|
The Fokker T.V was a twin-engine bomber, described as an "aerial cruiser",〔Hooftman 1979, p. 16.〕 built by Fokker for the Netherlands Air Force. It was modern for its time, but by the German invasion of 1940, it was outclassed by the airplanes of the ''Luftwaffe''. Nevertheless, the T.V was used with some success against the German onslaught. ==Development and design== In the early 1930s, the ''Luchtvaartafdeling'' (i.e. the Netherlands Army Air Force) became interested in the ''luchtkruiser'' (aerial cruiser) concept multipurpose aircraft, which was to have a primary role of intercepting and destroying enemy bomber formations, with a secondary role as a long-range bomber, with Colonel P.W. Best, commander of the ''Luchtvaartafdeling'' stating on 28 March 1935 that aircraft of the ''luchtkruiser'' should be purchased in as large numbers as possible, proposing to cancel procurement of the Fokker D.XXI fighter to release funds.〔Van der Klaauw 1986, pp. 241—242.〕 To meet this requirement, Fokker developed the T.V, a five-seat, twin-engined monoplane. It featured a wooden wing, while the slab-sided fuselage was of mixed construction, with a wooden monocoque centre fuselage, a fabric covered steel tube rear fuselage and a duralumin forward fuselage. While this construction method was typical for Fokker aircraft, it was obsolete compared with contemporary aircraft of its size, which were normally of all-metal construction.〔Van der Klaauw 1986, p.243.〕 It was fitted with a 20 mm autocannon in the nose to meet the bomber destroyer part of the requirement, and four defensive Browning machine guns, one each in dorsal, ventral and tail positions, with one capable of being switched between two waist positions. It had a bomb-bay under the centre fuselage capable of carrying up to 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) of bombs.〔Van der Klaauw 1986, p.244.〕 A contract was signed for 16 T.Vs on 7 December 1936,〔 with the first aircraft (not a prototype as such) flying on 16 October 1937 from Schiphol airfield.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Fokker T.V」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|