Armstrong Whitworth A.W.16

Overview

The Armstrong Whitworth A.W.16 (or A.W.XVI) was a single-engine biplane fighter aircraft designed and built by the British aircraft manufacturer Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft. It was a single bay biplane with wings of unequal span braced with N-type interwing struts, and bore a close family resemblance to the A.W.XIV Starling Mk I, though with a less Siskin-like, humped fuselage. The undercarriage was fixed, undivided and spatted. The Armstrong Siddeley Panther radial engine, earlier known as the Jaguar Major was enclosed by a Townend ring. The first prototype performed its maiden flight during 1930. Developed to fulfil Specification F9/26, engine-related delays heavily contributed to domestic opportunities being lost to the competing Hawker Nimrod. Armstrong Whitworth continued to market the type, particularly to prospective export customers. Both the first and second prototypes would be modified for further development purposes; most notably, the second was rebuilt into the Armstrong Whitworth Scimitar. A number were sold to the Chinese Guangxi Air Force and were subsequently operated by the Chinese Nationalist Air Force.