Blackburn Firecrest

Lore & Background

The Firecrest originated from discussions in September 1943 to redesign the Firebrand with a laminar-flow wing, which was estimated to reduce wing weight by 700 lb and increase speed by 13 mph. The redesign expanded to include a new fuselage and other improvements, leading to Specification S.28/43 issued on 26 February 1944.

The design, led by G.E. Petty, featured a low-wing, all-metal monoplane with a forward cockpit that gave the pilot a view over the wing leading edge, a canopy adapted from the Hawker Tempest, and a fuselage that was an oval semi-monocoque aft and a circular-section tubular-steel frame forward. The wing had two-spar centre section with anhedral and outer panels with dihedral, and could be hydraulically folded in two places. Four Fowler flaps and retractable dive brakes were fitted.

Work on two prototypes was authorized in November 1943, but alternative engine proposals caused delays. In 1945, three prototypes with the Napier E.122 engine were ordered under Specification S.10/45, but this was cancelled on 8 October due to balance issues and weight increase.

The Centaurus 77 with contra-rotating propellers was cancelled in January 1946, and a conventional Centaurus 57 was substituted, later modified into the Centaurus 59. The vertical stabilizer was enlarged from 33 sq ft to 41 sq ft to counter torque. A strength analysis in September 1946 revealed the airframe needed costly strengthening to meet strike fighter requirements, and no production contract was placed.

The first prototype flew on 1 April 1947 after delays. The third prototype, modified with reduced outer-wing dihedral, made its maiden flight in early 1948 and was used for powered aileron tests. Flight testing was leisurely, with only 7 hours 40 minutes flown by 30 November 1948. Testing concluded in March 1949, with test pilot Eric Brown finding the Firecrest even less manoeuvrable than the Firebrand, with lumpy controls and instability in turbulent air.

Reader's Guide

The Blackburn Firecrest represents a late-war attempt to salvage the flawed Firebrand concept through extensive aerodynamic and structural refinement. Its development was prolonged by design changes, component delays, and shifting engine requirements, reflecting the challenges faced by British naval aviation in the transition from piston to turbine power. Although the Firecrest offered better pilot visibility and higher speed than the Firebrand, it proved disappointing in handling and was rendered obsolete by the arrival of gas turbine engines.

Blackburn proposed turboprop derivatives (the B-62 with Armstrong Siddeley Python), but these were not built, and orders went instead to the Westland Wyvern. The two flying prototypes were sold back to Blackburn in 1950 and scrapped; the third prototype survived until 1949. The Firecrest thus remains a footnote in naval aviation history—a technically interesting but ultimately unsuccessful design that never fulfilled its promise as a carrier strike fighter.

Did You Know?

• The Firecrest's cockpit was moved forward and raised so the pilot looked over the wing leading edge, using a canopy adapted from the Hawker Tempest.
• Only two of the three prototypes flew; the second prototype was used for structural testing and disposed of in 1952.
• Turboprop-powered derivatives (B-62/Y.A.6) were proposed but never built.