Gloster Sparrowhawk
Gloster · United Kingdom · first flew 1921 · fighter
The Gloster Sparrowhawk was a single-seat fighter designed and produced during the early 1920s by Gloster.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 5.99 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Biplane fighter
- Nine-cylinder rotary Bentley BR2 engine in the nose
- Two fixed forward-firing Vickers guns
It is a small single-seat biplane with a rotary engine and two fixed guns.
Specifications
- The Gloster Sparrowhawk has a length of 5.99 m (20 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 8.51 m (28 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 201 km/h (125 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
It was developed by Henry Folland from the Nieuport Nighthawk as a navalised fighter and trainer for the Imperial Japanese Navy.
Variants
The single Sparrowhawk II was a civil demonstrator that later became the prototype Gloster Grouse.
Where you'll see it
Fifty were completed by Gloster and a further 40 were assembled in Japan. The Japanese Navy used it from 1921 to 1928, latterly as a shore-based trainer.
Related aircraft
- Gloster Nightjar
- Gloster Goldfinch
- Gladiator
- Gloster Gladiator I
- Aero Ae 04
- Avia BH-3
- Fokker D.IX
- Fokker D.X
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