Loire 130

As this is the last post of the year, we would like to wish all our readers a merry new year's eve and a happy 2020! That's why in this post we bring you not one but three drawings.
The Loire 130 was a French hydroplane that saw service during World War II and also post-war French colonial conflicts.
It's origins can be traced back to mid-1930s when the French Navy made a requirement for a reconnaissance seaplane or flying boat that could serve aboard French battleships and cruisers of the time. It was chosen in 1936 against five competitors (Bréguet 610, Gourdou-Leseurre GL-820 HY, Levasseur PL.200 and Potez CAMS 120).
It was powered by a single 12-cylinder Hispano-Suiza 12Xirs liquid-cooled vee engine, rated at 710 hp. It was armed with two 7,5 mm Darne machine guns, one of them placed just above the propeller, in a defensive position. It also had a payload of 150 kg of bombs, as it could carry a 75 kg bomb under each wing.
After flying for the first time on 19th November 1934, its performance was considered good enough so a production order for 150 machines was placed and in August 1936 it entered mass production. A total of 125 machines were manufactured by Loire Aviation (later named Société nationale des constructions aéronautiques de l'Ouest) in the French city of St. Nazaire from 1937 until 1941 when, under German occupation production ceased. In 1938 it entered officially in service replacing most of shipborne seaplanes and flying boats already in service.
Of those 125, one of them was the prototype, 111 were sent to the French Navy and 12 to the French Air Force which used a modified version called Loire 130CI which had an enlarged radiator. The French Air Force employed it in the colonies, specially in Indochina, where it served through the Franco-Thai War in early 1941.
In the late 1930s the Loire 130 was serving on board of most French battleships and cruisers, as well as aborad the Commandant Teste seaplane carrier, which had assigned a squadron of six machines in 1939. After the fall of France in June 1940, most of them passed on to the Vichy France's Air Force and, as previously mentioned, some of them were used to fly reconnaissance missions during the Franco-Thai War. The German Luftwaffe also performed some testing in 1940-1941 with some captured aircraft but rejected it due to its obsolescence and poor armament, which was deemed as "not sufficient under any circumstance", however it seems that at least one of them could've been used as an improvised transport from the coastal city of St. Nazaire to the town of Mâcon, in central France.
Although looking quite obsolete and having quite a very marginal performance numbers for its time, some of them survived the war and kept on service until 1949-1951, specially in French Indochina.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loire_130
2. https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loire_130 (translated) 
3. http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/archive/index.php?t-2066.html
4. https://www.valka.cz/Loire-130M-t25885

Shenyang J-5, various prototypes

The Shenyang J-5 is a Chinese-built single-seat jet interceptor and fighter aircraft, which is a license-built Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17. It was exported as the F-5 and its original denomination was Dongfeng-101 (East wind-101) and also Type 56, before being officially designated as J-5 in 1964.
As the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) obtained a number of Soviet-built MiG-17 fighters, designated internally by the PLAAF as J-4, in the early-1950s. In order to introduce modern production methods in the Chinese industry, the PLAAF obtained plans for the MiG-17F in 1955, together with two completed pattern aircraft, 15 knockdown kits and parts for ten aircraft. The first Chinese-built MiG-17F (with the serial Zhong 0101) produced by the Shenyang factory, flew for the first time on 19th July 1956 piloted by test pilot Wu Keming.
There were some experimental variants, like the torpedo bomber one, which was made to meet a requirement made by the People's Liberation Army Navy Air Force (PLANAF) for a torpedo-bomber version of the J-5. The heavy torpedo was carried under the fuselage, so one of the cannons had to be removed and the fuel load was reduced in order to not exceed the MTOW. Trials showed that performance numbers (except the ones for field performance) fell sharply when compared to the standard J-5 due to the high drag generated by the torpedo and the reduced fuel capacity. Therefore, the torpedo bomber didn't go beyond the prototype stage and the work on this prototype was used for the Nanchang Q-5B ground attack aircraft. As we couldn't find any photo or graphical evidence on this variant, the drawings should be considered as speculative.
The Shenyang J-5 was also used as a radar testbed. At least one J-5 with the serial 2424 was converted into an avionics testbed for an unidentified Chinese radar. The radar antenna was housed in a bulbous radome on the intake's upper lip, making the aircraft very similar to the Mikoyan-Gurevich SP-2 (which was an experimental variant of the MiG-15 fitted with a Korshun radar, the radar that was the forerunner of the MiG-17P/PF. As it's perfect for some alternate advanced version, we drawn a missile-armed variant because, why not?.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shenyang_J-5
2. Hikoki Publications - Chinese Aircraft - China's Aviation History since 1951

Shenyang J-5, various users

The Shenyang J-5 was used not just by North Vietnam, but by many other countries all around the globe.

