The most notable claim to fame achieved by the Blackburn Skua was the first British confirmed kill of WW2 when three Blackburn Skua fighter-bombers launched from the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, shot down a German Dornier Do 18 flying boat over the North Sea on the 26th of September 1939. Blackburn Skua Mk. II Specifications: - Crew: Pilot and rear gunner
- Length: 35 ft 7 in (10.8 m)
- Wingspan: 46 ft 2 in (14.1 m)
- Height: 14 ft 2 in (4.3 m)
- Empty weight: 5,490 lb (2,490 kg)
- Loaded weight: 8,228 lb (3,730 kg)
- Engine: Single 905 hp (675 kW) Bristol Perseus XII radial engine
- Maximum speed: 225 mph (195 knots, 360 km/h) at 6,500 ft (2,000 m)
- Range: 800 mi (700 nm, 1,300 km)
- Service ceiling 20,200 ft (6,150 m)
Blackburn Skua Armament: - Four 0.303 in (7.7 mm) forward-firing Browning machine guns
- Single 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis or Vickers gun mounted in the rear cockpit
Bombs: Maximum of 500 lb of ordinance which normally consisted of:- Single 500 lb (230 kg) semi-armour piercing bomb (or)Single 250lb (115 kg) semi-armour piercing general Purpose bomb and four 40 lb bombs (or)Single 250lb (115 kg) semi-armour piercing general Purpose bomb and eight 20 lb cooper bombs (or) |
