Boulton Paul Aircraft
Encyclopedia
Boulton Paul Aircraft Ltd was a British aircraft manufacturer that was created in 1934, although its origins lay in 1914, and lasted until 1961. The company mainly built and modified aircraft under contract to other manufacturers, but had a few notable designs of its own, such as the Boulton Paul Defiant
.
The company's origins date back to an ironmonger's shop founded in 1797 in Norwich
. By the early 1900s, Boulton & Paul Ltd was a successful general manufacturing firm. The aircraft building business was sold off from the main construction business in 1934 and then moved to Wolverhampton
.
s than any other manufacturer. Success as a builder of aircraft led to the company forming a design department but none of its resulting aircraft made a significant impact while the war lasted. The P.3 Bobolink
fighter was overshadowed by the Sopwith Snipe
and the Armistice
beat the P.7 Bourges
fighter-bomber
into production.
Boulton Pauls chief aircraft designer was John Dudley North, who moved to them from Austin's
Aircraft Department
After World War I, Boulton & Paul made their mark with the introduction of powered and enclosed defensive machine gun turret
s for bomber
s. Their Sidestrand
twin-engined biplane
bomber, which could fly at 140 mph, had an exposed nose turret which was clearly inadequate. The subsequent Overstrand
bomber featured the world's first enclosed, power-operated turret, mounting a single Lewis gun
and propelled by compressed air. The company licensed a French design of an electro-hydraulic four-gun turret which became a major feature of their future production. In addition to fitting turrets to bombers, Boulton Paul was to install them in fighters.
Boulton Paul's aircraft were flown out of Mousehold Heath
in Norwich – an area which became the first Norwich Airport
During this period Boulton & Paul continued to operate outside the aircraft industry as well. They manufactured equipment such as machine tools and stationary engine
s. The latter were also available coupled to a dynamo
for powering electric lighting circuits, and were sold under the 'Electolite' brand name.
In 1934, Boulton & Paul sold their "Aircraft Department" which became Boulton Paul Aircraft Ltd. Over the next couple of years a new factory site was built up in Wolverhampton
. This gave access to a large skilled workforce on top of the 600 or so employees that left Norwich for Wolverhampton. Even so Boulton Paul would later set up a training centre in Scotland to bring in extra workers. The first "turret" fighter to be built was the Hawker Demon. This was followed by Boulton Paul's most famous aircraft, the Defiant
, (left) which was a revolutionary but flawed concept—a "fast" fighter with no fixed forward armament but a powerful four-gun dorsal turret. The same concept was used for the Defiant's naval equivalent, the Blackburn Roc
, which while a design by Blackburn, the detail design was done in BP's drawing office and the aircraft was built wholly by Boulton Paul.
Boulton Paul also built the Fairey Barracuda
and did conversions of the Vickers Wellington
. The only post-war design was the Balliol
advanced trainer, of which 229 were built, including 30 as the "Sea Balliol" deck-landing trainer.
In the jet
age, Boulton Paul worked on the English Electric Canberra
and de Havilland Vampire
. It designed and built a couple of delta-wing jet-engined aircraft for research work and continued to tender designs for official requirements. In 1961 the company was acquired by Dowty Group
and was renamed Dowty Boulton Paul Ltd and then Dowty Aerospace.
Following the acquisition of Dowty Aerospace by TI Group
in 1992, and the subsequent merger of Smiths Industries and the TI group in 2000, to form Smiths Group
, the site was sold again in May 2007 to GE Aviation Systems. Yet again in August 2009 the site was sold to Moog Inc. The site has an on-site museum dedicated to Boulton Paul Aircraft and the traditional methods used to manufacture aircraft. The future of the museum now "looks in doubt" as Moog are planning to move to a new site just up the road at the I54 business park. There are rumours that the museum is planning to move to Cosford
's FN
designs they supplied large numbers of installations for British aircraft.
Turrets were electrohydualic in operation; electric motors located in the turret drove hydraulic pumps that powered hydualic motors and rams. This was more effective than electric motors alone. Production was transferred to Lucas
Turret Models
Boulton Paul Defiant
The Boulton Paul Defiant was a British interceptor aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force early in the Second World War. The Defiant was designed and built by Boulton Paul Aircraft as a "turret fighter", without any forward-firing guns. It was a contemporary of the Royal Navy's Blackburn Roc...
.
