Bristol Type 84 Bloodhound

For the surface-to-air missile, see Bristol Bloodhound.

Bloodhound

Role	Fighter/Reconnaissance
Manufacturer	Bristol Aeroplane Company
Designer	Wilfred Reid
First flight	May 1923
Status	Prototype only
Number built	4

The Bristol Bloodhound was a British two-seat reconnaissance/fighter aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company as a possible replacement for the Bristol F.2 Fighter for the Royal Air Force. It was unsuccessful, only four prototypes being built.

Development and design

After the failure of the two-seat version of the Bristol Bullfinch, the requirement remained for an aircraft for the Royal Air Force to replace the Bristol F.2 Fighter. The Air Ministry therefore issued Specification 3/22 in 1922 for a two-seat fighter powered by a supercharged engine. Bristol's chief designer, Wilfred Reid (who had replaced Frank Barnwell when Barnwell emigrated to Australia), designed the Bristol Type 84 Bloodhound to meet this requirement, with Bristol deciding to build a prototype as a private venture.^[1]

The Bloodhound was a two-seat biplane with swept two-bay wings, powered by a Bristol Jupiter IV radial engine. It first flew at the end of May 1923.^[1] It was redesigned with a lengthened fuselage and revised wings when Frank Barnwell returned from Australia to resume his role as chief designer. The Air Ministry placed an order for three Bloodhounds to a revised specification (22/22), of which one was of all-metal construction and the other two fitted with wooden wings,^[2] the first of these flying on 4 February 1925. After evaluation by the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment at RAF Martlesham Heath and Farnborough, it was clear that the Bloodhound was not adequate for the role of replacing the F.2. The other aircraft being evaluated against the specification to replace the F.2 in the reconnaissance role, the Hawker Duiker, Armstrong Whitworth Wolf and de Havilland D.H.42 Dormouse, were also found lacking.

The first prototype was fitted with a new Jupiter V engine, and received a civil certificate of airworthiness before being flown in the 1925 King's Cup Race. It was then fitted with a Jupiter VI engine and long-range fuel tanks as an engine testbed,^[3] proving the reliability of the Jupiter for Imperial Airways ^[1] before finally being scrapped in 1931.

Operators

United Kingdom

Specifications (Bloodhound)

Data from The British Fighter since 1912 ^[2]

General characteristics

Crew: two
Length: 26 ft 6 in (8.08 m)
Wingspan: 40 ft 2 in (12.25 m)
Height: 10 ft 8 in (3.25 m)
Wing area: 494 ft² (45.9 m²)
Empty weight: 2,515 lb (1,143 kg)
Loaded weight: 4,236 lb (1,925 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Bristol Jupiter IV radial engine, 425 hp (317 kW)

Performance

Maximum speed: 113 kn (130 mph, 209 km/h) at sea level
Service ceiling: 22,000 ft (6,700 m)
Wing loading: 8.57 lb/ft² (41.9 kg/m²)
Power/mass: 0.10 hp/lb (0.16 kW/kg)
Endurance: 3 hours

Armament

Guns: 1 × fixed, forward-firing .303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine gun and 1 × .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis gun on a Scarff ring in rear cockpit.
Bombs: 4 × 20 lb (9 kg) bombs

Notes and references

1 2 3 Barnes, C.H. (1964). Bristol Aircraft Since 1910 (First ed.). London: Putnam.
1 2 Mason, Francis K (1992). The British Fighter since 1912. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-082-7.
↑ Jackson, A.J. (1974). British Civil Aircraft since 1919 Volume 1. London: Putnam. ISBN 0-370-10006-9.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bristol Type 84 Bloodhound.

G-EBGG
British Aircraft Directory
The transport Archive - Type 84 - Bristol Bloodhound
"Bristol 'Jupiter' Endurance Test" a 1926 Flight article

Bristol Aeroplane Company aircraft

Pre-numbering
scheme

Manufacturer
designations

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
36
37
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
52
53
55
57
62
71
72
73
75
76
77
79
81
83
84
86
88
89
90
91
92
93
95
96
99
101
105
107
109
110A
118
120
123
124
130
133
135
137
138
142/142M
143
144
146
148
149
152
156
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
166
167
170
171
172
173
175
182
188
191
192
193
198
200
213
223

By role

Fighters	Scout M.1 Monoplane F.2 Fighter Badger Jupiter Fighter Bagshot Bulldog Bullfinch Type 123 Type 133 Beaufighter

Passenger Transports	Tourer Ten-Seater Taxiplane Pullman Type 142 Britain First Brabazon Britannia

Reconnaissance	Bloodhound

Trainer	Bristol Boxkite Bristol Coanda Monoplanes T.B.8 P.B.8 Primary Trainer Buckmaster

Transports	Bombay Brandon Buckingham Freighter Superfreighter

Experimental	X.2 X.3 Bullet Racer Type 92 Type 138 Type 188 Type 221

Bombers	Braemar Berkeley Bombay Blenheim Beaufort Buckingham Brigand

Sporting	Babe Brownie

Helicopters	Sycamore Type 173 Belvedere

Designers

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 4/2/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.