Blackburn Skua

Blackburn Aircraft · United Kingdom · first flew 1937 · fighter

The Blackburn Skua was the Royal Navy's first monoplane carrier-borne aircraft, serving as both a fighter and dive-bomber in the early years of World War Two.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Low-mounted, tapered
E — Engines	1 × piston, nose-mounted
F — Fuselage	10.85 m fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

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Royal Navy's first monoplane carrier aircraft
Combined fighter and dive-bomber roles
Fixed forward-firing guns plus rear gunner; perforated dive flaps

Low-wing monoplane with a bulky radial engine cowling, two-seat tandem cockpit with a rear gunner's position, folding wings, and spatted fixed undercarriage in early examples; dive brakes visible under wings.

Specifications

The Blackburn Skua has a length of 10.85 m (36 ft).
It has a wingspan of 14.07 m (46 ft).
Its maximum speed is 362 km/h (225 mph).
Typical crew: 2.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

The Skua entered service in 1938 and achieved the first British air-to-air kill of WWII, shooting down a Dornier Do 18 in September 1939. Skuas also sank the German cruiser Königsberg at Bergen in April 1940, the first warship sunk by air attack in WWII. However, they were soon outclassed as fighters and withdrawn from front-line service by 1941.

Variants

A single main production variant, the Skua Mk.II with a Bristol Perseus XII radial; approximately 192 built.

Where you'll see it

Served with the Fleet Air Arm aboard HMS Ark Royal and other carriers; saw action in Norway, Dunkirk, and the Mediterranean before replacement by the Fulmar.

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