| abstract | - The Fairey Barracuda was a British carrier-borne torpedo- and dive bomber used during the Second World War, the first of its type used by the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm to be fabricated entirely from metal. It was introduced as a replacement for the Fairey Swordfish and Fairey Albacore biplanes. It is notable for its role in attacking the German battleship Tirpitz and known for its ungainly appearance on the ground.
- The Barracuda Mk I had a Rolls-Royce Merlin 30 engine that was capable of propelling it at speeds of up to 337 kilometers per hour. This relatively low maximum speed came from the fact that the Mk I was severely underpowered and as such was quickly replaced by the Mk II which not only used a better engine, added an additional propeller blade for a total of four. Regardless, thirty Mk I aircraft were still produced during the war. Their operational range was around 1,165 kilometers while their service ceiling was about 6,500 meters. Its armament consisted of either a single 735 kilogram torpedo, six 110 kilogram bombs, or four 200 kilogram depth charges with an additional two 7.7mm machine guns mounted in the rear of the aircraft for defense. In order to operate effectively, at least two men, a pilot and gunner, were required though an additional crew member, the navigator, could also and often did fly in the aircraft. The total weight of the Barracuda was around 3,900 kilograms unloaded while its total length was around 12.2 meters and wingspan was 14.9 meters. Notably, the Barracuda had its wings mounted at 'shoulder height' at the top of the air frame and being initially designed as a reconnaissance aircraft, had a far better view for the observer/navigator than for the pilot. Furthermore, many of its crews described the aircraft as 'very ugly' from its outward appearance.
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