Aviation of World War II

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S.35 Shetland

Reconnaissance Flying Boat

Short

S.35 Shetland in flight

The S.35 Shetland is a Short reconnaissance flying boat. In the early 40s, the UK Air Ministry announced the R.14/40 specification for the creation of a long-range reconnaissance flying boat with heavy weapons. According to this specification, the maximum take-off weight of the aircraft was assumed to be 100,000 lb (45.359 kg), with a bomb load of 20,000 lb (9.072 kg). Short and Saunders-Roe have teamed up to design and build an aircraft to this specification, designated the Short S.35. Its design was based on the experience of Saunders-Roe, gained during the development of the Saro A.37 flying boat.

The first flight (DX166) took place on December 14, 1944. The S.35 did not have time to pass tests until the end of World War II, after which interest in it from the British Air Ministry fell. In October 1945, the aircraft was shown at the Farnborough Aviation Exhibition, on January 28, 1946, it burned down at the anchorage.

With the end of the war, the second prototype (serial number DX171) was completed as a civilian transport and received the designation Shetland Mk.II. It was designed to carry 70 passengers, but only 40 passenger seats were installed. Registered as "G-ADUY", Shetland Mk.II. The first flight took place on September 17, 1947. After testing, the plane was delivered to Short's plant in Belfast, but no orders were received, only limited test flights were performed on it, and then it was decommissioned in 1951.



S.35 Shetland
Crew 11
Dimensions
Length, m 33,54
Height, m 11.28
Wing span, m 45.83
Wing area, m² 243.90
Weight, kg
Empty 34481
Loaded weight 54,545
Gross weight 56,818
Powerplant
4×PE radial Bristol Centaurus VII, 18-pistons, h.p. 4×2500
Performance
Maximum speed, km/h 423
Cruising speed, km/h 295
Service ceilling, m 5,182
Service range, km 6,440
Payload, passengers 40

Armament. Eight 12.7 mm machine guns: three turrets, each 2 × 0.5 in (12.7 mm) Browning in the nose, in the middle at the top and in the tail turret; 1 × 0.5 in (12.7 mm) one machine gun each on the port and starboard sides, combat load - up to 1800 kg (bombs, torpedoes, mines)

Photo Description
Drawing S.35 Shetland

Drawing S.35 Shetland

S.35 Shetland G-ADUY

S.35 Shetland G-ADUY

S.35 Shetland Mk.II G-AGVD

S.35 Shetland Mk.II G-AGVD

March 14, 2019.
As in the case of SR-45 Princess S.35 Shetland never got its passengers ...

Bibliography

  • "Flying Boats of the World. Saro Shetland"
  • "The Short S.35 Shetland" /Flight/
  • Shorts Aircraft since 1900. /Barnes, C.H. (1967)./
  • British warplanes of World War II /under cor. Daniel March/