The company's origins date back to an ironmonger's shop founded in 1797 in Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
. By the early 1900s, Boulton & Paul Ltd was a successful general manufacturing firm. The aircraft building business was sold off from the main construction business in 1934 and then moved to Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
.
History
In 1915, Boulton & Paul began to construct aircraft under contract including 550 of the Royal Aircraft Factory FE.2b. During the war the company built more Sopwith CamelSopwith Camel
The Sopwith Camel was a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter introduced on the Western Front in 1917. Manufactured by Sopwith Aviation Company, it had a short-coupled fuselage, heavy, powerful rotary engine, and concentrated fire from twin synchronized machine guns. Though difficult...
s than any other manufacturer. Success as a builder of aircraft led to the company forming a design department but none of its resulting aircraft made a significant impact while the war lasted. The P.3 Bobolink
Boulton Paul Bobolink
|-See also:-External links:*...
fighter was overshadowed by the Sopwith Snipe
Sopwith Snipe
The Sopwith 7F.1 Snipe was a British single-seat biplane fighter of the Royal Air Force . It was designed and built by the Sopwith Aviation Company during the First World War, and came into squadron service a few weeks before the end of that conflict, in late 1918.The Snipe was not a fast aircraft...
and the Armistice
Armistice
An armistice is a situation in a war where the warring parties agree to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, but may be just a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace...
beat the P.7 Bourges
Boulton Paul Bourges
|-See also:-References:*Bruce, J.M. British Aeroplanes 1914-18. London:Putnam, 1957.*Lewis, Peter. The British Bomber since 1914. London:Putnam, 1980. ISBN 0-370-30265-6....
fighter-bomber
Fighter-bomber
A fighter-bomber is a fixed-wing aircraft with an intended primary role of light tactical bombing and also incorporating certain performance characteristics of a fighter aircraft. This term, although still used, has less significance since the introduction of rockets and guided missiles into aerial...
into production.
Boulton Pauls chief aircraft designer was John Dudley North, who moved to them from Austin's
Austin Motor Company
The Austin Motor Company was a British manufacturer of automobiles. The company was founded in 1905 and merged in 1952 into the British Motor Corporation Ltd. The marque Austin was used until 1987...
Aircraft Department
After World War I, Boulton & Paul made their mark with the introduction of powered and enclosed defensive machine gun turret
Turret
In architecture, a turret is a small tower that projects vertically from the wall of a building such as a medieval castle. Turrets were used to provide a projecting defensive position allowing covering fire to the adjacent wall in the days of military fortification...
s for bomber
Bomber
A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets, by dropping bombs on them, or – in recent years – by launching cruise missiles at them.-Classifications of bombers:...
s. Their Sidestrand
Boulton Paul Sidestrand
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Brew, Alec. Boulton Paul Aircraft since 1915. London: Putnam, 1993. ISBN 0-85177-860-7.* Jarrett, Philip. "By Day and By Night: Sidestrand and Overstrand, Part 1." Aeroplane Monthly, Vol. 22, No. 11, Issue 259, November 1994, pp. 18—23. London: IPC. ISSN...
twin-engined biplane
Biplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two superimposed main wings. The Wright brothers' Wright Flyer used a biplane design, as did most aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a biplane wing structure has a structural advantage, it produces more drag than a similar monoplane wing...
bomber, which could fly at 140 mph, had an exposed nose turret which was clearly inadequate. The subsequent Overstrand
Boulton Paul Overstrand
-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Brew, Alec. Boulton Paul Aircraft since 1915. London: Putnam, 1993. ISBN 0-85177-860-7.* Halley, James J. Royal Air Force Aircraft: K1000 to K9999. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain Ltd., 1976. ISBN 0-851330-048-0.* Lewis, Peter. The British Bomber since...
bomber featured the world's first enclosed, power-operated turret, mounting a single Lewis gun
Lewis Gun
The Lewis Gun is a World War I–era light machine gun of American design that was perfected and widely used by the British Empire. It was first used in combat in World War I, and continued in service with a number of armed forces through to the end of the Korean War...
and propelled by compressed air. The company licensed a French design of an electro-hydraulic four-gun turret which became a major feature of their future production. In addition to fitting turrets to bombers, Boulton Paul was to install them in fighters.
