Fairey Firefly, British Users, Part five

 

The Fairey Firefly was a British World-War 2 era carrier-borne fighter and anti-submarine aircraft. On this post we're going to cover the many variants that were made:

• Firefly F.MkI/F.I: A carrier-borne fighter developed as a replacement of the Fairey Fulmar. Four-hundred and twenty nine machines manufactured by Fairey Aircraft.
• Firefly NF.Mk.I/NF.I: Night-fighter variant produced in parallel to the F.I. This version was equipped with an ASH radar (AN/APS-4) placed inside a small pod hanging under the nose. Its main screen was in the radio area and had another auxiliary one for the pilot. 
• Firefly FRMk.I/FR.I: Fighter-Reconnaissance variant which progressively replaced the F.I. This differed from the F.I in having an ASH radar fitted in a different manner than the NF.I. Until the start of the Korean War, it was the main two-seater fighter aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm (FAA). Some of them were also manufactured by General Aircraft Ltd. 
• Firefly F.MkIA/F.IA: Some Fireflies F.I converted into FR.I standards. 
• Firefly T.MkI/T.1: An advanced pilot trainer. Forty-one machines were converted by Fairey in 1946, of which 36 were destined to the FAA and four for the Royal Dutch Navy. The radio operator's area was replaced by an elevated second cockpit and every armament was removed. Some machines, however, kept two machine guns, instead of the four ones.
• Firefly TT.Mk.I/TT.I: Surplus Mk.I machines converted into target tugs. Exported to Canada, Denmark, India and Sweden.
• Firefly NF.Mk.II/NF.II: The original fighter prototype, equipped with an Al Mk.X radar placed inside a radome on the wing. Given the shift on the centre of gravity, the bow was extended 18 inches (45.7 cm). The production was brief after just 37 machines were converted in June 1944 due to problematic radar and manoeuvrability. All of them were reconverted to the NF.I standard. 
• Firefly T.Mk.II/T.2: F.I/FR.I fighters reconverted to aerial combat trainers. Just like the T.1, the rear cockpit was replaced by an elevated second cockpit and was armed by two 20 mm Hispano cannons. It also had provision for underwing bombs and flares. Fifty-four machines were converted in 1949. 
  Every machine until this variant was powered by a single Rolls-Royce IIB engine yielding 1.730 hp of power or, as later variants were, a single Rolls-Royce Griffon XII rated at 1.990 hp which drove a three-bladed propeller.
• Firefly F.Mk.III/F.3: Prototype for a single-seat fighter powered by the Rolls-Royce Griffon 61 engine. It was rebuilt from the 10th exemplar of the F.I and took off for the first time in spring 1943. Results were, however, unsatisfactory and the project was abandoned in favour of the Mk.4, which this prototype worked as.
• Firefly T.Mk.III/T.3: The third and last training variant based on the FR.I. This variant was aimed for observer training and was equipped with additional equipment. Armament and arrestor hook were removed. Fifty machines were converted between 1949 and 1951.
• Firefly FR.Mk.IV/FR.4: Second main fighter-reconnaissance variant, with a shortened wing, a Rolls-Royce Griffon 74 engine which yielded 2.200 hp of power and reworked cooling system with coolers placed in the wings. The ASV radar was placed in a radome on the leading edge of the starboard wing and an additional fuel tank was placed inside another radome-ish looking fuel tank integrated at the leading edge of the port wing. Tail was also modified. More than 160 machines were manufactured between September 1946 and February 1948 and they were kept as FAA's main fighter until 1950.
