Vickers 123

Believing, at the end of 1925, that the time was right for the development of a new British fighter with a liquid-cooled engine and Rolls-Royce having a potentially suitable power plant under development, Vickers began work on the Type 123. Pending the availability of the Rolls-Royce engine, an Hispano-Suiza 12Jb 12-cylinder Vee-type engine of 465hp was acquired from France and installed in the private-venture fighter which first flew on 9 November 1926. Of all-metal construction with fabric skinning, the Type 123 had the standard armament of twin synchronised 7.7mm Vickers machine guns and was a heavily-staggered equi-span biplane with the fuselage carried within the gap, but with an abbreviated cabane. A semi-circular radiator was carried beneath the centre section of the lower wing. The availability in May 1927 of the Rolls-Royce F.XI engine made possible the original intention of the design team to be revived insofar as power plant was concerned, and the prototype was then rebuilt as the Type 141.

3-View

A three-view drawing (1278 x 992)