Boulton Paul's aircraft were flown out of Mousehold Heath
Mousehold Heath
Mousehold Heath is an area of heathland and woodland which lies in north east Norwich, England and a designated Local Nature Reserve . It is now mostly covered by broad-leaf semi-natural woodland, although some areas of heath remain and are actively managed....
in Norwich – an area which became the first Norwich Airport
Norwich International Airport
Norwich International Airport , also known as Norwich Airport, is an airport in the City of Norwich within Norfolk, England north of the city centre and on the edge of the city's suburbs....
Stationary engine
A stationary engine is an engine whose framework does not move. It is normally used not to propel a vehicle but to drive a piece of immobile equipment such as a pump or power tool. They may be powered by steam; or oil-burning or internal combustion engines....
s. The latter were also available coupled to a dynamo
Dynamo
- Engineering :* Dynamo, a magnetic device originally used as an electric generator* Dynamo theory, a theory relating to magnetic fields of celestial bodies* Solar dynamo, the physical process that generates the Sun's magnetic field- Software :...
for powering electric lighting circuits, and were sold under the 'Electolite' brand name.
In 1934, Boulton & Paul sold their "Aircraft Department" which became Boulton Paul Aircraft Ltd. Over the next couple of years a new factory site was built up in Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
. This gave access to a large skilled workforce on top of the 600 or so employees that left Norwich for Wolverhampton. Even so Boulton Paul would later set up a training centre in Scotland to bring in extra workers. The first "turret" fighter to be built was the Hawker Demon. This was followed by Boulton Paul's most famous aircraft, the Defiant
Boulton Paul Defiant
The Boulton Paul Defiant was a British interceptor aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force early in the Second World War. The Defiant was designed and built by Boulton Paul Aircraft as a "turret fighter", without any forward-firing guns. It was a contemporary of the Royal Navy's Blackburn Roc...
, (left) which was a revolutionary but flawed concept—a "fast" fighter with no fixed forward armament but a powerful four-gun dorsal turret. The same concept was used for the Defiant's naval equivalent, the Blackburn Roc
Blackburn Roc
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Brew, Alec. The Turret Fighters: Defiant and Roc. Ramsbury, Marlborough, Wiltshire, UK: Crowood Press, 2002. ISBN 1-86126-497-6....
, which while a design by Blackburn, the detail design was done in BP's drawing office and the aircraft was built wholly by Boulton Paul.
Boulton Paul also built the Fairey Barracuda
Fairey Barracuda
The Fairey Barracuda was a British carrier-borne torpedo- and dive bomber used during the Second World War, the first of its type used by the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm to be fabricated entirely from metal. It was introduced as a replacement for the Fairey Swordfish and Fairey Albacore biplanes...
and did conversions of the Vickers Wellington
Vickers Wellington
The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engine, long range medium bomber designed in the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey, by Vickers-Armstrongs' Chief Designer, R. K. Pierson. It was widely used as a night bomber in the early years of the Second World War, before being displaced as a...
. The only post-war design was the Balliol
Boulton Paul Balliol
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Donald, David, ed. The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. London: Aerospace Publishing, 1997. ISBN 1-85605-375-X....
advanced trainer, of which 229 were built, including 30 as the "Sea Balliol" deck-landing trainer.
In the jet
Jet aircraft
A jet aircraft is an aircraft propelled by jet engines. Jet aircraft generally fly much faster than propeller-powered aircraft and at higher altitudes – as high as . At these altitudes, jet engines achieve maximum efficiency over long distances. The engines in propeller-powered aircraft...
age, Boulton Paul worked on the English Electric Canberra
English Electric Canberra
The English Electric Canberra is a first-generation jet-powered light bomber manufactured in large numbers through the 1950s. The Canberra could fly at a higher altitude than any other bomber through the 1950s and set a world altitude record of 70,310 ft in 1957...
and de Havilland Vampire
De Havilland Vampire
The de Havilland DH.100 Vampire was a British jet-engine fighter commissioned by the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. Following the Gloster Meteor, it was the second jet fighter to enter service with the RAF. Although it arrived too late to see combat during the war, the Vampire served...
. It designed and built a couple of delta-wing jet-engined aircraft for research work and continued to tender designs for official requirements. In 1961 the company was acquired by Dowty Group
Dowty Group
Dowty Group was a leading British manufacturer of aircraft equipment. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but was acquired by TI Group in 1992.-History:...
and was renamed Dowty Boulton Paul Ltd and then Dowty Aerospace.