• Firefly NF.Mk.4/NF.4: A small number converted from the basic FR.4, modified for night-fighting. They barely differed from the FR.4.
• Firefly TT.Mk.4/TT.4: Target tow conversion from the FR.4 made for the FAA. Twenty-eight machines converted, with additional 5 delivered to Australia and the Netherlands.
• Firefly FR.Mk.5/FR.5: Modified fighter-reconnaissance version of the FR.4. This version differed from the FR.4 in having hydraulic folding of the wings instead of the traditional hand-made one. Additional protection was also provided for the radar to protect it from excessive vibration. Many FR.4 were upgraded to this standard at the outbreak of the Korean War.
• Firefly NF.Mk.5/NF.5: Night fighter variant of the FR.5. Equipped with the usual night-fighter equipment like exhaust covers. It also featured a new radio altimeter (of the ARI 5284 model) and a new radar of the ARI 5664 "Monica" model which warned if an aircraft approached from behind. 
• Firefly AS.Mk.5/AS.5: Anti-submarine variant of the FR.5. Production period ranged from 1948 until 1950, however, those built from 1949 onwards were equipped with an ARI 5284 radio altimeter and could be fitted with sonobuoys and depth charges. Many of them served during the Korean War, however as the naval combat during that conflict was residual, most of them were converted to the FR.5 standard to be used as ground attack aircraft.
• Firefly AS.Mk.6/AS.6: Anti-submarine variant based on the AS.5 but with various improvements like longer landing gear, the capacity to carry either British or American-made sonobuoys, a total of 16 underwing rockets and its cannons were removed. The prototype of this variant flew for the first time on 23rd May 1949 and a total of 189 machines were built, 56 of them converted from AS.5 machines.
• Firefly TT.Mk.6/TT.6: Four Australian machines adapted for target towing duties in a similar manner as the TT.4.
• Firefly AS.Mk.7/AS.7: Interim variant intended to serve until the Fairey Gannet was available. Manufactured from 1951 until 1953, this new variant featured a new redesigned wing, a two-seater rear cockpit, a new rudder, it was powered by the Rolls-Royce Griffon 59 engine which could yield 1965 hp of power and it lacked any offensive armament. The new engine featured a semi-circular radiator under the bow. It flew for the first time on 22nd March 1951 and with just 151 machines having been manufactured, production ceased in December 1953. It wasn't very popular as it suffered of poor handling and was unsuitable for carrier landings.
• Firefly T.Mk.7/T.7: As the Grumman Avenger AS.4 was introduced in the FAA, the Firefly AS.7 was retired from active duty and sent for training duties. They were reassigned to coastal bases to train observers and radar operator and were given this designation.
• Firefly U.Mk.8/U.8: Between the years 1953 and 1956 eight T.7 machines were reconverted into unmanned flying drones for missile testing at the Llanbedr proving range, in Wales. Eventually 32 machines were built.
• Firefly U.Mk.9/U.9: In 1956 forty AS.5/FR.5 machines were converted into unmanned target drones in a similar way as the U.8. Most of these were tested at the RAF Hal Far Base, in Malta.

