The Vickers F.B.5 (Fighting Biplane 5) (known as the "Gunbus") was a British two-seat pusher military

biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a ...

of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. Armed with a single .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis gun operated by the observer in the front of the

nacelle A nacelle ( ) is a "streamlined body, sized according to what it contains", such as an engine, fuel, or equipment on an aircraft. When attached by a pylon entirely outside the airframe, it is sometimes called a pod, in which case it is attache ...

, it was the first aircraft purpose-built for air-to-air combat to see service, making it the world's first operational

fighter aircraft Fighter aircraft are fixed-wing military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air superiority of the battlespace. Domination of the airspace above a battlefield ...

Design and development

Vickers Vickers was a British engineering company that existed from 1828 until 1999. It was formed in Sheffield as a steel foundry by Edward Vickers and his father-in-law, and soon became famous for casting church bells. The company went public i ...

began experimenting with the concept of an armed warplane designed to destroy other aircraft in 1912. The first resulting aircraft was the "Destroyer" (later designated

Vickers E.F.B.1 The Vickers E.F.B.1 'Destroyer' was an early British military aircraft prototype. Although not itself a success, the design was considered worth developing, and a series of similar aircraft were produced in prototype form, eventually leading to ...

) which was shown at the Olympia Aero Show in February 1913, but crashed on its maiden flight.Andrews and Morgan 1988, pp. 43–44. This aircraft was of the "

Farman Farman Aviation Works (french: Avions Farman) was a French aircraft company founded and run by the brothers Richard, Henri, and Maurice Farman. They designed and constructed aircraft and engines from 1908 until 1936; during the French national ...

" pusher layout, to avoid the problem of firing through a

tractor A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort (or torque) at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery such as that used in agriculture, mining or construction. Most commo ...

propeller, and was armed with a single belt-fed Vickers gun. Vickers continued to pursue the development of armed pusher biplanes, and their Chief Designer Archie Low drew up a new design, the Vickers Type 18, or Vickers E.F.B.2. This was a two-

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a na ...

Gnome Monosoupape The ''Monosoupape'' (French for single-valve), was a rotary engine design first introduced in 1913 by Gnome Engine Company (renamed Gnome et Rhône in 1915). It used a clever arrangement of internal transfer ports and a single pushrod-operated e ...

nine-cylinder

rotary engine The rotary engine is an early type of internal combustion engine, usually designed with an odd number of cylinders per row in a radial configuration. The engine's crankshaft remained stationary in operation, while the entire crankcase and its ...

; the aircraft had a steel tube structure, with fabric-covered wings and tail, and a

duralumin Duralumin (also called duraluminum, duraluminium, duralum, dural(l)ium, or dural) is a trade name for one of the earliest types of age hardening, age-hardenable aluminium alloys. The term is a combination of ''Dürener'' and ''aluminium''. Its ...

-covered

with large celluloid windows in the sides. The unequal-span wings were unstaggered, with lateral control by

wing warping Wing warping was an early system for lateral (roll) control of a fixed-wing aircraft. The technique, used and patented by the Wright brothers, consisted of a system of pulleys and cables to twist the trailing edges of the wings in opposite direc ...

, while the aircraft had a large semi-circular

tailplane A tailplane, also known as a horizontal stabiliser, is a small lifting surface located on the tail ( empennage) behind the main lifting surfaces of a fixed-wing aircraft as well as other non-fixed-wing aircraft such as helicopters and gyropl ...

