Interesting RAF bit-players 1939-1941 No.2: The Defiant

[Moggy]

Originally Posted by Sternjaeger

the problem of the Defiant wasn't the lack of engines, was the fact that it was a very heavy and cumbersome machine afflicted by a heavy turret (which unfortunately was a trap for many gunners), poorly armed and above all designed to respond to a completely useless Air Ministry specification, and there was no further development cos the RAF realised the plane made no sense..
And just for the record, Hurris, Mosquitoes and Beaufighters performed incredibly better in the night fighting roles.

I'm not sure the Hurricane had a better night fighting record than the Defiant but yes certainly the Mossies and Beaufighters did. I'm actually looking at 2 of the proposed designs to replace the Defiant, the P.92 (twin engine aircraft) and P.96 (imagine a Typhoon with the type A turret in the back and you'll get the idea) 4 different designs fitted with either the Sabre or Centaurus engines and either 4 or 6 cannon.