Sources:

1. https://www.valka.cz/Fairey-Firefly-t43239

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairey_Firefly

3. Hall Park Books - Warpaint 28 - Fairey Firefly

4. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Fairey Firefly, British users, part four

 

During the Korean War (1950-1953) both British and Australian Fireflies performed anti-shipping patrols and ground strikes from aircraft carriers positioned offshore. 

They also performed other mission roles like anti-submarine patrols and aerial reconnaissance as well as assisting battleships in providing effective naval gunfire support. Many Fireflies of the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) were loaned during this period to the Royal Australian Navy as we've seen in our previous two posts. In spite of the many incidents with anti-aircraft fire, the Firefly proved to be relatively sturdy. In fact, it was routinely used for strike operations against targets such as bridges and railway lines to damage North Korean logistics and communications. Furthermore, as the war was going on, pilots developed new low-level dive bombing techniques to achieve greater accuracy. In fact, the Firefly was present until the very final part of the conflict, when the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed on 27th July 1953 and they kept on flying post-armistice patrols for many years afterwards. 

The Korean War, however wasn't the end of the operational history for the Firefly, as it was deployed again in the Far East amid the Malayan Emergency, where it was employed in ground attack operations against Malayan Communist Party insurgents. However, it was replaced shortly after the introduction of the Fairey Gannet which eventually fully replaced it.

Sources:

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

2. Hall Park Books - Warpaint 28 - Fairey Firefly

3. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Fairey Firefly, Australian users, part two

 

The second Royal Australian Navy's (RAN) Carrier Air Group (CAG) was formed at RNAS St. Merryn, in Cornwall, on 25th April 1950 as the 21st CAG formed by 808 and 817 Naval Air Squadrons (NAS).

Those two squadrons embarked in October 1950 on board HMAS Sydney after having been trained in the UK by aircraft loaned to the RAN. A second batch of aircraft was also boarded consisting on two Fireflies AS.5 and 30 Fireflies AS.6. They were shipped to Nowra, where the 817 Naval Air Squadron was settled down on 6th December. They operated a mixed composition of AS.5 and AS.6 anti-submarine fighters. 817 NAS was attached to HMAS Sydney in May and, on their second embankment, they saw action in the Korean War. 

At the end of their war career, they were again assigned to HMAS Sydney on several cruises except for three periods spent on board HMAS Vengeance between the autumn 1953 and the spring 1954. Finally, they were disbanded in 1955 in order to be refitted with Fairey Gannets.

The RAN received further Fireflies in 1952 and 1953, reaching Australia on board merchant vessels, HMAS Vengeance and HMAS Sydney. Overall, two FR.4, 37 AS.5s and 69 AS.6 served with the RAN. All those amounts allowed for the creation of a third Firefly squadron on 3rd August 1954; 851 Naval Air Squadron, dedicated to operational training, also at Nowra. This squadron received an initial complement of 16 Fireflies FR.6 and T.5s (AKA T.Mk.5) but they remained ashore, except for a brief period of DLT programe aboard HMAS Sydney in March 1956. This squadron kept on flying their Fireflies long after the other two squadrons were reconverted to Gannets and it was disbanded on 13th January 1958. 

However, as the RAN was in need of trainers and target-towing aircraft, many airframes were converted to fulfil this role. Four AS.5s were converted into T.5s through adaptation and some redesign work thanks to the kits provided by Fairey to produce the T.1 and T.2. Similar kits were also provided by Fairey to convert two AS.5 and 6 AS.6 into TT.5 and TT.6 target tugs. These trainers and target-tugs supplemented another Fireflies and aircraft in the three RAN's second-line squadrons; 723, 724 and 725 NAS. The first squadron (723) acted as the Fleet Requirement Unit (FRU) from 1957 until 1963. 725 was also a FRU unit until it went through ASW training in 1959. Finally, 724 NAS was the last Australian Firefly operator as they kept the Fireflies trainers until March 1966. The 851 NAS also operated the Firefly trainer from August 1954 until January 1958 when they were disbanded, operating also from Nowra.

Sources:

1.  Hall Park Books - Warpaint 28 - Fairey Firefly

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairey_Firefly

3. https://www.navy.gov.au/aircraft/fairey-firefly-as5as6

4. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Fairey Firefly, British Users, part three

 

After completion of the prototype, handling trials were executed at RAF Boscombe Down, in Wiltshire. In 1944 the Firefly was cleared for using underwing rockets and, by April that same year, a payload of 16 rockets plus a pair of 45 gallon (205 L) drop tanks were successfully carried out with an acceptable handling. Various further testing was also carried out with different, albeit acceptable, results. 

During the Second World War, the primary used variant was the Firefly Mk.I, which saw action in every theatre of the conflict. 

In March 1943 the first Firefly Mk.I was delivered to the Fleet Air Arm (FAA), but their entry into operational service was delayed until July 1944 when they were assigned to the 1770 Naval Air Squadron on board of HMS Indefatigable (R10) Aircraft Carrier. 

