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Boulton Paul Defiant I

Object details

Take this extraordinary chance to adopt our Boulton Paul Defiant Mk I, for our 50th anniversary. Now the sole surviving intact example of its type, originally set aside for preservation in September 1944! It was unpacked in 1960 and spent many years on display at the RAF Museum London (then Hendon). The Defiant now resides at our Midlands site, which is a fitting home for an aircraft manufactured in Wolverhampton.

Introduced as a new tactical concept, the Defiant was an innovative two-seat RAF fighter design by concentrating all armament in a four-gun turret. it proved no match for the Luftwaffe’s more manoeuvrable, single-seat Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters during the Battle of Britain. It was quickly withdrawn from daylight operations and moved to a night-fighter role. Manufactured in Wolverhampton, the Museum’s Defiant N1671 served as a night-fighter with No. 307 Polish Squadron in the final months of the Battle. Truly an opportunity for an aviation history enthusiast!

This artefact was selected by our Curator of Large Objects, Tom Hopkins, for our 50th Birthday. It is part of our large object collection which includes, air frames, boats, engines and more.