Fokker T.V

T.V

Manufacturer: Fokker
First flight: 16 October 1937
Introduced: 1938
Retired: 1940
Primary user: Netherlands Air Force
Number built: 16

The Fokker T.V was a twin-engine bomber, described as an "aerial cruiser", 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 Luchtvaartafdeeling (i.e. the Netherlands Army Air Force) became interested in the luchtkruiser (aerial cruiser) concept multipurpose aircraft, which was 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 Luchtvaartafdeeling 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.

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. 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.

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.

Operational history

The first 11 T.Vs, by now considered medium bombers, were delivered in 1938, with the last 4 following in 1939. Although it had good handling characteristics, its suffered from reliability problems with its engines and propellers, and by the summer of 1939, the Netherlands was planning to purchase 24 Dornier Do 215s to replace them.

On 10 May 1940, Germany invaded the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. The T.V saw its first combat, when taking off from Schiphol to avoid air attack, eight T.Vs encountered a formation of German bombers, shooting down two. After this, the T.V reverted to its primary bomber role, being used in attacks against German airborne troops landing at The Hague and Rotterdam. By the end of the first day of fighting only two T.Vs were servicible, being sent against bridges over the River Maas at Rotterdam on 11 May, where a further aircraft was shot down, with the final T.V being shot down during attacks on bridges at Moerdijk on 13 May.

As the T.V lacked self-sealing fuel tanks, they gained a reputation for rapidly catching fire when hit by enemy fire.

Specifications

Data from Frustrated Fokker

General characteristics

Crew: Five (Pilot, co-pilot, bombardier, radioman/gunner, gunner)
Length: 16.00 m (60 ft 6 in)
Wingspan: 21.00 m (68 ft 10¾ in)
Height: 4.20 m (13 ft 9 in)
Wing area: 66.2 m² (712.6 ft²)
Empty weight: 4,650 kg (10,251 lb)
Loaded weight: 7,250 kg (15,983 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 7,650 kg (16,865 lb)
Powerplant: 2x— Bristol Pegasus XXVI air-cooled radial engines, 690 kW (925 hp)at 9,500 ft each

Performance

Maximum speed: 417 km/h (225 knots, 259 mph)
Cruise speed: 335 km/h (181 kn, 208 mph)
Range: 1,550 km (837 nmi, 963 mi)
Service ceiling: 8,550 m (28,050 ft)
Climb to 5,000 m (16,400 ft): 13.1 min

Armament

Guns:
1 x— 20 mm Solothurn S-18/100 cannon in nose cupola
4 x— 7.9 mm (.31 in) machine-guns on dorsal, ventral, and lateral positions, and tail cupola
Bombs: 1,000 kg (2,205 lb) of bombs

Related development

Fokker T.IX

Comparable aircraft

Bristol Blenheim
Bell YFM-1 Airacuda
PZL.37 �oś

Bibliography

Gerdessen, Frits and Luuk Boerman. Fokker T.V 'Luchtkruiser': History, Camouflage and Markings (Bilingual English-Dutch). Zwammerdam, the Netherlands: Dutch Profile Publications, 2009. ISBN 978-94-90092-01-6.
Hooftman, Hugo. Van Brik tot Freedom Fighter: 1. Met Stofbril en Leren Vliegkap (In Dutch). Zwolle, the Netherlands: La Rivix¨re & Voorhoeve N.V., 1963.
Hooftman, Hugo. Fokker T-V en T-IX (Nederlandse Vliegtuigencyclopedie 8) (In Dutch). Bennekom, the Netherlands: Cockpit UItgeverij, 1979.
Van der Klaauw, Bart. "Frustrated Fokker". Air International, November 1986, Vol 31 No 6, Bromley, UK:Fine Scroll. ISSN 0306-5634. pp. 241-249.
Van der Klaauw, Bart. Bommenwerpers Wereldoorlog II, deel 2 (In Dutch). Alkmaar, the Netherlands: Uitgeverij de Alk bv.

Fokker T.V Pictures

More aircraft.

Source: WikiPedia