Gloster G.39

Gloster Aircraft Company · United Kingdom · first flew 1939 · fighter

The Gloster G.39 was a British single-seat monoplane fighter prototype of 1939, designed to meet Air Ministry Specification F.18/37 for a high-performance interceptor using the Napier Sabre engine. It competed with the Hawker Tornado and Typhoon designs but was not selected for production.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Mid-mounted, tapered
E — Engines	1 × piston, nose-mounted
F — Fuselage	11.29 m fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

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Single-seat British monoplane fighter prototype contemporary with the Typhoon and Tornado
Designed to specification F.18/37 as a Hawker Hurricane successor candidate
Only one prototype built — did not win the production contract

A large, powerful-looking single-engine British monoplane fighter of conventional layout, broadly similar to early Typhoon prototypes; the relatively wide-chord wing and large chin radiator are notable features.

Specifications

The Gloster G.39 has a length of 11.29 m (37 ft).
It has a wingspan of 15.25 m (50 ft).
Its maximum speed is 579 km/h (360 mph).
Typical crew: 1.

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

History

Gloster submitted the G.39 design in competition with Hawker's twin proposals (Tornado and Typhoon) to meet the same 1937 specification. Only a single prototype was built and it first flew in 1939. The Hawker designs were preferred due to their more advanced state of development, and Gloster subsequently focused on jet development with the Meteor.

Variants

One prototype only; no variants or production aircraft were built.

Where you'll see it

Never entered operational service; the G.39 prototype was used only for evaluation flying.

Related aircraft

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