The de Havilland DH. 98 Mosquito is a British twin-engined, shoulder-winged multirole combat aircraft, introduced during the Second World War. Originally conceived as an unarmed fast bomber, it’s use evolved during the war into many roles, including low- to medium-altitude daytime tactical bomber, high-altitudes night bomber, pathfinder, day or night fighter, fighter-bomber, intruder, maritime strike, and photo-reconnaissance aircraft. In 1941, it was one of the fastest operational aircraft in the world. During the 1950s, the RAF replaced the Mosquittos with the jet-powered English Electric Canberra.
About De Havilland Mosquito in brief
The de Havilland DH. 98 Mosquito is a British twin-engined, shoulder-winged multirole combat aircraft, introduced during the Second World War. Originally conceived as an unarmed fast bomber, it’s use evolved during the war into many roles, including low- to medium-altitude daytime tactical bomber, high-altitudes night bomber, pathfinder, day or night fighter, fighter-bomber, intruder, maritime strike, and photo-reconnaissance aircraft. In 1941, it was one of the fastest operational aircraft in the world. The wooden monocoque construction not only saved weight and compensated for the low power of the de Havillsand Gipsy Twelve engines used by this aircraft, but also simplified production and reduced construction time. During the 1950s, the RAF replaced the Mosquittos with the jet-powered English Electric Canberra. The Mosquitos flew with the Royal Air Force and other air forces in the European, Mediterranean and Italian theatres. They were also operated by the RAF in the Southeast Asian theatre and by the Royal Australian Air Force based in the Halmaheras and Borneo during the Pacific War. In May 1937, the chief designer of Handley Page put forward the concept of a fast, unarmed bomber. In 20 pages, George Volkert planned an aerodynamically clean, medium bomber to carry 3,000 pounds of bombs at a cruising speed of 300 mph. Support existed in the RAF and Air Ministry; Captain R N Liptrot, Research Director Aircraft 3, calculated that its top speed would exceed that of the new Supermarine Spitfire, but counter-arguments held that although such a design had merit, it would not necessarily be faster than enemy fighters for long.
In April 1938, performance estimates were produced for a twin-Royce Merlin-powered DH 91, with Bristol Hercules and Napier Sabre alternatives as alternatives. On July 7, 1938, adapting the Albatross principles, the Air Ministry ordered the production of the DH 91 Sabre as a replacement for the Mosquito. On 30 January 1943, the 10th anniversary of the Nazis’ seizure of power, a Mosqito attack knocked out the main Berlin broadcasting station while Hermann Göring was speaking, taking his speech off the air. On 8 September 1936, the British Air Ministry issued Specification P. 1336, which called for a bomber capable of carrying a bomb load of 3,,000 lb for 3,00 mi with a maximum speed of 275 mph at 15,000ft ; a maximum bomb load of 8,000lb that could be carried over shorter ranges was also specified. In 1938, the Ministry was also considering using non-strategic materials for aircraft production, which led to the specification B38 and the Armstrong Whitemarle Albworth bomber. The idea of a small, small, fast bomber gained support at a much earlier stage than it is sometimes acknowledged, though it is likely using light alloy components.
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