Avro 530

Avro 530
Role	Fighter
National origin	United Kingdom
Manufacturer	Avro
First flight	1917
Number built	2

The Avro 530 was a British two-seat fighter biplane designed in 1916 to compete with the Bristol F.2A. The plane itself was designed in 1916, but not flown until July 1917. It was of fabric-covered wooden construction, powered by a 200 hp (150 kW) Hispano-Suiza engine.

Operational history

Although performance of the Avro 530 proved to be good, it did not improve sufficiently on the Bristol F.2A and as such no production orders were issued. Another issue was that priority for the Hispano-Suiza engines which powered the 530 was being given to the S.E.5a. In 1918, a second 530 was fitted with a 200 hp (150 kW) Sunbeam Arab engine, but development was subsequently abandoned.

Specifications

General characteristics

• Crew: one
• Length: 28 ft 6 in (8.69 m)
• Wingspan: 36 ft 0 in (10.97 m)
• Height: 9 ft 7 in (2.92 m)
• Wing area: 325.5 ft² (30.23m²)
• Empty weight: 1,695 lb (769 kg)
• Loaded weight: 2,680 lb (1,216 kg)
• Powerplant: 1 × Hispano-Suiza 8Bd eight-cylinder water-cooled engine, 200 hp (149 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 114 mph (183 km/h) 102 mph (164 km/h) at 10,000 ft (3,050 m)
  
• Time to 10,000 ft: 15 minutes
• Endurance: 4 hours

Armament

• Guns:
• 1 × engine-mounted .303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine gun
• 1 × rear-mounted .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis Gun

Bibliography

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Avro aircraft.

• William Green and Gordon Swanborough. The Complete Book of Fighters. Colour Library Direct, Godalming, UK: 1994. ISBN 1-85833-777-1.