The Airspeed AS.51 Horsa was a British troop-carrying glider used during the Second World War. It was developed and manufactured by Airspeed Limited , alongside various subcontractors; the type was named after Horsa , the legendary 5th-century conqueror of southern Britain.

The Airspeed AS.51 Horsa was primarily a wooden troop-carrying assault glider, designed and built by Airspeed (1934) Limited, specifically for use during World War II. The Air Ministry issued Specification X.26/40 calling for a large glider aircraft, capable of accommodating up to 30 fully-equipped paratroopers, destined for operations in ...

In World War 2, towed transport gliders were built in large numbers to air-land troops with their heavier weapons behind enemy lines, without using parachutes , and with far less scattering of the troops. The Airspeed Horsa carried two pilots, and 25 …

Horsa, the main British-built assault glider of World War II. Designed by Airspeed Ltd., the Horsa first flew in September 1941 and went into production shortly thereafter. A high-winged monoplane with a fabric-covered wooden structure and fixed tricycle landing gear, it had a wingspan of 88 feet

The Airspeed AS.51 Horsa Mk.I was a British World War II troop-carrying glider built by Airspeed Limited and subcontractors and used for air assault by British and Allied armed forces. It was named after Horsa, the legendary 5th century conqueror of southern Britain.

The two Horsa gliders, and one of the Halifax tug aircraft, crashed in Norway due to bad weather. The first major use of the Horsa was in July 1943 in the invasion of Sicily. These gliders also played a very important part in the D-Day landings when …

ww2dbase The Airspeed AS.51 Mk I and AS.58 Mk II Horsa gliders were British World War II troop-carrying gliders built by Airspeed Limited and subcontractors and used for air assault by British and Allied armed forces. The Mk I and the Mk II were virtually identical in outward appearance and performance but, naturally, some design improvements ...

2019年4月24日 · To conserve metal for more pressing military applications, the Horsa glider was made largely of wood, aside from a reinforced metal floor, fixed tricycle landing gear and a Plexiglas canopy. Airspeed rolled out more than 4,000 Horsas, 400 of which the U.S. Army Air Forces acquired to carry heavier weapons than their own Waco CG-4A could handle.

2023年8月8日 · As a glider, the Horsa relied on a tow-plane, typically a C-47 Dakota or a Handley Page Halifax, for lift-off. The Horsa would be tethered to its tow-plane, and the combination would begin their joint takeoff roll. Once they gained enough speed, the Horsa would lift off first, pulling the tow-plane’s nose up and allowing it to take off.

2016年3月25日 · The Horsa was a simple glider design intended to haul man and machine to places far beyond fighting fronts, landing often times behind enemy lines. Observing the success that the German airborne elements had in the early stages of the war, the British followed suit and set up their own airborne contingent and, to this, was realized that ...