Armstrong Whitworth AW.14 (Starling)

History

"Starling" (company name "AW.14") was developed by the British company Armstrong Whitworth in the late 1920s to compete as fighter jets for the Royal Air Force (RAF). 28th of 1924 / Contract Specification No. 24 (Finding a Day and Night Fighter).

To succeed the aging Armstrong Whitworth 'Siskin' biplane line, the biplane ultimately lost to Bristol's "Bulldogs" (details elsewhere on this page), who later produced 443 of them, while only Two starlings completed the prototype testing phase. The first flight was recorded on May 12, 1927.

The 28/24 specification calls for a new state-of-the-art design biplane capable of reaching/over 180 mph. Armstrong Whitworth engineers brought a legacy product, including a traditional wing layout (one on top of the other), fixed two-wheel landing gear and a single-seat/open-air cockpit.

The main aircraft had a single-cabin configuration and unequal wingspan, with the lower members significantly shorter than the upper members. Like structures common at the time, these workers were supported by N-shaped struts and cables. The engine is mounted at the very forward end of the fuselage and drives a two-bladed propeller unit. The pilot was seated behind the engine unit and upper wing, so forward visibility was severely limited.

The fuselage tapers towards the stern, which has a circular vertical tail. The horizontal plane is attached to the fuselage at the bottom of the fins.

With the exception of the two main landing gear legs, which are wheels, the aircraft is supported on the ground by a simple tail skid mounted under the tail. Inside, the fuselage supports a tubular steel frame with wood and canvas that completes the rest of the aircraft.

As a fighter, the aircraft was proposed to be armed with the typical armament of 2 x .303 caliber Vickers machine guns. These air-cooled units are located above the nose of the aircraft and are fired synchronously by rotating propeller blades.

The first AW. The 14 aircraft, which first flew in May 1927 and were eventually named "Starling", were powered by Armstrong Siddeley's "Jaguar VII" radial piston air-cooled engines with a combined output of 385 hp. However, this powerplant was unable to provide the required power, so an Armstrong Siddeley 14-cylinder, 460 hp, air-cooled, radial-piston "Jaguar V" engine was installed.

Despite the increase in output, the plane still struggled to impress in the sky, at speeds below 160 mph. As a result, the aircraft was approved for the Bristol design according to the February 1926 revision of the specification F. 9/26 (requiring a day/night "area" fighter).

The aircraft is 25.1 feet long, with a wingspan of 31.3 feet and a height of 10.5 feet. Curb weight hits 2,060 lbs and MTOW is 3,100 lbs. With its Jaguar V engine, the prototype fighter can climb to a service ceiling of about 27,600 feet at a climb rate of 1,428 feet per minute.

Armstrong Whitworth continues to work on her AW. 14 and fitted the prototype with a new wing and a 525-horsepower Armstrong Siddeley Panther II production engine, hoping to address the performance issues and handling limitations encountered by the Starling I. Known as the "Starling II", the aircraft first flew on December 5, 1929 and was carried out according to F. 20/27 (intercept single-seat fighter) and N. 21/26 (later Royal Navy Fleet Aviation) specifications requirements for testing an armed "fleet fighter" deployment.

Even in this form, the aircraft failed to impress and was eventually used by the company for testing during the remainder of its operating days.

Armstrong Whitworth AW. Number 16, detailed elsewhere on this site, is heavily influenced by the company's work on AW. 14. However, this latest offer has only resulted in the completion of a total of 18 aircraft, 16 of which were sent to China for combat.

Specification

BASIC

Year of Service

1927

Origins

UK

Status

Cancel

Development ended.

Crew

1

Production

2

Manufacturer

Armstrong Whitworth - UK

Carrier

UK (tested)

scrolling

air-to-air combat, fighter

The general ability to actively attack other aircraft of similar form and function, usually using guns, missiles and/or airborne missiles.

X-Plane (development, prototype, tech demo)

Aircraft designed for prototyping, technology demonstration, or research/data collection.

Dimensions and Weight

Length

25. 2 feet

(7.67m)

Width/span

31. 3 feet

(9.55m)

Height

10.5 feet

(3.20m)

Cured weight

2,061 lbs

(935kg)

MTOW

3,097 lbs

(1,405 kg)

Wgt Difference

+?1,036

(+470 kg)

Performance

Installed:

1 x Armstrong Siddeley "Jaguar V" 14-cylinder, 460 hp, air-cooled, radial piston engine driving a twin-bladed propeller in the nose.

Maximum speed

162 km/h

(260 km/h | 140 knots)

Maximum

27,559 feet

(8,400 m | 5 km)

rate of climb

1,430 ft/min

(436 m/min)

Range (MPH) Subsonic: <614mph | Transonic: 614-921 | Supersonic: 921-3836 | Hypersonic: 3836-7673 | Hypersonic: 7673-19180 | Reentry: > 19030

Weapon

Proposed: 2 x .303 caliber (7.7 mm) Vickers machine guns mounted on a fixed forward-firing mount above the nose, firing synchronized via rotating propeller blades.