Design and Development
The Gloster S.S.18 first flew in January 1929. The Gauntlet was a development of the Gloster S.S.19B design, which originally mounted six machine guns (i.e. four in the wings and two in the fuselage). The original S.S.19 prototype being re-engined with a Bristol Mercury VIS engine, first flying in this form in 1933. On testing the S.S.19, the Air Ministry placed an order for 24 aircraft in September 1933, to be named the "Gauntlet".
This initial order was followed up with orders for the revised Gauntlet Mk. II. This new model used a revised construction method based on that used by Hawker following Hawker's takeover of Gloster, as this was much easier to build and repair than Gloster's welded structure. A total of 204 Mk IIs were produced in the UK.
Read more about this topic: Gloster Gauntlet
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