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Imperial War Museum. Via Wikipedia Commons
De Havilland Mosquito PR.IX
|
Crew |
2 |
|
Dimensions |
54'2" by 41'6" by 15'3" 16.51m by 12.65m by 4.65m |
|
Weights |
14,569-22,000 lbs 6608-10,000 kg |
|
Maximum speed |
408 mph 657 km/h |
|
Cruising speed |
250 mph 402 km/h |
|
Climb rate |
48 feet per second 14.6 meters per second |
|
Service ceiling |
38,000 feet 11,600 meters |
| 2 1680 hp (1253 kW) Merlin 72 vee-12 engines driving three bladed propellers | |
|
Range |
2450 miles 3940 km |
| 10 PR.1 90 PR.IX 432 PR.XVI 5 PR.32 50 PR.34 6 PR.40 |
|
|
Variants |
The PR.XVI had a pressurized cabin. The PR.34 was a long-range version that continued in production after the war. |
The Mosquito is legendary for its
exploits as a fast bomber in
Europe. However, its photoreconnaissance
version saw extensive service in the Far East and Pacific. It was
faster than most fighters and
could fly at high altitude, and
proved very difficult to intercept. It was similar in this respect to
the Japanese Dinah. The aircraft was
constructed largely of plywood
and had no defensive armament, relying on its speed for protection. The
plywood construction also gave it an unusually small radar signature, making it arguably the
first stealth aircraft. The photoreconnaissance version carried three
vertical cameras.
The concept dated to 1938, but it was not well
received and only reluctantly approved for prototyping. The prototype
first flew on 25 November 1940; the third prototype was a
photoreconnaissance version and flew in June 1941. It made its
operational debut on September 1941 over northern France in broad daylight, comfortably
outpacing three German fighters
sent to intercept it.
An attempt was made to begin production of the Mosquito in Australia, but only the PR.40 reconnaissance models saw service before the war ended.
References
The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia © 2007, 2009 by Kent G. Budge. Index
