Vickers Vespa
title: "Vickers Vespa" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1920s-british-bomber-aircraft", "vickers-aircraft", "biplanes", "aircraft-first-flown-in-1925", "single-engined-tractor-aircraft", "aircraft-with-fixed-conventional-landing-gear"] topic_path: "geography/united-kingdom" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vickers_Vespa" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox aircraft"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Vespa |
| image | Vickers Vespa.jpg |
| caption | The Vickers Vespa VII which reached a world altitude record |
| type | Army Cooperation Aircraft |
| manufacturer | Vickers Limited |
| designer | |
| first_flight | 1925 |
| introduction | 1928 |
| retired | 1940 |
| status | |
| primary_user | Bolivia |
| more_users | Irish Air Corps |
| produced | |
| number_built | 15 |
| variants | |
| :: |
|name = Vespa |image = Vickers Vespa.jpg |caption = The Vickers Vespa VII which reached a world altitude record |type = Army Cooperation Aircraft |manufacturer = Vickers Limited |designer = |first_flight = 1925 |introduction = 1928 |retired = 1940 |status = |primary_user = Bolivia |more_users = Irish Air Corps |produced = |number_built = 15 |unit cost = |developed_from = |variants = ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Vickers_Vespa_side_view.jpg"] ::
The Vickers Vespa was a British army cooperation biplane designed and built by Vickers Limited in the 1920s. While not adopted by Britain's Royal Air Force, small numbers were bought by the Irish Free State and Bolivia, the latter of which used the type during the Chaco War. One modified Vespa was used to set a world altitude record of 43,976 ft (13,407 m) in September 1932.
Design and development
The Vespa was designed by Vickers as a private venture to meet the requirements of Air Ministry Specification 30/24. The first prototype, the Vespa I, was flown in September 1925. The Vespa, which was a single-engine biplane with a slim fuselage suspended between closely spaced and highly staggered two-bay wooden wings, was delivered for evaluation by the Royal Air Force, but crash landed owing to engine trouble on 24 June 1926 and was badly damaged. It was then rebuilt with steel, fabric-covered wings as the Vespa II, but this was unsuccessful in getting orders from the RAF.
It did, however, attract attention from Bolivia, which ordered six Vespa IIIs, an improved all metal version, in 1928, and the Irish Free State, which ordered four Vespa IVs in 1929 and a further four Vespa Vs in 1930.
The prototype Vespa was modified as the Vespa VI for demonstration to the Central Chinese government, but was not purchased, so was returned to Britain. It was rebuilt as the Vespa VII, with a supercharged Bristol Pegasus S engine for an attempt on the world altitude record, setting a record of 43,976 ft (13,407 m) on 16 September 1932.
Operational history
Six Vespa IIIs were delivered to Bolivia in 1928, where they were mainly used as operational conversion aircraft, although they did see limited use in the Chaco War as reconnaissance and long-range bombers, these aircraft operating at low altitude rather than the high altitude that Bolivia's Vespas were optimised for. They remained in service until 1935.
The eight Irish Vespas remained in service for several years, operating from the Irish Air Corps base at Baldonnel, near Dublin, with the last being written off on 12 June 1940.
Variants
;Vickers Type 113 Vespa I: Prototype army cooperation aircraft for evaluation by RAF. Wooden wings. Powered by Bristol Jupiter IV radial engine (later fitted with Jupiter VI. One only (G-EBLD)) ;Vickers Type 119 Vespa II: Vespa I modified with metal wings. ;Vickers Type 149 Vespa III: Improved all-metal production version for Bolivia. Powered by 455 hp (339 kW) Jupiter VI engine. Six built. ;Vickers Type 193 Vespa IV: Production version for Irish Air Corps. Powered by 490 hp (370 kW) Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar VIC. Four built. ;Vickers Type 208 Vespa V: Improved version of Vespa IV for Irish Air Corps. Fitted with Townend ring around engine. Four built. ;Vickers Type 210 Vespa VI: Rebuilt first prototype (ie. Vespa I / Vespa II), re-registered as G-ABIL and demonstrated to Central Chinese government. ;Vickers Type 250 Vespa VII: Vespa VI rebuilt with Bristol Pegasus S engine for altitude record attempt.
Operators
;
- Bolivian Air Force 6 planes. Retired 1935. ;
- Irish Air Corps 8 planes. The last Irish plane retired on 12 June 1940. ;
- Royal Air Force 1 plane. Only evaluation use (in mid-1920s) and only one prototype plane used. Not adopted by Royal Air Force ever.
Specifications (Vespa V)
|ref=Vickers Aircraft Since 1908 |prime units?=imp General characteristics
|genhide=
|crew=2 |capacity= |length m= |length ft=33 |length in=0 |span m= |span ft=50 |span in=0 |height m= |height ft=10 |height in=6 |wing area sqm= |wing area sqft=576 |wing area note= |aspect ratio= |airfoil= |empty weight kg= |empty weight lb=2882 |empty weight note= |gross weight kg= |gross weight lb=4370 |gross weight note= |fuel capacity= |more general= Powerplant
|eng1 number=1 |eng1 name=Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar VIC |eng1 type=14-cylinder air-cooled radial engine
|eng1 kw= |eng1 hp=490
|prop blade number= |prop name= |prop dia m= |prop dia ft= |prop dia in= |prop note= Performance
|perfhide=
|max speed kmh= |max speed mph=139 |max speed kts= |max speed note=at 10000 ft |cruise speed kmh= |cruise speed mph= |cruise speed kts= |never exceed speed kmh= |never exceed speed mph= |never exceed speed kts= |range km= |range miles=580 |range nmi= |range note=at 15000 ft and 116 mph |combat range km= |combat range miles= |combat range nmi= |endurance= |ceiling m= |ceiling ft=26000 |ceiling note=(absolute Ceiling) |climb rate ms= |climb rate ftmin= |time to altitude= 16 min to 15000 ft Armament
|guns=
- 1 × fixed, forward-firing .303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine gun
- 1 × .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis Gun on Scarff ring in rear cockpit |bombs=provision to carry bombs
|avionics=
References
Notes
Bibliography
- Andrews, C.F. and Morgan, Eric B. Vickers Aircraft since 1908, Second edition. London: Putnam, 1988. .
- Donald, David, ed. The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. London: Aerospace Publishing, 1997. .
- Mason, Francis K. The British Bomber since 1914. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books, 1994. .
References
- The only other aircraft designed to meet this specification was the [[Short Springbok. Short S.3b Chamois]]
- Mason 1994, p.173.
- Andrews and Morgan 1988, p.200.
- Andrews and Morgan 1988, p.203.
- Andrews and Morgan 1988, pp.203–206.
- Andrews and Morgan 1988, pp.200–203.
- ''Aeroflight World Air Forces – Bolivian Air Force''. [http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/waf/americas/bolivia/Bolivia-af-CMA.htm] Access date: 9 June 2007.
- ''Irish Air Corps Aircraft 1922–1997''.[http://www.iol.ie/~asire/aircorps.html] Access date: 9 June 2007.
- Andrews and Morgan 1988, p.206.
- Mason 1994, p.174.
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