• Somalia: Many F-5s were serving with the Somalian Air Corps and were lost in 1977 during the Ogaden War. 
• Sudan: The Sudanese Air Force received some F-5s, together with some MiG-17s, after achieving independence in the mid-1950s. They were mainly used for ground attack missions against rebels with limited air defences. 
• Tanzania: It's known that the Tanzanian Air Force used F-5s for ground attack missions during the Uganda-Tanzania War in 1977-1978. They were bought shortly after independence in 1961. 
• Zimbabwe: Some of the first fighters in the Zimbabwe Air Force were F-5s which were piloted by Pakistani pilots. They were acquired in the 1970s, after having declared independence and nowadays they're not in the active role no more. As we couldn't find pictures of the F-5 under Zimbabwean use, the drawing should be considered as speculative.
• Albania: After the Soviet-Albanian split in 1961, the Albanian government sought for new military suppliers, so they turned their heads to China, who sold them loads of armament during the 1960s. Among the first military aid sold to Albania there were F-5 jets. They were kept in active use wheel until April 1999 when they were deployed in the north against the Yugoslav Air Incursion. The role of the F-5 was relatively unsuccessful due to its subsonic speed, and the aircraft were soon relegated once the Shenyang F-6 (the Chinese version of the Soviet MiG-19) was available, so the F-5 was put into storage.
• United States of America: In the 1980s the United States bought a number of J-5 aircraft, together with some FT-2 trainers from China via the Combat Core Certification Professionals Company. Those aircraft were used in a "mobile threat" test program at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, operated by the 4477th "Red Hats" Test and Evaluation Squadron of the United States Air Force. Now are believed to be in storage.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shenyang_J-5

2. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Shenyang J-5, North Vietnamese Users, part two

Merry Christmas eve everyone! Today we keep going with a new post, this time being the continuation of the previous one, the Shenyang J-5/F-5 in North Vietnamese hands.
The Shenyang F-5 was the denomination the Chinese licensed copies were given to the MiG-17. Most of them were copies of the MiG-17F variant, but some of them were of the earlier MiG-17 (Fresco-A) variant. During the Vietnam war hundreds of F-5s served with the North Vietnamese Air Force and were used by many of their aces, like Nguyen Phi Hung, whose aircraft is depicted below, flew an F-5 ,numbered 2315, regularly over North Vietnam between October 1967 and July 1968 and it was during that time when he got the ace status, however, it's not clear which claims he made flying the 2315.
Another flying ace who, at some point in his career flew the F-5 was Le Hai who, together with Nguyen Dinh Phuc, claimed two F-4Bs shot down on 19th November 1967. However, US Navy's records only confirm Hai's victory.
Later, Hai added another aerial victory flying another F-5, numbered 3020, which granted him his seventh star. He shot down a Ryan Firebee drone over North Vietnam on 3rd August 1969. Flying that same aircraft, he claimed another F-4 over Thanh Chuong on 14th June 1968. He claimed that he had hit the Phantom twice with two bursts of fire at an altitude of 2000 m (6561 ft) high causing the Phantom to crash into the sea. The USAF loss records do not corroborate this kill, though.
Luu Huy Chao was another ace who flew an unusually camouflaged F-5 and was credited with 9 aerial victories over American aircraft. Chao was flying the F-5 depicted below when he claimed an F-8 Crusader on 14th December 1967 as his fifth victory, the one that granted him the ace status. However, the US Navy didn't recognise the loss, at least not on that day. That aircraft survived the war and is now present in Vietnam People's Air Force in Hanoi.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shenyang_J-5
2. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters
3. Osprey - Aircraft of the Aces 130 - MiG-17-19 Aces of the Vietnam War