Following the acquisition of Dowty Aerospace by TI Group
TI Group
TI Group plc was a holding company for specialised engineering companies. It was based in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. It was registered as Tube Investments in 1919, combining the seamless steel tube businesses of Tubes Ltd, New Credenda Tube , Simplex and Accles & Pollock. In 1928 Reynolds Tube joined...
in 1992, and the subsequent merger of Smiths Industries and the TI group in 2000, to form Smiths Group
Smiths Group
Smiths Group plc is a global engineering company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It has operations in over 50 countries and employs around 23,550 staff....
, the site was sold again in May 2007 to GE Aviation Systems. Yet again in August 2009 the site was sold to Moog Inc. The site has an on-site museum dedicated to Boulton Paul Aircraft and the traditional methods used to manufacture aircraft. The future of the museum now "looks in doubt" as Moog are planning to move to a new site just up the road at the I54 business park. There are rumours that the museum is planning to move to Cosford
Boulton Paul Aircraft
First flight date shown- Boulton Paul BobolinkBoulton Paul Bobolink|-See also:-External links:*...
1918 - Boulton Paul BourgesBoulton Paul Bourges|-See also:-References:*Bruce, J.M. British Aeroplanes 1914-18. London:Putnam, 1957.*Lewis, Peter. The British Bomber since 1914. London:Putnam, 1980. ISBN 0-370-30265-6....
1918 - Boulton Paul P-6 1918
- Boulton Paul AtlanticBoulton Paul AtlanticThe Boulton & Paul P.8 Atlantic was Boulton & Paul's attempt to adapt their well-performing Bourges bomber into an airliner. They hoped to gain publicity for it by winning the outstanding prize for the first non-stop Atlantic crossing but a first flight accident made them miss their opportunity...
1919 - Boulton Paul P.9Boulton Paul P.9-References:NotesBibliography...
1919 - Boulton Paul P.10Boulton Paul P.10-Bibliography:*...
1919 - Boulton Paul Bolton 1922
- Boulton & Paul BugleBoulton & Paul Bugle-References:*"". Flight. 23 April 1925. pp.235–238.*Mason, Francis K. The British Bomber since 1912. London:Putnam, 1994. ISBN 0-85177-861-5.-External links:*...
1923 - Boulton Paul BodminBoulton Paul Bodmin|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography...
1924 - Boulton Paul SidestrandBoulton Paul Sidestrand|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Brew, Alec. Boulton Paul Aircraft since 1915. London: Putnam, 1993. ISBN 0-85177-860-7.* Jarrett, Philip. "By Day and By Night: Sidestrand and Overstrand, Part 1." Aeroplane Monthly, Vol. 22, No. 11, Issue 259, November 1994, pp. 18—23. London: IPC. ISSN...
1926 – bomber - Boulton Paul BitternBoulton Paul Bittern|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography...
1927 – night fighter with upward firing guns - Boulton Paul PartridgeBoulton Paul Partridge|-References:...
1928 – fighter - Boulton Paul Phoenix 1929 – low cost aeroplane for personal use
- Boulton Paul P.32 1931 – bomber, not accepted for service
- Boulton Paul OverstrandBoulton Paul Overstrand-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Brew, Alec. Boulton Paul Aircraft since 1915. London: Putnam, 1993. ISBN 0-85177-860-7.* Halley, James J. Royal Air Force Aircraft: K1000 to K9999. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain Ltd., 1976. ISBN 0-851330-048-0.* Lewis, Peter. The British Bomber since...
1933 – bomber - Boulton Paul P.64 Mail-CarrierBoulton Paul Mailplane|-See also:-External links:*...
1933 - Boulton Paul P.71ABoulton Paul P.71A|-See also:-External links:*...
1934 – transport derivative of the Mailplane - Boulton Paul DefiantBoulton Paul DefiantThe Boulton Paul Defiant was a British interceptor aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force early in the Second World War. The Defiant was designed and built by Boulton Paul Aircraft as a "turret fighter", without any forward-firing guns. It was a contemporary of the Royal Navy's Blackburn Roc...
1937 – turret fighter - Boulton Paul P.92Boulton Paul P.92-See also:-External links:* * * *...
1941 – fighter/ground attack - Boulton Paul BalliolBoulton Paul Balliol|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Donald, David, ed. The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. London: Aerospace Publishing, 1997. ISBN 1-85605-375-X....
