Gloster Gauntlet Country: UK Type: Fighter Manufacturer: Gloster Service: 1935 - 1943 First Flight: 1933 Production: 246

The British Gloster Gauntlet was a single-seat, biplane fighter of the Royal Air Force (RAF) designed and built by Gloster Aircraft in the 1930s. It was the last RAF fighter to have an open cockpit.

The Gauntlet Mk. I first entered service with No 19 Squadron at RAF Duxford in May 1935. The Gauntlet proved successful and popular in operational service, having significantly better performance to that of the aircraft it replaced. The Gauntlet was the fastest aircraft in the RAF from 1935 to 1937.

The Gauntlet Mk II entered service with 56 Squadron and 111 Squadron in May 1936, a further six squadrons being re-equipped with the Gauntlet by the end of the year). At its height, Gauntlet aircraft equipped a total of 14 Squadrons of Fighter Command. 32 Squadron Gauntlets were used in early trials of ground direction of fighters by radar.

As more advanced fighters started to re-equip the Gauntlet squadrons in 1936 and 1937, the surplus Gauntlets were passed on to freshly formed units before receiving more modern fighters. Gauntlets were also shipped to the Middle East, equipping three RAF squadrons.

All home based Gauntlet squadrons had re-equipped with more modern fighters by the start of the Second World War, but remained in service in the Middle East for longer, with a flight of Gauntlets remaining in service with No.3 Sqn RAAF in the Middle East when Italy declared war in 1940. These were briefly used for ground attack operations against the Italians before being retired from operations owing to maintenance problems. Gauntlets continued in use for meteorological flights until 1943.

Seventeen Gauntlets IIs were licence produced in Denmark, while 25 ex-RAF machines were supplied by South Africa as support to Finland in 1940 as a result of the Winter War. Already obsolete, they were used as advanced trainers by the Finns.

General characteristics