Fairey F.2

The Fairey F.2 was a British fighter prototype in the late 1910s. It was the first aircraft designed entirely by the Fairey Aviation Company.

Development
The F.2 was ordered by the Admiralty in 1916 as a massive, three-seat long-range fighter. Powered by two Rolls-Royce Falcon engines, it was a three-bay biplane with a four-wheel "bedstead" main undercarriage, the wings folding aft from a point outboard of the engines. Armament consisted of a .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis Gun on a Scarff ring on the extreme nose and a similar installation immediately aft of the wings.

Operational history
Built at Harlington the F.2 was transported by road to Northolt Aerodrome where it first flew on 17 May 1917; however, by then Admiralty interest in the project had waned. The fighter was found to be hard to handle and slow, and therefore no further production was continued.

Operators

 * Royal Naval Air Service
 * Royal Naval Air Service