 m/second1, 457 m/minute2 |
| Service ceiling | 18,000'2 5,485 m2 |
| Range | 610 miles1, 810 miles2 982 km1, 1,303 km2 |
| Armament | |
| Rear turret | 4: 7.7 mm Browning MGs1 4: 0.303" MG2 |
| Bombs under wings | 8: 30 lb2 8: 14 kg2 |
Sources:
- The Great Book of Fighters, William Green, Gordon Swanborough, 1994
- Aircraft of WWII, Stewart Wilson, 1998
