Description
The Horsley was a large single-engined two-bay biplane. It had a crew of two, comprising a pilot and a gunner/bomb-aimer/radio operator, who had a .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis gun mounted in a Scarff ring in the rear cockpit and a prone position for bomb aiming. The rear cockpit was also fitted with dual controls. The payload included two 551 lb (250 kg) bombs, one 1,500 lb (680 kg) bomb or a torpedo weighing 2,800 lb (1,270 kg).
The structure was originally all wood, but before production was complete an all-metal structure was introduced, made in what became the famous Hawker system of metal construction. The three methods of construction were designated; Horsley Mk I for the all wooden aircraft, Horsley Mk II for the mixed material, and (unofficially) Horsley III for the all-metal aircraft. Some aircraft were fitted with floats.
Two aircraft, powered by Leopard II engines were sold to the Danish Government, but these aircraft were known as Hawker Dantorp and had a slightly different fuselage, accommodating a third crew member. The Danes also purchased a license to build a further 10 aircraft at the Danish Naval Workshops (Orlogsvaerftet), but these were not built owing to a shortage of funds.
While production aircraft were powered by the Condor IIIA, the Horsley was much used as a flying test-bed for other engines. Engines tested included the Napier Lion, Rolls-Royce Buzzard, Rolls-Royce Eagle, the Armstrong Siddeley Leopard radial engine, the Junkers Jumo diesel engine and early versions of the Rolls-Royce Merlin.
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