Armstrong Whitworth Armadillo Aircraft

Production Details

Design Company:

Sir W.G. Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd

First Flight:

6 April 1918

Armadillo:

1 - Armstrong Whitworth, Gosforth

Type Specification

Applies to:

Armstrong Whitworth F.M.4 Armadillo

Type:

Single seat fighter biplane

Wing:

Two bay biplane. Upper wing attached to top of fuselage, lower wing to bottom. Lower wing is narrower than top and has slight dihedral. Cutouts in trailing edges around cockpit. Ailerons on all wings.

Fuselage:

Deep fuselage of rectangular section filling interplane gap, tapering to rear

Tail Unit:

Wire braced tailplane mounted at mid height on fuselage together with elevators. Small fin mounted above fuselage with balanced rudder

Landing Gear:

Undercarriage of cross axle type carried on forward and rear struts. Forward struts attached to fuselage aft of engine. Rear struts attached to fuselage at rear spar of lower wing

Power Plant:

One 230 hp Bentley B.R.2 9 cylinder rotary engine

Accommodation:

Pilot seated in cockpit just ahead of the trailing edge of the upper wing.

Armament:

Two fixed Vickers machine guns in decking forward of cockpit and movable Lewis gun firing forward

Span:

27 ft 9 in

Length:

18 ft 10 in

Height:

8 ft 7 in

Wing Area:

232 sq ft

Empty:

1,250 lb

Max:

1,860 lb

Max Speed:

125 mph at sea level

Climb:

6.5 min to 10,000 ft

Service Ceiling:

24,000 ft

Endurance:

2.75 hr

Preserved in British Museums

Web Sites