The Bristol F.2 Fighter was a two-seat biplane fighter and reconnaissance aircraft of the First World War flown by the Royal Flying Corps. It is often simply called the Bristol Fighter or popularly the "Brisfit" or "Biff". Despite being a two-seater, the F.2B proved an agile aircraft that was able to hold its own against single-seat scouts. Having overcome a disastrous start to its career, the F.2B's solid design ensured that it remained in military service into the 1930s and surplus aircraft were popular in civil aviation.

Built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company, the original model of the Bristol Fighter was the Bristol Type 12 F.2A which first flew on 9 September 1916. Developed from the Frank Barnwell -designed "Type 9 R.2A" two-seat reconnaissance aircraft, the F.2A was powered by a 190 hp (142 kW) Rolls-Royce Falcon I inline engine. The aircraft was armed with one forward-firing Vickers machine gun and one .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis gun mounted on a Scarff ring in the observer's rear cockpit. Only 52 F.2As were produced.

Modifications to the F.2A resulted in the definitive Bristol Type 22 F.2B which first flew on 25 October 1916. The first 150 or so were powered by the Falcon I or Falcon II engine but the remainder were equipped with the 275 hp (205 kW) Falcon III engine and could reach a maximum speed of 123 mph (198 km/h). Hispano-Suiza and Sunbeam Arab engines were also tried in the F.2B without success. The F.2B was over 10 mph (16 km/h) faster than the F.2A and was 3 minutes faster to reach 10,000 ft (3,000 m). A second Lewis gun was added to the rear cockpit.

When initially deployed, aircrews were instructed to maintain formation and use the crossfire of the observers' guns to meet any threat. These tactics were flawed and did not withstand the first contact with the enemy. The F.2A arrived on the Western Front in April 1917 as the British launched the Battle of Arras. The very first F.2A patrol of six aircraft from No. 48 Squadron RFC , led by Victoria Cross winner William Leefe Robinson, ran into five Albatros D.IIIs from Jasta 11 led by Manfred von Richthofen. Four out of six of the F.2As were shot down and a fifth was badly damaged.

In September and October of 1917 orders for 1,600 F.2Bs were placed and by the end of the First World War, the Royal Air Force had 1,583 F.2Bs in operation. A total of 5,329 aircraft were eventually built, mostly by Bristol but also by the likes of Standard Motors, Armstrong Whitworth and even the Cunard Steamship Company. After the war, F.2Bs continued to operate in army cooperation and light bombing roles throughout the British Empire, in particular the Middle East, India and China. The F.2B also served with the RNZAF and RAAF as well as with the air forces of Mexico and Spain. It was not until 1932 that the F.2B was finally withdrawn from service; its last unit being No. 20 Squadron RAF stationed in India.

Surplus F.2Bs were modified for civilian use. The Bristol Tourer was a F.2B fitted with a Siddeley Puma engine in place of the Falcon and with the cockpits enclosed by canopies. The Tourer had a maximum speed of 128 mph (206 km/h).

Bristol also developed an all-metal version of the F.2A, designated the Bristol M.R.1. Two prototypes were built, the first flying on 23 October, 1917, but the M.R.1 never entered production.

The Shuttleworth Collection contains one airworthy F.2B Fighter, identity D8096, that still flies during the English summer.

Specifications (F.2B Fighter)

General characteristics

• Crew: two, pilot & observer/gunner
• Length: 25 ft 10 in (7.87 m)
• Wingspan: 39 ft 3 in (11.96 m)
• Height: 9 ft 9 in (2.97 m)
• Wing area: 405 ft² (37.62 m²)
• Empty: 2,145 lb (975 kg)
• Loaded: lb ( kg)
• Maximum takeoff: 3,243 lb (1,474 kg)
• Powerplant: 1 x Rolls-Royce Falcon 12 cylinder inline engine, 275 hp (205 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 123 mph (198 km/h) at 5,000 ft (1,525 m)
• Range: miles ( km)
• Service ceiling: 18,000 ft (5,485 m)
• Rate of climb: 889 ft/min (271 m/min) to 10,000 ft (3,048 m)

Armament

• 1 x .303 in (7.7 mm) forward-firing Vickers machine gun in upper fuselage
• 2 x .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis guns in observer's cockpit
• 240 lb (108 kg) bombs

Related content

Related development: R.2A - M.R.1 - Bristol Tourer

Comparable aircraft:

Designation sequence: Type 9 - Type 12 - Type 22 - Type 24 - Type 25 - Type 26 - Type 105