. Armament remained a single Vickers gun mounted in the nose of the nacelle, with limited movement possible, and a very poor view for the gunner.Mason 1992, p.17Bruce 1980, p. 55. The E.F.B.2 made its first flight at

Brooklands Brooklands was a motor racing circuit and aerodrome built near Weybridge in Surrey, England, United Kingdom. It opened in 1907 and was the world's first purpose-built 'banked' motor racing circuit as well as one of Britain's first airfields ...

on 26 November 1913. It was soon followed by the E.F.B.3, powered by a similar engine, but using

aileron An aileron (French for "little wing" or "fin") is a hinged flight control surface usually forming part of the trailing edge of each wing of a fixed-wing aircraft. Ailerons are used in pairs to control the aircraft in roll (or movement around ...

s instead of wing warping, and with equal-span wings, while the nacelle omitted the large windows fitted to the E.F.B.2.Bruce 1980, p. 56.Mason 1992, pp. 20–21. The belt-fed machine gun proved problematic, and the weapon was changed to the lighter, handier, drum-fed .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis gun. The F.B.5 first flew on 17 July 1914. It was powered by a single 100 hp (75 kW)

nine-cylinder rotary engine driving a two-bladed propeller, and was of simple, clean, and conventional design compared with its predecessors. In total, 224 F.B.5s were produced, 119 in Britain by Vickers, 99 in France and six in Denmark.

F.B.6

The Vickers F.B.6 was a development of the F.B.5 with an increased span on the upper wing. Only one was built.

F.B.9

A further development of the F.B.5, the Vickers F.B.9, had a more streamlined nacelle and an improved ring mounting (either Vickers or Scarff) for the Lewis gun. Fifty were delivered to

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

training units. A few served in some F.E.2b squadrons while they were waiting for their new aircraft between late 1915 and early 1916.

Operational history

The first F.B.5 was delivered to No. 6 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) at

Netheravon Netheravon is a village and civil parish on the River Avon and A345 road, about north of the town of Amesbury in Wiltshire, South West England. It is within Salisbury Plain. The village is on the right (west) bank of the Avon, opposite Fitt ...

in November 1914.Andrews and Morgan 1988, p.49. On 25 December the first use of the F.B.5 in action took place, when F.B.5 No. 664 took off from Joyce Green airfield to engage a German

Taube Taube is a surname. It may refer to: People * Taube family, a Baltic German noble family Persons * Aino Taube (1912–1990), Swedish film and theatre actress * Arvid Taube (1853–1916), Swedish politician and noble * Astri Taube (1898–1980 ...

monoplane, hitting the Taube (and possibly causing its loss) with incendiary bullets from a

carbine A carbine ( or ) is a long gun that has a barrel shortened from its original length. Most modern carbines are rifles that are compact versions of a longer rifle or are rifles chambered for less powerful cartridges. The smaller size and lighte ...

after the Lewis gun jammed.Bruce 1980, p.61 Eighteen days later, the same flight crew, Second Lieutenants M. R. Chidson and D. C. W. Sanders, flying the first F.B.5 in France, No. 1621, were forced to land behind German lines, and the new plane fell into enemy hands. The F.B.5 began to be seen on the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers * Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a maj ...

when the first reached No.2 Squadron RFC on 5 February 1915.Bruce 1980 p.62. The type served in ones and twos with several other units before No. 11 Squadron RFC became the world's first fighter squadron when, fully equipped with the F.B.5, it deployed to

Villers-Bretonneux Villers-Bretonneux () is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography Villers-Bretonneux is situated some 19 km due east of Amiens, on the D1029 road and the A29 motorway. Villers-Bretonneux border ...

, France on 25 July 1915.Bruce 1980, p.63.

Second Lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army unt ...

G.S.M. Insall of 11 Squadron won the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previousl ...

for an action on 7 November 1915 in which he destroyed a German aircraft while flying a Gunbus.Andrews and Morgan 1988, p.51. No. 18 Squadron RFC, which deployed to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

in November 1915, also operated the F.B.5 exclusively. Early aircraft were fitted with British-built Monosoupapes, which proved less reliable than French-built engines, while much work was done before a useful gun mounting became available.Bruce 1994, p. 170. Although its forward-firing machine gun was a great advantage, the fighter did not have the speed or rate of climb to pursue its quarry; thus, the F.B.5's performance proved to be inadequate for its intended role. This can be illustrated by noting that only the single pilot/observer team of Lionel Rees and James McKinley Hargreaves became aces while flying this type.Gutmann and Dempsey 2009, pp. 90–91. By the end of 1915, the aircraft was outclassed by the Fokker ''Eindecker''. Examples of the improved Vickers F.B.9 were sent to France, pending sufficient supplies of the Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2b, but the active career of the Gunbus was soon over. The remaining examples were mostly used as trainers.

