The Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.4 was a twin-engine biplane aircraft built by the

Royal Aircraft Factory Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a c ...

in 1916. Intended as a

cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

armed ground-attack aircraft, it was unsuccessful, only two being built.

Design and development

Shortly after the outbreak of the First World War, the Royal Aircraft Factory began development of the F.E.4, a twin engined aircraft intended for ground attack to be armed with a COW autocannon. The design had large two-bay biplane wings, with the longer upper wing fitted with strut-braced extensions that could be folded down during hangar storage. The lower wing was attached to the fuselage halfway up, so the aircraft sat close to the ground. In addition to the

conventional landing gear Conventional landing gear, or tailwheel-type landing gear, is an aircraft undercarriage consisting of two main wheels forward of the center of gravity and a small wheel or skid to support the tail.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Term ...

there was a set of wheels mounted to the nose of the fuselage, to prevent damage if it tipped forward. The tailplane was large, with a central fin and two additional vertical surfaces for rudders.Mason 1992, pp.82-83. The fuselage housed a crew of three, with the pilot and forward gunner sat in

tandem Tandem, or in tandem, is an arrangement in which a team of machines, animals or people are lined up one behind another, all facing in the same direction. The original use of the term in English was in ''tandem harness'', which is used for two ...

in a large forward cockpit with dual controls. Despite a limited field of fire caused by being sat behind the pilot, the forward gunner was to be armed with two Lewis guns and a COW gun. A rear gunner sat behind the wings in a second cockpit.Mason 1992, p.83. The two engines, RAF 5s, were installed just above the lower wing in a pusher configuration. The first F.E.4 was built in March 1916, and the second in July 1916. The second aircraft was fitted with

Rolls-Royce Rolls-Royce (always hyphenated) may refer to: * Rolls-Royce Limited, a British manufacturer of cars and later aero engines, founded in 1906, now defunct Automobiles * Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the current car manufacturing company incorporated in ...

engines, and did not include the rear cockpit. The intention was to put the rear gunner in an elevated section mounted above the wings, accessible by a ladder and hole in the upper wing, but this was never built. Both aircraft were tested at

Central Flying School The Central Flying School (CFS) is the Royal Air Force's primary institution for the training of military flying instructors. Established in 1912 at the Upavon Aerodrome, it is the longest existing flying training school. The school was based at ...

beginning in May 1916, but neither performed well. In September 1916 the second F.E.4 was fitted with bomb-carrying equipment for further testing. Designs were created for engine upgrades, intended for

RAF 3 The RAF 3 was a British liquid-cooled, V-12 engine developed for aircraft use during World War I. Based on the eight–cylinder RAF 1 it was designed by the Royal Aircraft Factory but produced by the two British companies of Armstrong Whitwort ...

As,

RAF 4 The RAF 4 was a British air-cooled, V12 engine developed for aircraft use during World War I. Based on the eight–cylinder RAF 1 it was designed by the Royal Aircraft Factory but produced by the two British companies of Daimler and Siddeley-D ...

As or

Bs, but no work was actually done.Bruce, 1959. p 335.

Specifications (RAF 5)

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * * {{Royal Aircraft Factory aircraft 1910s British fighter aircraft Biplanes Twin-engined pusher aircraft FE04 Aircraft first flown in 1916