Shenyang J-5, North Vietnamese Users

The Shenyang J-5 (F-5 for exports) was a Chinese-built single-seat jet interceptor which was a licensed version of the Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17. It received the denomination of Shenyang J-5 in 1964 and, it was virtually identical to the MiG-17.
It was used by the North Vietnamese Air Force during the Vietnam War, with the first deliveries taking place in 1965 and serving until the 1990s in interception missions, when they were retired to be replaced, together with the Shenyang F-6 (license production of the MiG-19), by either the MiG-21 or the Sukhoi Su-27.
It was a Shenyang F-5 who achieved the first aerial victory made by a North Vietnamese aircraft. On 3rd April 1965 an F-5 piloted by Pham Ngoc Lan, claimed to have shot down an American F-8E over Thanh Hoa province.
It was also the aircraft that the North Korean volunteer unit, named 'Doan Z', was supplied with in March 1967. They were based in Kep, in Hanoi. They were given old variants of the F-5 as they were a copy of the regular MiG-17 and not the MiG-17F.
Vo Van Man, another North Vietnamese Ace, flew the F-5 frequently during the aerial battles that took place in May 1967. He was shot down and killed while at the controls on 14th May, downed by an AIM-7E missile fired from a F-4C Phantom.
Another ace who flew the F-5 was Nguyen Nhat Chieu, who, on 20th September 1965 shot down an US Navy F-4B over Nha Ham, in Ha Boc province. That was his first aerial score and he went on to become a respected MiG-21 ace.
The last ace on this post, Luu Huy Chao, was flying the F-5 depicted below, when his formation, comprised of four fighters, was ordered to attack a formation of F-105s on 19th April 1967 when they were flying over Cam Thuy. The F-105s were able to escape towards the Gulf of Tonkin, however, being that one of the many sorties flew by that pilot.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shenyang_J-5
2. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters
3. Osprey - Aircraft of the Aces 130 - MiG-17-19 Aces of the Vietnam War

Vought OS2U Kingfisher, part six

The first batch of 54 Kingfisher were delivered to the US Navy in August 1940 and six of them were assigned to the Pearl-Harbor based Battle Force before the end of that year.
Many of the next 158 OS2U-2 were used for flight training at Naval Air Station Pensacola, in Florida, with 53 of them being assigned to equip the newly established Inshore Patrol Squadrons, which were based at Naval Air Station (NAS) Jacksonville, in Florida too. In 1942 nine more Inshore Patrol Squadrons were established, equipped all of them with OS2N-1, all of them manufactured exclusively by the Naval Aircraft Factory.
The Kingfisher was widely used during the war as a shipboard, catapult-launched scout plane on many US Navy battleships, heavy cruisers and light cruisers. They also played a major role supporting shore bombardments and air-sea rescue. The type became famous when it showed its rescue capabilities in November 1942 when World War I American ace Eddie Rickenbacker and his crew, were rescued by a Kingfisher. It was also made famous when Lt. John A. Burns, on 30th April 1944 taxied airmen on the wings rescued from Truk lagoon to the submarine USS-Tang (SS-306) which was performing rescue duties near the lagoon. Lt. Burns rescued 10 survivors on two trips and was awarded the Navy Cross for his efforts.
Throughout its service with the US Navy both the Kingfisher and its predecessor, the Curtiss SOC Seagull, served much longer than expected, because their planned successor, the Curtiss SO3C Seamew suffered from am insufficiently powerful engine which rendered the type as a failure. The Kingfisher was slowly replaced in the later stages of the war by the Curtiss SC Seahawk, the first exemplars of which arrived to the US Navy in October 1944.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vought_OS2U_Kingfisher
2. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 119 - OS2U Kingfisher in Action
3. https://www.valka.cz/topic/view/141347/Vought-OS2U-1-Kingfisher
4. https://www.valka.cz//topic/view/1179

