Created in 1940, the British prototype P.12 Lysander Delanne is not one of the most unusual combat aircraft in aviation history. History has seen much stranger aircraft, many of which were even produced in commercial quantities. But this model had its own zest. The P.12 Lysander Delanne was a modification of the Westland Lysander light multifunctional aircraft and was an experimental model with a turret machine gun, a kind of flying car. The aircraft, built according to the tandem scheme, was distinguished by powerful stern armament and, as conceived by the creators, could solve various combat missions.
Light multipurpose aircraft Westland Lysander
To some extent, a light multipurpose aircraft for interaction with ground forces Westland Lysander was the British analogue of the Soviet U-2 (Po-2). In the sense that it was a versatile and easy-to-fly machine that solved a huge number of tasks on the battlefield. The small aircraft, which was a single-engine monoplane with a high wing and fixed landing gear, did not have high flight characteristics and had time to become obsolete by the beginning of World War II, but was unpretentious, well controlled and proved to be an extremely versatile aircraft. A total of 1,674 Westland Lysander aircraft were assembled in Great Britain and Canada from 1938 to January 1942.
When creating the plane, one of the mandatory requirements of the British military was that it could "pick up" small cargoes from the ground on low level flight, for example, containers with important reports. In the 1930s, this method of communication between units was considered quite promising, since radio stations, their reliability and quality left much to be desired, and they themselves were not available in all field units of the British army. Development of the aircraft began in 1934 by Westland engineers. The first flight of the prototype took place on June 15, 1936, and already in April 1938, the aircraft, named Lysander in honor of the Spartan commander, went into mass production.
The emergence of this universal aircraft is rooted in the combat experience of the First World War, after comprehending the results of which, the British generals came to the conclusion that the army needed a multipurpose inexpensive and unpretentious aircraft capable of conducting reconnaissance in the interests of ground units, including the search for units detached from the main forces or surrounded by the enemy and establishing contact with them, delivering supplies and ammunition, evacuating the wounded to the rear. In addition, the aircraft was able to hit ground targets with airborne weapons and bombs, as well as carry out communications and traveling missions. First of all, the Westland Lysander was an aircraft for close support and interaction with the ground forces.
The aircraft, built by Westland engineers, was distinguished by good flight characteristics at low flight speeds, which made it possible to effectively conduct reconnaissance of the area, including using photographic equipment, as well as deliver reports. In addition, the aircraft was able to take off and land from small airfields, which was especially useful during the Second World War. Westland Lysander aircraft were often used to carry out special operations in German-occupied territories, as well as to communicate with the French resistance. To increase the flight range, a fuel tank with a capacity of up to 150 liters could be suspended on the aircraft. With all its versatility, a small light aircraft in some modifications could stand up for itself, as it received two course 7, 7-mm machine guns installed in the fairings of the landing gear wheels, as well as 1-2 machine guns of the same caliber on a pivot mount to protect the rear hemisphere. In addition, the aircraft could take on board up to 227 kg of bombs (1x227 kg, 4x51 kg or 12 at 9.3 kg).
By its versatility, the Westland Lysander is on a par with the Soviet U-2. It is worth noting that the British were far from the only ones who designed such an aircraft. Light aircraft similar in purpose were created in the USA, Germany and the USSR. The German army light aircraft Fieseler Fi 156 Storch, the Soviet multipurpose U-2 (later Po-2) and the American light multipurpose Piper Cub were aircraft of the same order. At the same time, against the background of the listed samples, the Westland Lysander was distinguished by the largest dimensions and take-off weight. As a result, the aircraft was the most expensive, but it stood out favorably with the best flight characteristics. A sufficiently powerful piston engine Bristol Mercury XX installed on an English aircraft, producing 870 hp, provided the multipurpose vehicle with a maximum speed of 340 km / h, which is significantly higher than that of all the aircraft listed above. And one of the advantages of the Westland Lysander over the Soviet U-2 was a more spacious and fully glazed cabin. In general, the aircraft turned out to be quite successful, which led to the appearance of a large number of modifications and one radical alteration - the experimental P.12 Lysander Delanne aircraft with a powerful turret armament.
Flying car P.12 Lysander Delanne
The P.12 Lysander Delanne experimental aircraft, which was called a "turret fighter", a flying cart or a light attack aircraft, was one of the machines that was created on the basis of the Westland Lysander multipurpose aircraft. Thanks to its unusual appearance, the P.12 Lysander Delanne, which is also unofficially called the Westland Wendover, built in a single copy, has become quite famous, often appearing in various collections of the most unusual aircraft.
The turret fighter was designed and built in metal by Westland engineers in late 1940. For this, the designers have seriously reworked one of the serially built samples of their light multipurpose aircraft Lysander. As a result of the work, the tail section of the aircraft was shortened by installing a mock-up of a rotating rifle turret manufactured by Nash & Thompson with 4x7, 7-mm machine guns in the rear fuselage, which replaced the standard tail assembly. The British installed similar rifle turrets on their long-range bombers, for example, the Armstrong Whitley. The installation of a rifle turret required the designers to replace the stabilizer with a second, rather large trapezoidal wing with keel washers at the ends.
As a result of the manipulations carried out, something really looked like a flying car. The audience saw a tandem aircraft with a fairly large firepower, which was all concentrated in the rear hemisphere. As conceived by the developers, such defensive armament was supposed to protect a light army multipurpose aircraft from attacks by Luftwaffe fighters. As the fighting in France showed, the Lysander turned out to be very easy prey for the German pilots. Of the 174 Westland Lysander aircraft at the disposal of the British Expeditionary Force, 88 were shot down by enemy fighters and anti-aircraft fire, another 33 were destroyed on the ground or abandoned during the retreat.
True, even with a full-fledged machine-gun turret, the aircraft's ability to defend itself against attacks from high-speed maneuverable fighters with cannon armament was very conditional. But it is no coincidence that the progenitor of this brainchild of the gloomy British genius was a multipurpose aircraft. The British expected to use the P.12 Lysander Delanne as a night fighter as well as a light attack aircraft. The latter was even more relevant, given that the plane was very slow for the fighter, but the possible invasion of the Germans on the islands by the British military was really frightening. All means were good for repelling a possible landing on the coast. Considering the deplorable state of the British armed forces in 1940, an attempt to create such an aircraft seems entirely justified.
Despite the fact that the experimental plane was surprisingly well controlled in flight, even a small series of the car did not go and remained manufactured in a single copy. Problems with the plane arose only on taxiing, according to eyewitnesses, it kept its course poorly, the reason was a decrease in the landing gear base in the process of alteration. The built flight prototype crashed during one of the flights in 1944. Despite an unsuccessful career, the aircraft forever inscribed its name in the history of aviation, and we have received numerous photographs of this unusual aircraft, which looks like a large insect with two heads.
