Q&A ยท 5:06:37-5:09:25

A high-powered successor to the Swordfish

A hypothetical 1,800-horsepower sleeve-valve engine leads to a very different Albacore rather than a simple re-engined Swordfish.

Question

What would happen if a 1,800-horsepower sleeve-valve engine were available for the Swordfish or Albacore in 1936?

Short answer

It would more plausibly produce a substantially redesigned, possibly monoplane Albacore successor than a straightforward Swordfish engine swap.

Notes

The Swordfish design was already prepared in 1936, so a much more powerful engine would fit the timetable of its successor more readily. A redesigned Albacore could become a monoplane and possibly enter service around 1939. The historical Albacore's first flight in 1938 and service entry in 1940 are used to explain that timing. The engine would also need acceptable reliability and serviceability at sea, a point on which the panel debates sleeve-valve designs. An engine of about 1,800 horsepower would probably attract interest for a Royal Navy fighter as well. These are proposals for substantially different aircraft, with no firm speed or payload figures offered.