Their first operations took place in the European Theatre where the Fireflies performed many armed reconnaissance flights and anti-shipping strikes along the Norwegian coast. 

Throughout its operational career, the Firefly assumed on more demanding roles, from fighter to anti-submarine warfare, while being stationed in the Far East with the British Pacific Fleet and the Pacific Theatre. In these theatres the type was used against both Japanese ground targets and fighters aircraft. FAA's Fireflies performed attacks on both oil refineries and airfields and they were dispatched numerous times to attack many Japanese-controlled islands until Victory over Japan Day. 

The Firefly gained public renown when it became the first British designed and built aircraft to overfly Tokyo, the Japanese capital. 

Sources:

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

2. Hall Parks Books - Warpaint 28 - Fairey Firefly

3. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Fairey Firefly, Dutch users

 

The Fairey Firefly is a British World War 2 era fighter and anti-submarine aircraft that was produced during and specially after the World War 2. With more than 1.000 exemplars, it was exported to various countries, among them the Netherlands, which is the subject of this post.

The Dutch Naval Aviation service showed interest about the Firefly already in 1945, when they ordered 30 Fireflies F.1 which would be delivered on January 1946. The first 15 of that order served with the 860 Naval Air Squadron, assigned to the HNLMS Karel Doorman (R81) aircraft carrier which was deployed, during the late 1940s in the Dutch East Indies, as part of the forces countering Indonesian nationalists. When talks broke down in July 1947, the Fireflies were deployed to bases located close to Surabaya, from where some aerial strikes were launched and three Fireflies were shot down by ground fire. 
After that, the eleven surviving Fireflies were returned to their homeland where seven of them were later converted into T.1 trainers. Meanwhile, back in 1946, the Dutch Naval Aviation had ordered fourteen new aircraft (of the FR.4 series) and later another fourteen FR.5, in 1949. These new aircraft were deployed at Dutch mainland, in Netherlands Antilles and Dutch New Guinea. In this last territory they were deployed in as late as 1960 in response to territorial demands and threats issued by Indonesia. As Indonesian forces began to infiltrate the territory, the Fireflies FR.4 carried out ground attack operations during early 1962, and these strikes continued until a political settlement was negotiated between the two countries. 

Shortly later, the Dutch Fireflies (some of which were had been converted into target tugs) were written off, and most of them were scrapped. 

Sources:

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

2. https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairey_Firefly#Paesi_Bassi (translated)

3. Hall Park Books - Warpaint 28 - Fairey Firefly

4. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Fairey Firefly, Ethiopian and Thai users

 

The Fairey Firefly is a British World-War 2 era carrier-borne fighter and anti-submarine aircraft which was developed by Fairey Aviation Company. With more than 1.000 machines manufactured, the type saw service abroad in service with many countries, among them, the following ones:

