Boulton Paul Defiant

E31921

The Boulton Paul Defiant was a British World War II fighter aircraft distinguished by its unusual turret-mounted armament and lack of forward-firing guns.

Aliases (1)

Statements (49)
Predicate Object
instanceOf British military aircraft
World War II aircraft
fighter aircraft
aircraftConfiguration low-wing monoplane
armamentType turret-mounted guns
combatDebut 1940
countryOfOrigin United Kingdom
crew 2
crewPositions pilot and gunner
dayFighterEffectiveness poor against single-seat fighters like the Bf 109
designedAs turret fighter
designPeriod mid-1930s
engineConfiguration single-engine, piston
engineType Rolls-Royce Merlin
firstFlightDate 1937-08-11
fuselageConstruction all-metal monocoque
hasFeature no fixed forward-firing guns in early versions
powered dorsal turret
height 11 ft 4 in
initialTacticalAdvantageReason German fighters mistook it for a Hurricane and attacked from the rear
introduced 1939
landingGear retractable tailwheel landing gear
laterPrimaryRole air-sea rescue support and target towing
night fighter
length 35 ft 4 in
manufacturer Boulton Paul Aircraft Ltd
maxSpeed approximately 304 mph at 17,000 ft
MkIIEngine Rolls-Royce Merlin XX
nickname Daffy
notableEngagement Battle of Britain
primaryUser Royal Air Force
productionNumber more than 1,000 built
range approximately 465 miles
retired 1945
role fighter
night fighter
target tug
serviceCeiling approximately 30,350 ft
successorInRole Bristol Beaufighter (night fighter role)
de Havilland Mosquito (night fighter role)
turretArmament four 0.303 in Browning machine guns
turretModel Boulton Paul Type A turret
usedBy No. 141 Squadron RAF
No. 264 Squadron RAF
usedInConflict Second World War
variant Defiant Mk I
Defiant Mk II
wingConstruction all-metal stressed-skin
wingspan 39 ft 4 in


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