| Having specialised in flying boats for a decade, in 1926
S E Saunders Limited began the design of a land-based
single-seat all-metal fighter sesquiplane. This, the A.10
proposal, featured what was, for its time, the unusually
heavy armament of four 7.7mm machine
guns, power being provided by a 480hp Rolls-Royce
F.XI 12-cylinder Vee-type engine. After revising the design
in 1927 to comply with Specification F.20/27, Saunders
built a prototype which flew on 27 January 1929.
Possessing an all-metal structure with fabric covering
and all four guns located in the fuselage, the A.10
suffered handling and performance shortcomings
which led to numerous modifications, including fuselage
lengthening. It was assessed at the A&AEE
against other F.20/27 contenders and also for F.10/27
(which called for six-gun armament), but it aroused
little enthusiasm and was struck off Air Ministry charge
in November 1933 - by which time its manufacturer had
become Saunders-Roe Limited.
 | A three-view drawing (1657 x 1250) |
WEIGHTS |
Take-off weight | 1633 kg | 3600 lb |
Empty weight | 1213 kg | 2674 lb |
DIMENSIONS |
Wingspan | 9.75 m | 32 ft 0 in |
Length | 7.44 m | 24 ft 5 in |
Height | 2.97 m | 10 ft 9 in |
Wing area | 25.36 m2 | 272.97 sq ft |
PERFORMANCE |
Max. speed | 322 km/h | 200 mph |
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