Legacy

The

company persisted with an active experimental program during the

period, including a line of single-seat pusher fighters that culminated in the Vickers F.B.26 Vampire of 1917–18, but the F.B.5 remained their only significant production aircraft until the

Vickers Vimy The Vickers Vimy was a British heavy bomber aircraft developed and manufactured by Vickers Limited. Developed during the latter stages of the First World War to equip the Royal Flying Corps (RFC), the Vimy was designed by Reginald Kirshaw "Rex" ...

bomber, which entered service too late to affect the war. Despite its moderate effectiveness, the Vickers F.B.5 did have a lasting legacy as German pilots continued to refer to British

pusher aircraft In an aircraft with a pusher configuration (as opposed to a tractor configuration), the propeller(s) are mounted behind their respective engine(s). Since a pusher propeller is mounted behind the engine, the drive shaft is in compression in n ...

as "Vickers-types". Many victories over D.H.2 or F.E.2b pushers were reported as destruction of a "Vickers". A flying replica of the F.B.5 Gunbus was completed in 1966 and flew until late 1968. It is now (2014) an exhibit at the

Royal Air Force Museum The Royal Air Force Museum is a museum dedicated to the Royal Air Force in the United Kingdom. The museum is a non-departmental public body of the Ministry of Defence and is a registered charity. The museum is split into two separate sites: * ...

Hendon Hendon is an urban area in the Borough of Barnet, North-West London northwest of Charing Cross. Hendon was an ancient manor and parish in the county of Middlesex and a former borough, the Municipal Borough of Hendon; it has been part of Gre ...

near London.

Variants

;E.F.B.2 (Vickers Type 18) :Single-engined two-seat fighter prototype powered by 100 hp (75 kW)

rotary engine. It had a slight overhang on upper wings and

controls. Its nacelle was fitted with large celluloid windows and was armed with a single Vickers machine gun. One built.Andrews and Morgan 1988, p. 48. ;E.F.B.3 (Vickers Type 18B) :Revised fighter, with equal-span wings,

controls and revised nacelle without windows. One built. ;E.F.B.4 :Proposed design of similar layout to "Destroyer" - unbuilt. ;E.F.B.5 :Further improved development of E.F.B.3. Six built for RFC and RNAS. ;F.B.5 :Production version of E.F.B.5 with rectangular tail surfaces. At least 120 built by Vickers, with 75 built by

Darracq A Darracq and Company Limited owned a French manufacturer of motor vehicles and aero engines in Suresnes, near Paris. The French enterprise, known at first as A. Darracq et Cie, was founded in 1896 by Alexandre Darracq after he sold his Gladi ...

in France and 12 by the ''Tøjhusvoerkstedt'' (Danish Arsenal Workshops), giving a total of at least 207.Bruce 1980, p. 68. ;F.B.6 :Pre-production aircraft, differing from E.F.B.5 by having revised unequal span wings with large overhang and ailerons only on upper wing. One built.Bruce 1980, p. 58. ;F.B.9 :Improved derivative of F.B.5, with revised wings and tail, more streamlined nacelle, a new V-type undercarriage and using streamlined Rafwire bracing instead of conventional cable bracing.Andrews and Morgan 1988, pp. 54, 56. 95 built by Vickers and 24 by Darracq, giving 119 in total. ;F.B.10 :Proposed development with 100 hp (75 kW)

