Armstrong Whitworth Ara
Armstrong Whitworth · United Kingdom · first flew 1919 · fighter
The Armstrong Whitworth Ara was an unsuccessful British single-seat biplane fighter of the First World War built by Armstrong Whitworth.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Square-section fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Two-bay biplane
- Square-section fuselage
- Pointed engine cowling with the cylinder heads exposed
The upper wing was set low to give the pilot a better view upwards. Armament was two .303 in Vickers machine guns.
Specifications
- The Armstrong Whitworth Ara has a length of 6.17 m (20 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 8.36 m (27 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 240 km/h (149 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
In early 1918 the Air Ministry issued RAF Specification Type 1 for a fighter to replace the Sopwith Snipe, with the new ABC Dragonfly radial engine specified. Fred Murphy designed the Ara to meet it and three prototypes were ordered; the first flew in mid-1919.
Variants
Two of the three ordered prototypes were completed and no other versions were built.
Where you'll see it
The Dragonfly engine proved hopelessly unreliable. The Ara was abandoned towards the end of 1919 when Armstrong Whitworth closed down its aircraft department.
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