Westland Interceptor

Westland Aircraft · United Kingdom · first flew 1929 · fighter

The Westland Interceptor was a British fighter developed to Air Ministry Specification F.20/27. It was rejected by the RAF in favour of the Hawker Fury biplane after unsatisfactory handling in tests in 1929 and 1930.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Low-mounted, straight
E — Engines	1 × piston, nose-mounted
F — Fuselage	Two Vickers machine guns in the sides of the fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

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Spot it by:

Low-wing monoplane with an all-metal structure and wire-braced wings
Fixed undercarriage and an uncowled Bristol Mercury radial engine on the prototype
Two Vickers machine guns in the sides of the fuselage

The fuselage front was metal-covered and the rest of the airframe mostly fabric-covered. A Townend ring was later fitted to reduce drag.

Specifications

The Westland Interceptor has a length of 7.72 m (25 ft).
It has a wingspan of 11.58 m (38 ft).
Its maximum speed is 309 km/h (192 mph).
Typical crew: 1.

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

History

Design work began in late 1927 and the Interceptor made its first flight in early 1929, with Lieutenant L. G. Paget at the controls. The specification emphasised high speed and rate of climb to overtake an enemy aircraft passing overhead at 20,000 feet.

Variants

Only a single prototype was built. It was modified with a considerably taller fin and rudder to improve spin recovery, and the Mercury engine was replaced by a Bristol Jupiter VII.

Where you'll see it

No orders were placed, but the aircraft continued to fly until 1935. Test pilots gave a negative assessment, and the handling was described as alarming, with the elevator becoming ineffective in steep turns.

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