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Westland Whirlwind

1940 SUEZ CRISIS WORLD WAR 2

History of the Westland Cyclone

The Westland Whirlwind became a powerful twin-engine heavy fighter that would have been in service much higher had it not been for the choice of Rolls-Royce Peregrine engines. Originally planned to use a Rolls-Royce Merlin, the Cyclone platform was relegated to use the underpowered Peregrine, as nearly all of the Merlin inventory was used to produce the Supermarine Spitfire and Hawker Hurricane fighters.

As a result, the Cyclone made a promising entry into military aviation, but was an obsolete design as early as June 1944 - superseded by the more powerful Hawker Typhoon. Total production of Whirlwinds was only 116 units.

The Whirlwind features a recognizable design with two under-mounted engine nacelles mounted below the low-wing assembly. While this increased cockpit visibility provided better situational awareness, the pilot's field of view was still blocked by the wings and engine case, while also sitting behind the long nose assembly. The fuselage is generally tubular, and the fins are arranged in a T-shape, matching a pair of horizontal planes on either side of a single rudder. Space in the bow area was reserved for a row of 4 x 20mm guns.

The landing gear continued the well-recognized three-point "trail" form, with two main gear legs and a tail wheel. All of this can be retracted into the fuselage.

The Whirlwind was tested by P.9 prototypes as early as 1938 (two completed) and did not enter service on the front lines until 1940, with some revolutionary design features. Chief among these was the use of the "bubble" canopy, which guaranteed pilots excellent all-round visibility and became a staple of several other fighter designs by the end of the war.

Leading edge mounted wing radiators were also introduced.

Although well below expectations, the aircraft's initial performance proved to be only adequate. The Peregrine engine did not provide much benefit, although the airframe itself was reported to be very stable and fast at low altitudes. The Cyclones eventually took on a bomber escort role in critical daytime bombing raids designed to disrupt and destroy Axis infrastructure and combat capabilities. A special fighter-bomber shape with bomb carriers (2 x 250 lb or 500 lb bombs) under the wings, which then came in the form of the Cyclone FB. MKII.

These are 67 Mk I fighter models modified for the character.

Performance figures reported by Whirlwind include a top speed of 360 miles per hour, a range of 800 miles and a service ceiling of 30,300 feet. The engine chosen was a liquid-cooled Rolls-Royce Peregrine V12, each producing 885 horsepower. These drive a pair of de Havilland three-bladed propellers.

Problems with engine development continued, coupled with the rapid landing speed, made the machine unpopular among war planners who were already looking for a replacement. As a result, the Cyclone had a short wartime life and was decommissioned in 1943. In fact, the last flight of the cyclone was recorded after the attack on the German airfield in Poix, France (northeast) in June 1943.

From June 1940 to October 1943 it had only two RAF squadrons (137th and 263rd). Production spanned from 1940 to January 1942.

As an impressive initial design, history forced the Tornado to play a secondary role in the more famous British fighter and fighter-bomber designs.