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Armstrong Whitworth Atlas

1927 GOLDEN AGE

History of the Armstrong-Whitworth Atlas

The Armstrong Whitworth Atlas was developed to replace the aging de Havilland DH. 9 A 1918 biplane and a 1916 Bristol fighter to RAF specification 20/25. In both cases, the aircraft served a reconnaissance role (respectively) in the Royal Air Force (RAF) as part of their inherent bomber/fighter role. The Atlas was designed to replace two airframes as the main RAF mounts for "army cooperation" (mission link). Liaison aircraft are used on the battlefield to communicate between various ground groups and relay vital real-time information to commanders and planners.

Although sometimes unarmed, such aircraft are usually designed for long wait times, good range, and excellent landing and take-off characteristics. Atlas credits an engineering team led by John Lloyd, chief designer at Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft, who oversaw the design.

Armstrong Whitworth and Lloyd's design team initially took on the Atlas project as a private company, and the first flight was completed on May 10, 1925. The RAF subsequently accepted the prototype for a comparative evaluation against other aircraft, and the two-seat Atlas biplane proved to be a solid design, aside from the apparent "sideslip". Sideslip is essentially just that - moving the aircraft sideways while moving forward against the oncoming airflow. This problem was solved by installing new metal wings with swept back.

However, the new wing reduced the aircraft's handling qualities - considered excellent at the time - and now also exhibits poorer stall characteristics. As a result, automatic slats were added to the wings and, to some extent, camber.

This corrected the less-than-stellar handling characteristics caused by the wing replacement, but in her first few months of service the RAF reported several take-off and landing incidents.

In 1927, with the aircraft officially entering service with the RAF, production of the Atlas began quickly, with an initial production batch of 37. The Atlas immediately served with the 13th and 26th Squadrons, and was eventually deployed overseas with the 208th Squadron from Heliopolis, Egypt, in 1930. She served as a mission liaison as well as a trainer and correspondent until her retirement in 1935.

Production continued from 1927 to 1933, with approximately 478 systems eventually produced. In addition to UK use, the atlas is also in stock in Canada, China, Egypt, Greece and Japan.

The Atlas was eventually replaced by the Hawker Audax, which was based on the Hawker Hart biplane, and its trainer derivative itself was replaced by the Hawker Hart Trainer.

The design was very traditional at the time. The aircraft had its engines mounted in the forward compartment, which powered the propeller system. The tubular steel hull (covered in fabric) is fairly round, thicker at the front and tapered at the rear.

The wings are metal single-planar biplane assemblies of unequal span, each unit having a slight V-shape, more so for the lower assemblies. The pilot sits directly aft of the upper wing assembly in the open air cockpit, while his observer/gunner sits in the open air cockpit behind the pilot. The rear wing is relatively conventional in design, with a round vertical rear wing and a pair of horizontal stabilizers. Landing gear varies depending on mission needs - either a pair of wheels is mounted on a fixed gear for onshore operations, or a set of durable pontoons are mounted for offshore operations.

In any case, the tail is carried by a simple tail skid, especially suitable for land models. There is an option to install a hook on the bottom of the fuselage for quick access to ground information without the aircraft landing.

The atlas shows a length of 28 feet 6.6 inches and a wingspan of 39 feet 6.6 inches. Her height is 10 feet 6 inches. The curb weight is 2,550 pounds, and the fully loaded weight is nearly 4,020 pounds.

Power comes from a single Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar IVC 14-cylinder 450-horsepower engine with a top speed of 142 mph, a range of 400 miles, and a service ceiling of nearly 16,800 feet. The Armstrong Siddeley Power Station has a battery life of close to 3.5 hours.

The standard armament of the series centers around a pair of machine guns. One. 303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine gun in fixed position firing forward. One. The 303 (7.7mm) Lewis machine gun was mounted on a "scarf ring" in the rear cockpit for training firepower against enemy threats from the rear.

The flexible Scarff ring was developed by British Warrant Officer (Gunner) F.W. Scarff during World War I to meet the weapon needs of rear gunners facing multi-view enemy prospects in open-air cockpit combat.

In addition to the machine gun, the Atlas could also mount 112-pound bombs under the wings.

Few Atlas variants exist at all. The original production model became the Atlas I, and around 271 prototypes were delivered to the RAF. The Atlas Trainer serves as a dual control stand for training future Atlas pilots. About 175 of this type were eventually built. The Atlas II soon appeared as an improved Atlas model with more power from its 525 hp Armstrong-Siddeley Panther engine.

However, the RAF chose the competing Audax design and delivered 15 of the model to the Chinese Air Force. The Atlas I model represented by Ajax is slightly different, with only 4 made for the RAF. Aries is a proposed and improved Atlas I model with slightly larger surface and overall dimensions, while also being easier to maintain in the field.

However, only one was completed. The EAF Atlas is an export from the Hellenic Air Force and differs mainly in its choice of engine, propeller and wing assemblies. After 1931, at least 10 were built locally by the Greek EAF (National Aircraft Factory).

208 Squadron used the last Armstrong Siddeley Atlas in RAF service, which replaced their system with the newer Hawker Audax in 1935. Privately owned Atlas planes served as soldiers until 1938 before falling into the scrap dealer's torch.