Vought OS2U Kingfisher, part five

The Vought OS2U Kingfisher was designed by Vought's main designer Rex B. Beisel as he was tasked with designing an observation monoplane aircraft for the US Navy that could commit many tasks like directing Battleship fire. By replacing the standard Vought O2U Corsair biplane, Beisel incorporated production innovations as it was the first production type to be assembled with spot welding, a process developed jointly by both Vought and Naval Aircraft Factory in order to create a smooth fuselage resistant to buckling and with less drag. Biesel also introduced high-lift devices, spoilers and deflector flaps and drooping aillerons located on the trailing edge of the of the wing. This arrangement was unique to the Kingfisher, and were deployed to increase the camber of the wing creating, therefore, additional lift.
It was armed with a single 0.30 in Browning machine gun, with the receiver mounted low in the right front cockpit, which fired between cylinder heads, with another one, mounted on a flexible Scarff ring, for the radio operator/gunner. It could also carry two 100 lb bombs or two 325 lb depth charges. Additionally, the Kingfisher (as it was designated), was used as a trainer in both landplane and seaplane variants.
The prototype flew for the first time in 1938 and was powered by a 450 hp Pratt & Whitney R-985-4 Wasp Junior radial engine. The first variants, called OS2U-1, were powered by the Pratt & Whitney R-985-48 air-cooled radial engine which yielded 450 hp of power. The second variant, was powered by a slightly improved variant of that same engine, P&W R-985-50 and was named OS2U-2 , the third variant, OS2U-3 was powered by a P&W R-985-AN2 and some of them, manufactured by the Naval Aircraft Factory, received the denomination of OS2N-1. All of them yielding 450 hp of power. A fourth variant, OS2U-4 was in the works, with narrow-chord and high-aspect ratio wings, fitted also with full-span flaps, however it wasn't developed.
A total of 1519 machines were manufactured of every variant at Vought-Sikorsky Aircraft Division's factory in Stratford, Connecticut and the Naval Aircraft Factory in Philadelphia.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vought_OS2U_Kingfisher
2. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 119 - OS2U Kingfisher in Action
3. https://www.valka.cz/topic/view/141347/Vought-OS2U-1-Kingfisher
4. https://www.valka.cz//topic/view/1179

Vought OS2U Kingfisher, part four

The Royal Australian Air Force got a batch of 18 Kingfisher that were originally intended for the Dutch East Indies, but were diverted to Australia following the capture of that region by the Japanese in March 1942.
The Kingfishers were initially used as trainer aircraft, serving with the Seaplane Training Flight, based at RAAF Rathmines, in New South Wales and No.3 Operational Training Unit, based at Rathmines too.
The Kingfishers served in that role until May 1943, when the No.107 Squadron Royal Australian Air Force was formed with Kingfishers. The squadron was formed at Rathmines and initially it was equipped with 15 Kingfishers which had been ordered by the Dutch East Indies.
Just after being formed, the squadron began conducting anti-submarine and convoy-escort patrols. The squadron was briefly reinforced by Consolidated Catalinas from No.11 and No.20 Squadrons during June-October 1943 and that same year, one Kingfisher was lost due to the damage sustained by a cockpit fire on 22nd September but, thankfully, all of its crew survived after they made an emergency landing off the coast of Pittwater, in New South Wales.
In mid-1944 the squadron was rebased from the crowded Rathmines to St. George Basin, at the South of Sydney. The squadron began patrolling the Southern area on 1st July 1944, but this process was delayed by bad weather and facilites at St. George weren't as good as Rathmines' ones and hot water and ablution weren't initially available, so it wasn't until one week later, on 7th July, when the squadron resumed their patrols.
After German submarine U-862 sank the American Liberty Ship Robert J. Walker, off the coast at Moruya, New South Wales, on 25th December 1944, squadron's patrols were intensified. The squadron flew five sorties per day for the next week, looking for the submarine, and on the 29th, one of the Kingfisher, attacked what he thought was a periscope, near the point where the Robert J. Walker was sunk. However, by that time, the submarine escaped and was already at the Tasmanian Sea, near New Zealand. This was the only deliberate attack made by a RAAF's Kingfisher during the entire war.
In early 1945 No.107's squadron duties were expanded to provide search & rescue support elements for the British Pacific Fleet as they passed along the Australian East coast. The number of anti-submarine patrols was also greatly reduced during early 1945 as the threat of a submarine attack also decreased. After the end of the war, the squadron ferried its Kingfishers to RAAF's Flying Boat Repair Depot, at lake Boga, Victoria, during August 1945, with the last Kingfisher taking off from St. Georges on the 29th and the squadron being disbanded on 28th October 1945.
After the war, one unarmed Kingfisher was used to support the Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition in 1947 operating from HMS Wyatt Earp, serving with the expedition until 1948 and returned into storage and sold in January 1953.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vought_OS2U_Kingfisher
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._107_Squadron_RAAF
3. https://www.airforce.gov.au/sites/default/files/minisite/static/7522/RAAFmuseum/research/aircraft/series2/A48.htm
4. https://www.navy.gov.au/aircraft/vought-os2u-kingfisher