1947 – trainer - Boulton Paul P.111Boulton Paul P.111-See also:-Bibliography:* Brew, Alec. Boulton Paul Aircraft since 1915. London: Putnam, 1993. ISBN 0-85177-860-7.* Jones, Barry. "Boulton Paul's Dicey Deltas". Aeroplane Monthly, Vol 21 No. 2, Issue No 238. February 1993. London:IPC Magazines. ISSN 0143-7240. pp. 34–41.* Jones, Barry. British...
1950 – delta wing research - Boulton Paul P.120Boulton Paul P.120-Bibliography:* Brew, Alec. Boulton Paul Aircraft since 1915. London: Putnam, 1993. ISBN 0-85177-860-7.* Jones, Barry. British Experimental Turbojet Aircraft. London: Crowood, 2007. ISBN 978-1861268600.-External links:* *...
1952 – delta wing research
Boulton Paul gun turrets
Boulton Paul were one of the main innovators of gun turret designs for British aircraft based on designs licenced from the French SAMM company. Along with Nash & ThomsonNash & Thomson
Nash & Thompson was a British engineering firm that specialised in the production of hydraulically-operated gun turrets for aircraft. The company was also an important manufacturer of hydraulic powered radar scanners, used on radar systems such as H2S and AI Mark VIII.- History :Nash & Thompson was...
's FN
Frazer Nash
Frazer Nash was a British sports car manufacturer and engineering company founded by Archibald Frazer-Nash in 1922. It produced sports cars incorporating a unique multi-chain transmission before World War II and also imported BMW cars to the UK. After the war it continued producing sports cars with...
designs they supplied large numbers of installations for British aircraft.
Turrets were electrohydualic in operation; electric motors located in the turret drove hydraulic pumps that powered hydualic motors and rams. This was more effective than electric motors alone. Production was transferred to Lucas
Lucas
Lucas is the Latin form of the Greek name Loukas , and it's a common name in many modern languages.Lucas may refer to several things.-Real:*Lucas Barrios, Paraguayan footballer currently playing for Borussia Dortmund...
Turret Models
- Type A
- Mark II Used on DefiantBoulton Paul DefiantThe Boulton Paul Defiant was a British interceptor aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force early in the Second World War. The Defiant was designed and built by Boulton Paul Aircraft as a "turret fighter", without any forward-firing guns. It was a contemporary of the Royal Navy's Blackburn Roc...
(D) and RocBlackburn Roc|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Brew, Alec. The Turret Fighters: Defiant and Roc. Ramsbury, Marlborough, Wiltshire, UK: Crowood Press, 2002. ISBN 1-86126-497-6....
(R) - Mark VIII Four gun or two gun turret, dorsal on HalifaxHandley Page HalifaxThe Handley Page Halifax was one of the British front-line, four-engined heavy bombers of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. A contemporary of the famous Avro Lancaster, the Halifax remained in service until the end of the war, performing a variety of duties in addition to bombing...
- Also used on VenturaLockheed VenturaThe Lockheed Ventura was a bomber and patrol aircraft of World War II, used by United States and British Commonwealth forces in several guises...
, and for converting Short CShort EmpireThe Short Empire was a passenger and mail carrying flying boat, of the 1930s and 1940s, that flew between Britain and British colonies in Africa, Asia and Australia...
and G class flying boats
- Mark II Used on Defiant
- Type B
- Type C
- Mark I, 2 guns used as nose turret Halifax
- Mark II, 2 guns used as dorsal turret on Halifax
- Used on HudsonLockheed HudsonThe Lockheed Hudson was an American-built light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built initially for the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War and primarily operated by the RAF thereafter...
- Type D
- 2 0.5 in guns
- Used on some LincolnAvro LincolnThe Avro Type 694, better known as the Avro Lincoln, was a British four-engined heavy bomber, which first flew on 9 June 1944. Developed from the Avro Lancaster, the first Lincoln variants were known initially as the Lancaster IV and V, but were renamed Lincoln I and II...
s as tail turret, some fitted with AGLT
- Type E
- 4 x 0.303 guns rear turret used on Halifax and Liberator
- Type K
- Ventral design, 2 gun retractable used on Halifax
- Type N
- Nose design for Lincoln
- Type R
- Ventral, 2 x 0.303 guns periscope sight