Design and development Short Singapore

short singapore prototype (n179) in final form, rolls-royce h.10 buzzard engines , handley page auto-slots on upper wings.

the first prototype of short singapore, known short s.5 (military designation singapore i), metal hull version of wooden-hulled short cromarty. biplane design included single fin , rudder, , powered 2 rolls-royce condor iiia 650 horsepower (480 kw) engines. maiden flight made rochester on 17 august 1926, piloted short s chief test pilot john lankester parker. type did not enter production, used sir alan cobham survey flight around africa. registered g-ebup, left rochester on 17 november 1927 , arrived @ cape on 30 march 1928, returning rochester on 4 june 1928. displayed @ olympia in july 1929.

short singapore ii prototype (n246) in development, 4 engines, single tail, open cockpit , no ailerons on lower wings.

the singapore ii (manufacturer s designation short s.12) followed development of singapore 4 engines, mounted in tractor/pusher pairs (better known push-pull configuration). single example of aircraft built first flown on 27 march 1930, john lankester parker.

from singapore ii came design 4 engines , triple fins. in 1933 british air ministry ordered 4 flying boats based on singapore ii trials squadrons under specification r.3/33. these followed further production order specification r.14/34. these aircraft, singapore iii (manufacturer s designation short s.19), had all-metal hulls , fabric-covered metal flying surfaces. powered 4 675 hp (503 kw) rolls-royce kestrel ix mounted between wings in 2 tandem push-pull pairs, similar singapore iis. crew of 6 located in central cabin , fore, aft, , midships open gun positions (vickers machine gun or lewis gun). long-range fuel tank carried externally on dorsal hull. first singapore iii flew on 15 june 1934. although obsolescent time first aircraft entered service 210 squadron in january 1935, type arrived in time benefit arms race of late 1930s , 37 built. production terminated in june 1937.