The Vickers F.B.5 "Gunbus" was the first operational British aircraft purpose-built for air-to-air combat, making it debatably the world's first true fighter aircraft. The F.B.5 (Fighting Biplane 5) was a two-seat pusher biplane armed with a single Lewis gun operated by the observer in the front of the nacelle. A Japan Airlines Boeing 747-400. ... A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for attacking other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed to attack ground targets, primarily by dropping bombs. ... A British WWI-era F.E.2b pusher. ... Hs123 biplane. ... The Lewis Gun was a pre-WWI era American design of machine gun most widely used by the British and Imperial armies that continued to see service all the way through to WWII. It is visually distinctive because of the wide tubular cooling shroud around the barrel, and the top... The word Nacelle is derived from the Old French nacele, which means a small boat or dinghy, and was in turn derived from the Latin navicella. ...

History

The F.B.5 first flew in July 1914 and entered service with No. 5 Squadron RFC on 5 February 1915. No. 11 Squadron RFC became the world's first fighter squadron when, fully equipped with the F.B.5, it deployed to Villers-Bretonneux, France on 25 July 1915. Second Lieutenant G.S.M. Insall of 11 Squadron won the Victoria Cross for an action on 7 November 1915 in which he destroyed a German aircraft while flying a Gunbus. No. 18 Squadron RFC, which deployed to France in November 1915, also operated the F.B.5 exclusively. This is a list of aviation-related events from 1914: Events January January 1 - The St. ... No. ... February 5 is the 36th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1915: Events January January 19 - First Zeppelin raid on the UK by the German Navy. ... No. ... A Squadron is a small unit or formation of cavalry, aircraft (including balloons), or naval vessels. ... Villers-Bretonneux is a commune of the Somme département in France. ... July 25 is the 206th day (207th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 159 days remaining. ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Second Lieutenant is the lowest commissioned rank in many armed forces. ... Photo by Terry Macdonald Gilbert Stuart Martin Insall (VC, MC) was a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. ... Victoria Cross medal, ribbon, and bar. ... November 7 is the 311th day of the year (312th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 54 days remaining. ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... No. ...

The F.B.5 was Vickers only significant operational aircraft of the First World War, the Vickers Vimy entering service too late to have an impact. The F.B.5 was developed from the line of Vickers' "Experimental Fighting Biplanes", starting with the Type 18 "Destroyer" (Vickers E.F.B.1) which had been demonstrated in 1913 armed with a single belt-fed Maxim machine gun. The F.B.5 was powered by a single 100-hp Gnome Monosoupape 9-cylinder rotary engine driving a two-bladed propeller. The F.B.5's performance was mediocre and by the end of 1915 it was thoroughly out-classed by the German scouts, in particular the emerging Fokker Eindecker. Vickers Armstrong (Aircraft) company logo Vickers, founded as the Vickers Company in 1828, was a British manufacturer, primarily of military equipment, traditionally based in Barrow-in-Furness. ... Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... The Vickers Vimy was a British heavy bomber aircraft of the World War I era. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1913: Events The Serbian air force is established as an army air service. ... An early Maxim gun in operation with the Royal Navy The Maxim gun was the first self-acting machine gun. ... The Monosoupape, French for single-valve, was a particular engine design used by Gnome et Rhônes later rotary piston engines. ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... The Fokker Eindecker was a German First World War monoplane single-seat fighter aircraft designed by Dutch engineer Anthony Fokker. ...

In total 224 F.B.5s were produced, 119 in Britain by Vickers, 99 in France and 6 in Denmark. In 1916 it was replaced by the marginally improved Vickers F.B.9. Despite its moderate effectiveness, the Vickers F.B.5 did have a lasting legacy as German pilots continued to refer to British pusher aircraft as "Vickers-types". Many victories over DH.2 or F.E.2 pushers were reported as destruction of a "Vickers". This is a list of aviation-related events from 1916: Events January January 12 - German aces Max Immelmann and Oswald Boelcke, with 8 kills, are the first pilots awarded with Pour le Mérite (the Blue Max) January 29 - the second and last Zeppelin raid on Paris inflicts 54 casualties. ... A British WWI-era F.E.2b pusher. ... The Airco DH.2 was a single-seat biplane pusher aircraft which operated as a fighter during the First World War. ... F.E.2b in profile. ...

Specifications

General characteristics

• Crew: two, pilot & observer/gunner
• Length: 27 ft 2 in (8.28 m)
• Wingspan: 36 ft 6 in (11.13 m)
• Height: 11 ft 6 in (3.51 m)
• Wing area: 382 ft² (35.5 m²)
• Empty: lb ( kg)
• Loaded: 2,050 lb (930 kg)
• Maximum takeoff: lb ( kg)
• Powerplant: 1x Gnome Monosoupape 9-cylinder rotary engine, 100 hp (75 kW)

The Monosoupape, French for single-valve, was a particular engine design used by Gnome et Rhônes later rotary piston engines. ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

Performance

• Maximum speed: 70 mph (113 km/h) at 5,000 ft
• Range: endurance of 4 hours 30 minutes
• Service ceiling: 9,000 ft (2,743 m)
• Rate of climb: 16 min to 5,000 ft
• Wing loading: 5.4 lb/ft² (26 kg/m²)
• Power/Mass: 0.05 hp/lb (0.08 kW/kg)

Armament

• 1x .303 in (7.7 mm) drum-fed Lewis gun in observer's cockpit

.303 cartridge The . ... The Lewis Gun was a pre-WWI era American design of machine gun most widely used by the British and Imperial armies that continued to see service all the way through to WWII. It is visually distinctive because of the wide tubular cooling shroud around the barrel, and the top...

Operators

• Denmark, United Kingdom,

External links

• British Aircraft Directory: Vickers F.B.5

Related content

Related development: Vickers E.F.B.1 - Vickers F.B.9

Comparable aircraft: Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2 F.E.2b in profile. ...

Designation sequence: E.F.B.2 - E.F.B.3 - E.F.B.4 - F.B.5 - E.F.B.6 - F.B.7 - F.B.8 - F.B.9