Airfix: 1:72 Fairey Swordfish Mk.I

The Fairey Swordfish is a British single-engine, biplane torpedo and reconnaissance aircraft with fixed landing gear and mixed construction, used during the Second World War. The prototype made its first flight on 31 March 1933, and production took place between 1936 and 1944.

The first mass-produced version was the Swordfish Mk.I, powered by a 690 hp Bristol Pegasus III M3 engine. Interestingly, this version was built both with a traditional wheeled undercarriage and as a floatplane.

In 1943, an anti-submarine version (Mk.II) was developed, featuring a more powerful engine and equipped with unguided rockets. Later that same year, the Mk.III appeared, fitted with the ASV Mk.X radar, intended specifically for anti-submarine warfare. The final and smallest version, the Mk.IV, was built in Canada and used for training pilots of the local air force.

In total, approximately 2,400 Swordfish aircraft of all variants were produced. Despite its outdated design during World War II, the Fairey Swordfish proved to be a very successful aircraft. Among other operations, these aircraft carried out the famous raid on the Italian fleet at Taranto in November 1940, and performed well in anti-submarine roles.

Technical data (Mk.I version):
Length: 10.87 m
Wingspan: 13.87 m
Height: 3.76 m
Maximum speed: 224 km/h
Rate of climb: 2.5 m/s
Service ceiling: 5850 m
Maximum range: 880 km
Armament: fixed – 3 × 7.7 mm machine guns; under-fuselage – 1 torpedo weighing 760 kg.