Isotta Fraschini Isotta Fraschini () was an Italian luxury car manufacturer, also producing trucks, as well as engines for marine and aviation use. Founded in Milan, Italy, in 1900 by Cesare Isotta and the brothers Vincenzo, Antonio, and Oreste Fraschini, in 19 ...

engine. Unbuilt.Andrews and Morgan 1988, p. 56. ;S.B.1 :1914 design for dual control trainer based on E.F.B.3 and powered by 100 hp (75 kW)

Anzani Anzani was an engine manufacturer founded by the Italian Alessandro Anzani (1877–1956), which produced proprietary engines for aircraft, cars, boats, and motorcycles in factories in Britain, France and Italy. Overview From his native Italy, An ...

radial engine The radial engine is a reciprocating type internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. It resembles a stylized star when viewed from the front, and is ...

. Unbuilt.Andrews and Morgan 1988, p. 58.Andrews and Morgan 1988, p. 492.

Operators

; *

Royal Danish Air Force The Royal Danish Air Force ( da, Flyvevåbnet, lit=The Flying weapon) (RDAF) is the aerial warfare force of The Kingdom of Denmark and one of the four branches of the Danish Defence. Initially being components of the Army and the Navy, it was ...

; *

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

No. 2 Squadron RFC Number 2 Squadron, also known as No. II (Army Co-operation) Squadron, is the most senior squadron of the Royal Air Force. It is currently equipped with the Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4 at RAF Lossiemouth, Moray, since reforming there on 12 Januar ...

** No. 5 Squadron RFC ** No. 7 Squadron RFC ** No. 11 Squadron RFC ** No. 16 Squadron RFC ** No. 18 Squadron RFC **

No. 24 Squadron RFC No. 24 Squadron (also known as No. XXIV Squadron) of the Royal Air Force is the Air Mobility Operational Conversion Unit (AMOCU). Based at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, 24 Squadron is responsible for aircrew training on C-130J Hercules, A400 ...

** No. 25 Squadron RFC ** No. 32 Squadron RFC ** No. 35 Squadron RFC ** No. 41 Squadron RFC

Specifications (Vickers F.B.5)

References

Notes

Bibliography

*Andrews, C. F. and Morgan, E. B. ''Vickers Aircraft since 1908''. London: Putnam, 1988. . *Bruce, J. M. ''The Aeroplanes of the Royal Flying Corps (Military Wing)''. London: Putnam, 1982. . *Bruce, J. M. "The Vickers Fighting Biplanes". ''

Air International ''AIR International'' is a British aviation magazine covering current defence aerospace and civil aviation topics. It has been in publication since 1971 and is currently published by Key Publishing Ltd. History and profile The magazine was fi ...

'', September 1994, Vol 47 No 3. pp. 166–171. * *Bruce, J. M. "Vickers' First Fighters". ''

Air Enthusiast ''Air Enthusiast'' was a British, bi-monthly, aviation magazine, published by the Key Publishing group. Initially begun in 1974 as ''Air Enthusiast Quarterly'', the magazine was conceived as a historical adjunct to ''Air International'' maga ...

'' No. 12, April - July 1980. pp. 54–70. . *Gutmann, Jon and Dempsey, Harry. ''Pusher Aces of World War 1''. Osprey Publishing, 2009. , . *Mason, Francis K. ''The British Fighter since 1912''. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1992. .
"The Olympia Exhibition"
''

Flight Flight or flying is the process by which an object moves through a space without contacting any planetary surface, either within an atmosphere (i.e. air flight or aviation) or through the vacuum of outer space (i.e. spaceflight). This can be a ...

'', 22 February 1913, pp. 210–230.

External links

British Aircraft Directory: Vickers F.B.5
archived on

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

"Vickers Golden Jubilee"
- pictures of EFB 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, FB5 and FB6 {{Authority control Vickers F.B.05 Single-engined pusher aircraft F.B.05 Military aircraft of World War I Rotary-engined aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1914