Vought OS2U Kingfisher, part three

The Vought OS2U Kingfisher was also used by many belligerent countries during the World War 2. Among them, the following ones:

• United Kingdom: Looking for a replacement for the venerable Supermarine Walrus and the barely used Fairey Seafox, the Kingfisher was lend-leased to the United Kingdom in 1942 with the first machines arriving there in May. They were called "Kingfisher Mk.I". The landplane variant was tested at the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment at Boscombe Down, in Wiltshire and the floatplane version tested at the Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment, in Helensburg, Scotland. Tests of both variant showed good results, so it was decided to adopt the type on board merchant cruisers. That way, the Kingfisher became the first catapult-launched monoplane to serve with the Fleet Air Arm. It remained in that role until May 1944 when the type was retired from Fleet Air Arm service. Some of them were assigned to the Far East Theatre, but never were used in front lines.
• Dutch East Indies: The Dutch East Indies ordered a batch of 24 Kingfisher to be used in their air-force for recon duties. They were already painted and in a cargo ship on their way to Batavia, when the Dutch East Indies were conquered by the Japanese in 1942. The cargo ship was diverted to Australia instead, where the Kingfisher were put into service with the Royal Australian Air Force.
• USSR: On 20th April 1944 the US Navy transferred the light cruiser USS Milwaukee (CL-5) to the Soviet Northern Fleet, based in Murmansk. The Soviets renamed the cruiser as 'Murmansk' and, on board, there were two Kingfishers which were extensively tested by the Soviets and later for patrol duties using the catapult-launch technology. They served in Soviet colours until 16th March 1949 when the Murmansk was given back to the US Navy.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vought_OS2U_Kingfisher

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Milwaukee_(CL-5)

3. http://www.ipmsstockholm.org/magazine/2007/10/fleet-air-arm-models-02.htm

4. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 119 - OS2U Kingfisher in Action

Vought OS2U Kingfisher, part two

The American floatplane Vought OS2U Kingfisher was supplied to many foreign countries, among them the following ones:

• Argentina: It seems that, in 1944 one Uruguayan Kingfisher got lost during a flight and had to force land in the Argentinean city of Mar Chiquita. It seems that the aircraft was interned and the crew was returned to Uruguay. However, other sources claim that nine machines were supplied to Argentina in 1942. As the text mentions to Argentine Kingfisher are scarce and there isn't graphical evidence, the drawing should considered as speculative.
• Chile: The Chilean Air Force got their first Kingfisher in 1942 and were assigned to Grupo Nº2 (Group Number 2). They were employed for recon and patrol duties and were active until 1957, when they were written off. One of them was used by Teniente 1º (1st Lieutenant) Arturo Parodi Alister to fly over Deception Island, in the Antarctica for half an hour in recon and aerial photograph missions as he and his Kingfisher was part of the Chilean expedition that set up the first Chilean permanent base in Antarctica.
• Cuba: The Cuban Air Force received in July 1942 three Kingfisher in order to perform anti-submarine patrols. They were assigned to the Cuban Navy and served well until the late 1950s. They saw action in the Cuban Revolution too, as they were used for anti-guerrilla operations by the government forces. One Kingfisher was captured by the rebels on 7th December 1958 and was used for bombing the besieged encampment of the garrison in La Maya, making them to surrender. Once the revolution was over and somewhat consolidated, the Kingfisher was written off.
• Dominican Republic: Three machines were sold to the Dominican Republic, most probably in 1942 and were used in the patrol and reconnaissance roles. They were active until the late 1950s when they were written off. As there isn't graphical evidence of their service with the Caribbean country, the colours and registration should be taken as speculative.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vought_OS2U_Kingfisher

2. https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vought_OS2U_Kingfisher (translated)

3. https://aeropinakes.com/wordpress/1958/05/21/los-primeros-aviones-de-la-far/ (translated)

4. https://www.fach.mil.cl/images/boletin/historico_diciembre18.pdf (translated)

