FlyPast – August 2018

(John Hannent) #1

Tin


Tony Buttl examines the last Vick s fi ght –


the technically advanced, but fl awed,


Type 432


100 FLYPAST August 2018


P


roduction of the spectacular
Wellington bomber, and
less successful Warwick,
dominated activities at Vickers
throughout World War Two. Within
this period, the company flew what
turned out to be its last fighter, the
Type 432.
At first glance, this looked like the
de Havilland Mosquito and indeed
was nicknamed the ‘Tin Mossie’.
The triumph of the Mosquito as the
world’s first true multi-role combat
aircraft meant that the Vickers
machine had little chance to make
its mark.
In 1939, the design team, led by
Rex Pierson, began work on a
twin-engined two-seat fighter called
the Type 414. Two prototypes,
R4236 and R4239, were ordered
against Specification F22/39 on
August 30, 1939.
The most striking feature of the
414 was a single Vickers 40mm
cannon fitted in the nose. This
could be elevated upwards to an

angle of 45° or trained 20° to either
side. If the gunner held his aim on a
target, a predictor apparatus would
automatically keep the powerful
weapon lined up.
In April 1940, Pierson produced
a new brochure for the Type 432,
a single-seat high-altitude fighter.
This was more conventionally armed
with eight 20mm Hispano cannon.
The new design replaced the 414,
and two prototypes (DZ217 and
DZ223) were ordered on September
9, 1941 to Specification F7/41.

HIGH-FLYER
It was intended to fit the Type 432
with a pressure cabin for the pilot.
This would make it capable of
maintaining conditions appropriate
to 25,000ft while flying at up to
42,000ft. Two Rotol blowers, one
driven by each engine, supplied
the pressurisation.
A second stand-out feature was the
wing structure for which the torsion
box used a form of construction

known as the ‘lobster claw’. The
span-wise spar booms resembled the
crustacean’s appendage, and these
were accommodated in a thickened
section incorporated into the skin.
This strengthened structure
eliminated the need for ribs and
spars. The thickened span-related
parts of the covering, along with
heavy-gauge skinning, gave
sufficient resilience.

PROTOTYPE VICKERS TYPE 432


Powerplant: Two 1,520hp
(1,133kW) Rolls-
Royce Merlin 61
liquid-cooled
engines.
Span: 56ft 10.5in (17.34m).
Length: 39ft 3in (11.96m).
Gross wing area: 450sq ft (41.85m^2 ).
Max weight: 19,721lb (8,945kg).
Max recorded speed: 380mph (612km/h)
at 15,000ft (4,572m).
Armament: Six 20mm Hispano
cannon.

VICKERS 432
Above
A model, made by Joe
Cherrie of the Vickers
414, armed with a nose-
mounted 40mm cannon.
ALL VIA AUTHOR

Above right
Probably the most
well-known photo of
the Vickers Type 432
prototype DZ217, showing
off its unique wing shape.
This is presumed to have
been taken on November
11, 1943.
Free download pdf