Used by: Royal Air Force Fleet Air Arm, Royal Australian Navy
The Fairey Firefly was a two-seat, single-engine, carrier-based, attack and anti-submarine aircraft used by the British and Australian Navies during the Korean War. A prototype of the Firefly first flew on 22 December 1941, the first production Firefly was delivered in March 1943, and the Firefly was first used in combat during July 1944. 1,623 Fireflies were built. The Mark 5 version of the Firefly, the version used in Korea, first flew in December 1947. 325 Mark 5s were built.
The Firefly Mark 5 with its 2,250-hp. engine had a maximum speed of 386 mph. It was armed with four 20mm cannon and could carry up to 2,000 lbs. of ordnance. One Australian and five British squadrons operated attack, night-fighter, and anti-submarine versions of the Firefly from British and Australian light aircraft carriers during the Korean War. The Firefly was retired from British naval service in 1956