5. http://www.pilotoviejo.com/os2uhistoria.htm (translated)

Vought OS2U Kingfisher, part one

The Vought OS2U Kingfisher is an American catapult launched observation floatplane. It was a compact mid-wing monoplane with a large central float and small stabilizing floats. It suffered from modest performance due to its light engine. It could also operate on fixed, wheeled and taildragger landing gears.
It was used by many countries, but the ones covered in this post are:

• Mexico: In 1942 the Mexican Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Mexicana - FAM) acquired 12 wheeled Kingfishers to patrol the Mexican Northern Pacific Coast. When Mexico joined the Allies the next year, in 1943, six of them were transferred to the Mexican Navy (Armada de Mexico) and were fitted with floaters. They were assigned to the newly created 1er Escuadrón Aeronaval (1st Aeronaval Squadron) which was based in the city of Tampico at the state of Tamaulipas, where they were employed to patrol the Gulf of Mexico. Later that squadron was split in two squadrons with just three Kingfisher each, with the second one based in the city of Veracruz, also in the Mexican Atlantic Coast. From there, they usually undertook patrol missions to protect merchant ships bound for ports in the United States. They were kept in active service until 1958.
• Uruguay: The Uruguayan government bought six Kingfishers in July 1942 to replace their old ageing Italian CANT-18 and 21.  They were assigned to the Uruguayan Aeronautic Service (Servicio Aeronáutico). Three of them operated from Isla Libertad (Freedom Island) located in front of Montevideo's bay, and the rest three of them were put into storage waiting for the fixed landing gears as they were intended to be used for land operations, idea which was eventually, discarded so they were finally left in their floater configuration.
  They were set up to patrol conditions with the help of American personnel and, by 30th September 1942 they were ready for combat and patrol missions. They were used to patrol the South Atlantic waters during the World War 2 performing search & rescue missions. Some of them suffered accidents and, at least one of them was lost to either a mechanical or human errors.  They were kept in active service at the patrol and search & rescue role well after the war, until March 1958.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vought_OS2U_Kingfisher

2. https://www.facebook.com/SentinelMexico1/photos/a.471562479614077/471578306279161/?type=1&theater (translated)

3. http://www.pilotoviejo.com/os2uhistoria.htm (translated)

