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Страна: Великобритания

Год: 1918

Единственный экземпляр

Истребитель

P.Lewis The British Fighter since 1912 (Putnam)

During 1917 the Austin Motor Co. decided to design a single-seat fighter to Specification A.1A but, rather surprisingly in view of the generally-conceded superiority by then of the well-developed biplane, their tender appeared at the beginning of 1918 as a triplane - the A.F.T.3 Osprey. The machine was fairly small and, as was to be expected with the power of the 230 h.p. Bentley B.R.2, the overall performance was quite creditable. The standard armament scheduled for the Osprey was a pair of fuselage-mounted Vickers but X15, the sole prototype, carried temporarily a Lewis gun in addition. However, against the new biplanes then appearing the Osprey stood relatively little chance of adoption and went the way of so many hopefully-created prototypes.

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Описание:

  • P.Lewis The British Fighter since 1912 (Putnam)
  • F.Mason The British Fighter since 1912 (Putnam)
  • W.Green, G.Swanborough The Complete Book of Fighters
  • J.Bruce British Aeroplanes 1914-1918 (Putnam)
  • H.King Armament of British Aircraft (Putnam)
  • P.Lewis - The British Fighter since 1912 /Putnam/

    The sole example of the A.F.T.3 Osprey to be completed and flown.
    The A.F.T.3 Osprey was intended to compete with the Snipe, but proved inferior.

  • Jane's All The World Aircraft 1919 /Jane's/

    Side View of an Experimental Austin Triplane

  • J.Herris - Weird Wings of WWI /Centennial Perspective/ (70)

    Austin A.F.T.3 Osprey prototype was flown in early 1918. It was powered by the most powerful rotary engine of WWI, the 230 hp Bentley B.R.2. Likely it was a competitor to the Sopwith Snipe biplane powered by the same engine. Performance was good for a triplane but the biplane Snipe was put in production and it was abandoned.

  • J.Bruce - British Aeroplanes 1914-1918 /Putnam/

    If nothing else this trim-looking triplane helps illustrate the point that for every winning design, a number of other design submissions fall by the wayside. First flown in February 1918, the company-funded Austin AFT 3 Osprey was designed to meet the same Air Board's Type A 1(a) requirement that led to the production contract for Sopwith's Snipe. Powered by a 230hp Bentley BR 2, the Osprey's top level speed was 118.5mph at 10.000 feet, this height being reached in 10 minutes 20 seconds. Armament consisted of three forward-firing .303-inch guns, of which two were fixed and synchronised Vickers, backed by an overwing Lewis that could be swivelled in elevation for 'belly-raking' an adversary's underside. Only the first of the three examples on which work had commenced was to be completed and flown. It is seen here at Farnborough in mid-June 1918, following its Martlesham Heath trials of March 1918.

  • F.Mason - The British Fighter since 1912 /Putnam/

    The Austin A.F.T.3 Osprey, X15, probably at the time of its official trials in March 1918.