Avro Antelope

The Avro 604 Antelope was a British single-engined biplane light bomber designed and built in the late 1920s to meet Air Ministry Specification 12/26 for a high-speed day bomber for the Royal Air Force. A single prototype first flew in July 1928, powered by a 480 hp Rolls-Royce F.XIB engine that later became known as the Kestrel, and it was evaluated at Martlesham Heath against the Hawker Hart and the Fairey Fox II. Although it comfortably met the performance requirements, it handled poorly at low speed and in spins and was harder to maintain than the Hart, so the Hart was chosen and the Antelope was not ordered. The prototype was then fitted with dual controls and served the Royal Aircraft Establishment as an engine and propeller test bed until September 1933.