View source for Boulton Paul Defiant

{{infobox aircraft
| image           = [[File:Boultan_Paul_Defiant.jpg]]
| caption         =
| image2          = [[File:Boultan_Paul_Defiant_2.jpg]]
| caption2        =
| aircrafttype    = monoplane
| aircraftrole    = Interceptor
| aircraftdesigner = John Dudley North
| aircraftmanufacturer =  Boulton Paul Aircraft
| aircraftproduced = England
| aircraftnumberbuilt = 1,064
| aircraftprimaryusers = RAF, RAAF, RCAF, Polish Air Force
| aircraftinservice = December 1939
| aircraftoutofservice = The last operational use was in India, used as target tugs
}}

==Remarks==
The Defiant was found to be effective at destroying bombers, the role it was designed for, but was vulnerable to the Luftwaffe's more manoeuvrable, single-seat Messerschmitt fighters. The Defiant lacked forward-firing armament, which proved to be a great weakness in daylight combat with fighters. It did, however, find success when it was converted to a night fighter. Eventually thirteen squadrons were equipped for this role, compared to just two squadrons as a day-fighter, though this was mainly due to slow initial production. In mid-1942 it was replaced by better performing night-fighters, the [[Bristol Beaufighter]] and [[De Havilland Mosquito]].

The Defiant continued to find use in gunnery training, target towing, electronic countermeasures and air-sea rescue.

==General characteristics==

*Crew: two, pilot, gunner
*Length: 35 ft 4 in (10.77m)
*Wingspan: 39 ft 4 in (11.99m)
*Height: 11 ft 4 in  (3.45m)
*Empty weight: 6,078lbs (2,757 Kg)
*Max takeoff weight: 8,600lbs (3,901 kg)
*Powerplant:  1 × Rolls-Royce Merlin III liquid-cooled V12 engine
*Maximum speed: 304 mph (489 km/h at 17,000 ft
*Range: 465 miles (748 km)
*Service ceiling: 31,000 ft (9,400m)
*Armament 
*Guns: 4 × 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Browning machine guns in hydraulically powered dorsal turret


==Air Crew==
===[[No. 256 Squadron RAF]]===
* [[Roy Joseph Austen-Smith]] 5 Oct 1942 - Feb 1943

===[[No. 153 Squadron RAF]]===
* [[Roy Joseph Austen-Smith]] Feb 1943 - Apr 1944

[[category:Aircraft]]