• Ethiopia: Although Ethiopia was liberated in 1941 it wasn't until 1946 that the Imperial Ethiopian Air Force (IEAF) was established with help of a Swedish aristocrat. Until late 1940s the IEAF operated only communication and transport aircraft. Fireflies were chosen to form the first Ethiopian fighter squadron thanks to their suitability for defence duties in the high Ethiopian altitudes and temperatures. Initially, Ethiopia ordered 35 machines in December 1950, but only an initial batch of nine were delivered. All of them were stored as Royal Navy surplus at RNAS Abbotsinch and were finally reconditioned at Fairey's factory in Stockport. 
  The first of eight Fireflies F.1 and a single T.2 for the IEAF was accepted at RAF Ringway on 20th September 1951 and was flown to Ethiopia by easy stages. Thanks to the introduction of the Firefly, the first Ethiopian fighter unit was created and was supplemented by some Saab 17 light attack bombers, all of them based at Bishoftu Air Base, 30 milles (48 km) south from Addis Abeba, the capital. 
  Later, as the United Kingdom vetoed any further delivery to Ethiopia, the IEAF turned to Canada and acquired 15 additional Fireflies, consisting on 11 FR.1s, three T.1s and another T.2. It's also probable that a Canadian FR.4 reached Ethiopia as the Canadian Fireflies were ferried to the United Kingdom on board of the HMCS Magnificent in February 1954 and later they were sent to Ethiopia. They served officially until 1957-1958 when the IEAF was supplied with North-American F-86 Sabre and Lockheed T-33 fighters and trainers respectively, though unofficially they were still flying in 1960. Some wrecks were discovered in 1993.
• Thailand: In spite of the Thai alliance with Japan during World War 2, the British aided and assisted in the creation of a modern Thai Air Force in the post-war period. Thailand ordered 30 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.XIVs and 12 Fireflies. The first delivery of Fireflies took place in the summer of 1951, with the batch consisting on 10 Fireflies F.1 and two T.2 trainers. Every Firefly had belonged previously to the Royal Navy and were reconditioned by Fairey in the second half of 1951, when they were dispatched by sea in crates. They were initially bought for the Royal Thai Naval Air Division but they entered service with the Royal Thai Air Force due to political disagreements. In March 1952, the No.1 Squadron, operating from Don Muang, was operational for a brief period of time because in 1954 they switched to American material. 

Sources:

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

2. https://www.valka.cz/Fairey-Firefly-F-Mk-I-t6589

3. https://issuu.com/mtaye/docs/the_long_life_of_ethiopian_fairey_fireflies

4. Hall Park Books - Warpaint 28 - Fairey Firefly

5. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Fairey Firefly, various users

 

The Fairey Firefly was a British World War II era carrier-borne fighter and anti-submarine aircraft that in its TT (Target Tug) version was produced in small numbers from various of the original fighter variants like the Mk.I or the Mk.4. It was exported to various countries, among them, the following ones:

• Denmark: The Royal Danish Air Force (RDAF) received two Firefly TT.1 originally converted from the Swedish Svensk Flygtjänst AB. The TT.1 was adopted by the RDAF as the standard target-towing equipment for all their three aerial branches of the Army, Navy and Air Force. 
  The first TT.1 was flown to Copenhagen on 4th October 1951 by Cpt. A.M. Kock. Additional four Fireflies were received from the Royal Canadian Navy one year later in 1952. Those ones were converted to the target-towing role in Denmark using Fairey's conversion kits. They served until 1957 when the three surviving Fireflies were sold back to the Svensk Flygtjänst AB which employed them only for spare parts.
• Sweden: Back during World War 2 the Swedish civilian company Svensk Flygtjänst AB, provided airborne target services for the Swedish Army. In order to fulfil this task, the company looked in 1948 for an effective target-tug and asked Fairey to develop a version of the Firefly. Therefore, Fairey modified 14 Fireflies Mk.I to TT.1 standards by adding windmill-operated type B.Mk.2B winches.
  A total of 12 Firefly TT.1 were delivered to Svensk Flygtjänst AB, being the last two ones diverted to Denmark. Fairey's chief test pilot, Group Cpt. G. Slade, delivered the first Firefly TT.1 by air to Sweden in December 1948. Four further Fireflies were acquired later and served until as late as 1964.
• India: The, back then, newly founded Indian Naval Air Arm bought two Firefly TT.1 which were delivered to Cochin, in the Indian State of Kerala, on 14th February 1955. Three further TT.1s arrived in India three months later. Another five Firefly TT.4 were exported in September 1958.
  Indian Fireflies were used by the 550 Squadron of the Indian Navy at Cochin Air Base to tow drogue targets for the Fleet's anti-aircraft gunnery practices. The TT.4 versions were fully armed with four 20 mm guns and were able to carry offensive stores beneath the wings, in addition to long-range fuel tanks.

Sources:

1. Hall Park Books - Warpaint 28 - Fairey Firefly

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairey_Firefly

3. https://www.valka.cz/Fairey-Firefly-T-Mk-1-t113116