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Armstrong Whitworth F.K.10

1917 WORLD WAR 1

Armstrong Whitworth F.K. 10 Stories

The Armstrong Whitworth F.K. 10 fighter is a full production implementation of an early F.K. 9 prototype (detailed elsewhere on this site). These types were formed around a single-engine, two-seat "four-tier" platform, and the F.K. 10 model became known during the First World War (1914-1918).

However, the series managed only eight full sheets before it was finally dropped. The F.K. 9 prototype flew for the first time in late 1916, paving the way for the improved (and slightly improved) F.K. 10 in 1917.

By this point in the war, biplanes were established as the primary operational standard, although some companies were able to sell various flying services on monoplane designs. The advent of the triplane in 1917 brought the curved multi-blade gun platform to the fore, but this dominance was short-lived and biplanes remained the norm. Aeronautical engineers saw the value in adding more wings to a plane, but that ultimately came at a high pricedrag. Multiple wings provide extra lift and better control at the expense of extra drag, which bodes badly for a powerful mass fighter - so to speak, speed remains a priority.

During the war years, there were many failed experiments in the field of aircraft with more than three blades - the FK 10 was more or less the exception.

The F.K. 10 was designed for the reconnaissance aircraft role in a two-seat tandem crew configuration in which the pilot has a single, synchronized and fixed. The 303 Vickers machine guns for the front and rear gunners/observers were awarded. The 303 Lewis Gun was mounted on a trainable rear bracket.

The fuselage of the aircraft is rounded at the front and tapered at the rear, with the edge of the board extending along the length. The rear wing is a traditional single-fin arrangement with raised horizontal planes on either side.

The engine is housed in a compartment in the nose of the aircraft and drives a two-bladed wooden propeller as usual. The landing gear is drivable and has a "tail" configuration - the main legs can be actuated for ground operation.

The quadruple wing arrangement conveniently features four aircraft arranged parallel to each other. A thick support structure (called a "planar support") runs across all four planes to obtain the required strength.

When looking at the side profile of the aircraft from bottom to top, the stacked wings are clearly swept forward. The pilot's cockpit is located behind the engine, but below the top-wing aircraft and behind the second aircraft.

The third aircraft was located midway on the sides of the fuselage, and the fourth aircraft remained low and away from the belly of the aircraft.

Power for the series comes from a 130hp Clerget 9B rotary engine, providing more power than the original prototypes 110hp Clerget 9Z rotary engine.

The design of the F.K. 10 is attributed to Dutchman Frederick Koolhoven, dating back to the 1916 prototype of the F.K. 9. His surname would power some aircraft designs in the Netherlands during World War II (1939-1945).

The F.K.9 was so impressive that the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) signed a production order for 50 aircraft. However, apparent drag issues soon limited demand for the quad-wing F.K.10, with only eight completed in total - the biplane remains the wing arrangement of choice for fighters and bombers.

Five examples were completed before the contract was officially cancelled, although the Royal Naval Air Service subsequently completed three more examples and conducted some testing before closing.