Q&A · 2:13:27-2:13:56

Adapting Swordfish torpedo aiming to later aircraft

The Swordfish torpedo-aiming arrangement would need modification for Barracuda or Spearfish because of their different speeds and structures.

Question

Could the Swordfish torpedo-aiming mechanism have been used on Barracuda or Spearfish?

Short answer

It would need modification. Different methods were probably used to provide stability in the later aircraft.

Notes

The Swordfish torpedo-aiming arrangement would need modification for Barracuda or Spearfish. Its suitability to a biplane depended partly on operating speed and partly on the aircraft's structure. Different solutions were probably used to obtain stability in the later types. A direct transfer of the same mechanism is therefore not assumed.