Bristol Bulldog

Bristol Bulldog
Country	UK
Role	Fighter
First flight	7 May 1927
Built	443

The Bristol Bulldog was a British Royal Air Force single-seat biplane fighter designed during the 1920s by the Bristol Aeroplane Company. More than 400 Bulldogs were produced for the RAF and overseas customers, and it was one of the most famous aircraft used by the RAF during the inter-war period.

Source: Bristol Bulldog on Wikipedia

Bristol Bulldog Mk.IIA Walk Around
Photographers	Unknow
Localisation	Unknow
Photos	21

Click on a photo and use the mouse scroll to view all photos

Wait, Searching Bristol Bulldog for you…

General Characteristics

The Bristol Bulldog was the British Royal Air Force’s (RAF) primary single-seat fighter aircraft during the early 1930s, equipping the majority of its home defense squadrons. Although it never saw combat with the RAF before its retirement in 1937, it was celebrated for its superb maneuverability and was a familiar sight at annual air displays like the Hendon RAF competition. The Mk.IIA variant was the main production model, featuring a strengthened structure, a revised oil system, and a more powerful engine. Its robust, all-metal structure with fabric covering represented a major design trend of the interwar period.

Property	Typical Value (Mk.IIA)
Role	Single-Seat Day and Night Fighter
National Origin	United Kingdom
Manufacturer	Bristol Aeroplane Company
In Service (RAF)	1929–1937
No. Built (Mk.IIA)	~268 (of 441 total)
Crew	1 (Pilot)
Length	7.67 m (25 ft 2 in)
Wingspan	10.31 m (33 ft 10 in)
Max Takeoff Weight	1,583 kg (3,490 lb)

Powerplant and Performance

Engine: 1 x Bristol Jupiter VIIF 9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine.
Power Output: 370 kW (490 hp).
Propeller: 2-bladed fixed-pitch wooden propeller.
Maximum Speed: 287 km/h (178 mph).
Service Ceiling: 8,930 m (29,300 ft).
Range: ~440 km (275 miles).
Construction: Used high-tensile steel strips for its main structure (all-metal frame), covered in fabric. This construction was noted for its durability.

Armament and Ordnance

Fixed Armament: 2 x 7.7 mm (.303 in) Vickers machine guns, mounted one on each side of the cockpit and synchronized to fire through the propeller arc.
Ordnance: Capable of carrying a light bomb load of 4 x 9 kg (20 lb) bombs under the wings.
Service Note: The two-gun armament was standard for fighters of the era, though it was quickly deemed inadequate when WWII began, leading to the development of four- and eight-gun fighters.
Export History: The Bulldog was successfully exported to several countries, including Australia, Sweden, Finland, and Latvia. The Finnish Air Force famously used their Bulldog Mk.IVAs in combat during the Winter War against the Soviet Union.