The Fairey Fawn was a British single-engine light bomber of the 1920s. It was designed as a replacement for the

Airco DH.9A The Airco DH.9A was a British single-engined light bomber designed and first used shortly before the end of the First World War. It was a development of the unsuccessful Airco DH.9 bomber, featuring a strengthened structure and, crucially, repla ...

and served with the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

between 1924 and 1929.

Development

The Fairey Fawn was designed by F Duncanson of

Fairey Aviation The Fairey Aviation Company Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer of the first half of the 20th century based in Hayes in Middlesex and Heaton Chapel and RAF Ringway in Cheshire. Notable for the design of a number of important military a ...

as a replacement for the

in the light day-bomber role, to meet the requirements of Specification 5/21 for an aircraft for reconnaissance and army cooperation duties. It was a development of the Fairey Pintail floatplane, powered by a

Napier Lion The Napier Lion is a 12-cylinder, petrol-fueled 'broad arrow' W12 configuration aircraft engine built by D. Napier & Son from 1917 until the 1930s. A number of advanced features made it the most powerful engine of its day and kept it in prod ...

engine. The first of three prototypes flew on 8 March 1923.Mason 1994, p. 148. The second and third prototypes were fitted with lengthened

fuselage The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraf ...

s to improve stability, and this was adapted for the production version.Taylor 1988, pp. 108–109. The Fawn was fitted with fuel tanks above the top wing in order to meet

Air Ministry The Air Ministry was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the Secretary of State ...

safety requirements. These tanks posed a hazard to the pilots if the aircraft overturned on landing. Fairey FawnA

A revised specification 20/23 was issued which added the bomber role. Two prototypes and 48 production Fawn Mk II aircraft were ordered against the new specification in August 1923 to re-equip the home based DH.9A squadrons of the RAF, although the first two production aircraft were completed as short fuselage Fawn Mk Is. The remainder of this order were full production long fuselage Fawn Mk IIs. The Fawn Mk III was fitted with a more powerful 468 hp (350 kW) Lion V engine, while the Fawn Mk IV was fitted with a supercharged Lion VI engine.

Operational history

The Fawn entered service with 12 Squadron in March 1924, equipping two further regular squadrons, 11 Squadron and 100 Squadron.Thetford 1957, p. 202. Despite the fact that the Fawn was originally intended to replace all the home-based DH.9A squadrons, four more squadrons continued to be equipped with the DH.9A for several more years before being replaced by other types. The Fawn was not a popular aircraft in RAF service, having little better performance than the aircraft it replaced, and having a poor view for the pilot owing to the bulky Lion engine.Mason 1994, pp. 149–150. In 1926 the Fawn was replaced in the three regular squadrons by the

Hawker Horsley The Hawker Horsley was a British single-engined biplane bomber of the 1920s. It was the last all-wooden aircraft built by Hawker Aircraft, and served as a medium day bomber and torpedo bomber with Britain's Royal Air Force between 1926 and 1935 ...

and the

Fairey Fox The Fairey Fox was a British light bomber and fighter biplane of the 1920s and 1930s. It was originally produced in Britain for the RAF, but continued in production and use in Belgium long after it was retired in Britain. Development and des ...

. The aircraft freed up were used to equip two Special Reserve and Auxiliary Air Force squadrons, these remaining in service until 1929.Mason 1994, p. 149.

Variants

;Fawn Mk I :J6907 Prototype Short fuselage – 450 hp (340 kW) Lion II engine, later converted to Mk III :J6908 Prototype built with Long Fuselage :J6909 Prototype built with Long Fuselage :Two further Mk I aircraft were built as part of the main Mk II production batch. ;Fawn Mk II :J6990 Prototype to Specification 20/23 ordered in February 1923 :J6991 Prototype to Specification 20/23 ordered in February 1923 :Long Fuselage – 450 hp (340 kW) Lion II engine. Main production type – 48 production aircraft built. ;Fawn Mk III :468 hp (349 kW) Lion V engine. 20 built. ;Fawn Mk IV :Twelve Mk IIIs were converted with supercharged Lion VI engines for a proposed Mk IV variant but the trial was abandoned and the Mk Iv designation was not used.

Operators

; *

Thetford ''Aeroplane Monthly'' February 1993, p. 10. ** No. 11 Squadron RAF – April 1924 – May 1927 ** No. 12 Squadron RAF – May 1924 – December 1926 ** No. 100 Squadron RAF – May 1924 – December 1926 ** No 503 (County of Lincoln) Squadron RAF Special Reserve – October 1926 – June 1929 ** No 602 (City of Glasgow) Squadron RAF Auxiliary Air Force – September 1927 – October 1929

Specifications (Fawn Mk III)

Fairey_Fawn_3-view_Les_Ailes_March_25,_1926

References

* * * * * {{Fairey aircraft 1920s British bomber aircraft

Fawn Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the reindee ...