Vickers F.B.25
Vickers · United Kingdom · first flew 1917 · fighter
The Vickers F.B.25 was a British two-seat night fighter prototype of the First World War, designed to attack enemy airships. Completed in 1917, it failed its official flight tests.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, fuselage-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 8.56 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Twin fin |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Two-bay pusher biplane with unstaggered equal-span wings
- Wide nacelle between the wings seating pilot and gunner side by side
- Tailbooms converging to the rear spar of the tailplane
The gunner sat ahead and to starboard of the pilot and was armed with a 40 mm Vickers-Crayford gun. It had an oleo-pneumatic undercarriage.
Specifications
- The Vickers F.B.25 has a length of 8.56 m (28 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 12.95 m (42 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 138 km/h (86 mph).
- Typical crew: 2.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Vickers reworked the unbuilt F.B.23 into the F.B.25 to compete with the Royal Aircraft Factory N.E.1. It was completed in early spring 1917 with a 150 hp Hispano-Suiza engine.
Variants
There were no variants: one was built. The F.B.23 it was based on was never built.
Where you'll see it
At Martlesham Heath in June and July 1917 it was declared to have poor control characteristics and to be very dangerous with the engine off. The lone aircraft later crashed there.
Related aircraft
- Vickers F.B.24
- Vickers Vimy IV
- Vickers F.B.11
- Vickers F.B.12
- AEG D.I
- AEG Dr.I
- Albatros C.XIII
- Albatros D.IX
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