In response to the British Ministry of Armaments’ proposal for a special armored ground attack aircraft, the Sopwith company decided to build such a machine based on the Sopwith F.1 Camel fighter. The aircraft received the designation T.F.1 (from Trench Fighter).
Innovative Design and Armament
The armor was limited to a steel sheet protecting the underside and wing roots. The armament included two Lewis machine guns installed at a 45-degree angle forward and downward between the landing gear struts. Another identical machine gun was mounted on the upper wing.
The aircraft remained a single-seater, and naturally, the pilot faced the question of how to conduct accurate firing at ground targets. To partially eliminate this problem, a special periscopic sight was installed.
Deployment and Frontline Experience
Only one aircraft was converted, and after brief refinements, this prototype was sent to the front in late spring 1918. The T.F.1 was used in combat for a short time, but this was enough to identify the ground attacker’s advantages and disadvantages. Among the former was good protection against ground fire.
Performance Analysis and Legacy
However, there were quite a few drawbacks. Even the 70 kg steel sheet seriously degraded performance, despite the Clerget 9B engine. Furthermore, the two machine guns under the fuselage, despite all ingenuity, proved insufficiently effective.
The aircraft remained a single prototype and did not go into series production. The next step was the construction of a ground attack aircraft based on the more advanced two-bay biplane fighter, the Sopwith Snipe. By mid-1918, such an aircraft was created and named the Sopwith T.F.2 Salamander.
Technical Specifications
| Modification | TF.1 Camel |
| Wingspan, m | 8.53 |
| Length, m | 5.72 |
| Height, m | 2.59 |
| Wing area, m2 | 21.34 |
| Empty weight | 500 |
| Normal takeoff weight | 720 |
| Engine type | 1 Piston engine Clerget 9B |
| Power, hp | 1 x 130 |
| Maximum speed at sea level, km/h | 175 |
| Maximum speed at altitude, km/h | 158 |
| Cruising speed, km/h | 150 |
| Flight endurance, h:min | 2:00 |
| Service ceiling, m | 5000 |
| Crew, crew members | 1 |
| Armament: | two 7.7-mm Lewis machine guns between the landing gear and one unsynchronized on the upper wing |
Image gallery of the Sopwith T.F.1 Camel