Westland Welkin

The Westland Welkin was a British twin-engine heavy fighter designed by William E.W. Petter and manufactured by Westland Aircraft Company that was designed to fight at extremely high altitudes, in the stratosfere. As a matter of fact, the word "Welkin" means "the vault of heaven" or "the upper atmosfere".
Westland placed their P.14 project, which was basically a high altitude adaptation of the Whirlwind, to meet Air Ministry Specification F.4 of 1940 for a high altitude fighter. Welkin's most predominant feature was its enormous high aspect ratio wings with a span on the production aircraft of 70 ft (21 m). The troublesome engines of the Whirlwind were replaced by the more powerful two-stage Rolls-Royce Merlin Mk.76/77 and it featured a pressurized cockpit made entirely out of heavy-gauge duraluminium bolted directly to the front of the main spar. The cockpit hood used an internal layer of thick perspex the hold the pressure, and an outer thin layer to form a smooth line. It featured a mechanism to blow heated air between the two layers to keep the canopy clear of frost.
The Ministry of Aircraft Production authorised the building of two prototypes in January 1941. The specification F.4/40 was revised into F.7/41 that same year, so the Welkin design was now in competition against the Vickers Type 432 which was powered with Merlin 61 engines.
The pressurisation system was driven by a Rotol supercharger attached to the left-engine,which was the difference between the Merlin 76 and 77 engines, which provided a constant pressure of 3.5 psi over the exterior pressure. This, resulted in an apparent cabin altitude of 24.000 ft (7.300 m) when the aircraft operated at the altitude it was designed for, 45.000 ft (14.000 m). Given that this cabin altitude was too high for the pilot the breathe, he had to wear oxygen mask when flying. A rubber gasket filled with pressurized air sealed the canopy when the system was turned on and a valve ensured the pressure was controlled automatically. The pilot must also wear a high altitude suit as he may had to bail-out at high altitude in case he was shot down.
The Welkin also featured a sophisticated electrical system, which was done to minimise the number of seals and points of entry in the cockpit for the control and instrumentation. An experienced electrician in the electrical features of the Welkin needed 4 hours to undertake a pre-flight check of this system. The wings were so large that the fowler flaps of the Whirlwind weren't needed so they were replaced by a simple split flap. The extra wing area also required more stability and the tail was lengthened to provide a longer moment arm. It was armed with four Hispano 20mm cannons, just like the Whirlwind, but they were carried in a tray in its belly to make their loading easier. In that position muzzle flash was less likely to dazzle the pilot.
Welkin's long aspect-ratio seriously handicapped its compressibility, so it needed to be thick at root for strength reasons. Compressibility caused the flight envelope (flyable speed range) between high-incidence stall and shock-stall became very small at high altitudes (any decrease in air speed caused a "normal" stall, while an increase caused a "shock-stall" due to the aircraft's limited critical match number). This reduction of speed envelope is common to all sub-sonic high altitude designs and also happened with later designs like the Lockheed U-2.
The Welkin was kept as top-secret during World War 2 and any information about its existence was only released after the end of the conflict. It was powered by two Rolls-Royce Merlin 76 or 77 V-12 liquid-cooled piston engines which were rated at 1233 hp each.
A two-seat radar-equipped night fighter version was also developed, known as the Westland Welkin NF.Mk.II, for F.9/43 specification, but eventually just one was produced as the variant wasn't ordered into production.
When the Welkin Mk.I was completed and under manufacture, it was evident that the Luftwaffe was no longer performing high altitude missions due mainly to the successful interceptions made by specially modified Spitfires. Just 77 machines were completed at Westland's factory in Yeovil, Somerset, plus further 26 engine-less frames. Only two Welkins served with the Fighter Interception Unit, based at RAF Wittering from May to November 1944, where they were used to gain experience and formulate tactics for high altitude fighter operations, but, eventually, the Welkin was never used operationally by the Royal Air Force.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westland_Welkin
2. https://www.valka.cz/Westland-Welkin-F-Mk-I-t10702
3. https://www.valka.cz/Westland-Welkin-NF-Mk-II-t35453
4. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters
5. 4+ Publications - 20 - Westland Welkin

Fairey Barracuda, part eight

The Fairey Barracuda Mk.V was the final variant after it was decided that the Mk.IV would never been produced. On it the Merlin engine was replaced with the larger Rolls-Royce Griffon rated at 2020 hp. Given the increased power and torque effect generated by the new engine, some changes had to be done, which included the enlargement of the vertical stabiliser and increased wing span with wing-tips being clipped.
The first Barracuda Mk.V, which was converted from an Mk.II, flew for the first time on 16th November 1944 and only 30 serial machines were built, with 1 prototype and 6 pre-production ones, before the end of the World War 2. All of them, 37, were manufactured at Fairey's Stockport factory. The Mk.V had also an increased payload of up to 2000 lb (910 kg) to carry either one 1672 lb (759 kg) torpedo or up to that weight in bombs.It was equipped with and ASH radar under the left wing as it was intended for anti-submarine warfare. The defensive machine gun mounted at the rear was also removed as it was assumed that the type would always operate together with fighter escort. It was also expected to be equipped with the RATOG rockets for boosting take-off performance, however it never went beyond testing phase.
After the end of the World War 2, the Barracuda was relegated to secondary roles, mainly being used as trainers. It continued to serve with the Fleet Air Arm until the mid-1950s, but by then most of them were entirely replaced by either the Grumman Avenger or the Fairey Gannet. 
On 24th January 1946 the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN), received a batch of 12 radar-equipped Barracuda Mk.II, which were in reality Mk.III as the Mk.II was a Canadian designation. The first acquired aircraft were assigned to the newly formed 825 Naval Air Squadron on board carrier HMCS Warrior (R31). Most of the Canadian aircraft mechanics had served during the war and had been deployed on several British aircraft carriers, like HMS Puncher (D79) and HMS Nabob (D77), which, along some Canadian pilots, the RCN crewed and operated on behalf of the Royal Navy. During 1948 HMCS Warrior (R31) was paid off and returned to the United Kingdom along with the Barracuda aircraft.

Sources:
1. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairey_Barracuda
2. https://www.valka.cz/Fairey-Barracuda-Mk-II-t8638
3. Hall Park Books - Warpaint 35 - Fairey Barracuda