Miles Monitor

Miles Aircraft · United Kingdom · first flew 1944 · transport aircraft

The Miles M.33 Monitor was a twin-engined British target tug designed and built by Miles Aircraft towards the end of the Second World War. It did not enter service with either the RAF or the Fleet Air Arm.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	High-mounted, tapered
E — Engines	2 × piston, wing-mounted
F — Fuselage	14.53 m fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

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Spot it by:

High wing of all-wood, one-piece construction
Two Wright Cyclone radials driving three-bladed propellers
Beaufighter-type landing gear and a dorsal cupola on the TT Mk II

It is a high-winged aircraft with an all-metal fuselage and a new all-wood wing, powered by two Wright R-2600 radials. It used the landing gear of the Bristol Beaufighter, and carried a hydraulic winch for target towing.

Specifications

The Miles Monitor has a length of 14.53 m (48 ft).
It has a wingspan of 17.15 m (56 ft).
Its maximum speed is 530 km/h (329 mph).
Typical crew: 2.

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

History

It answered Specification Q9/42 for a high-speed target tug. The first prototype, NF900, flew on 5 April 1944 and reached 580 km/h.

Variants

The Monitor TT Mk I was the RAF prototype target tug, of which one was built. The TT Mk II for the Fleet Air Arm, with dive brakes, nose cameras and a dorsal cupola, had one prototype and 20 production aircraft.

Where you'll see it

Contracts for 600 were cancelled at the end of the war and only 20 were built. None entered service, and all survivors were scrapped.

Related aircraft

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