BAT Basilisk

The BAT Basilisk, produced by the British Aerial Transport (BAT) company in the early 1930s, was a pioneering single‑engine fighter‑bomber that bridged the gap between biplane tradition and all‑metal monoplane design. First flown on 12 March 1932, the prototype emerged from BAT’s response to the Royal Air Force’s Specification F.7/32, which called for a fast, manoeuvrable aircraft capable of both interception and low‑level ground attack. Built around a stressed‑skin aluminium alloy fuselage, the Basilisk featured a retractable undercarriage, split‑type flaps, and a powerful 750 hp Rolls‑Royce Kestrel V‑12 engine driving a three‑bladed variable‑pitch propeller. Its armament consisted of two .303 in Vickers machine guns mounted in the nose and a bomb rack for up to 250 lb of ordnance.

Although only a limited batch of six production aircraft entered service, the Basilisk introduced several innovations that influenced later British designs, especially its aerodynamic clean‑up and integrated fuel system. It demonstrated the feasibility of combining high‑speed performance with robust payload capacity, paving the way for the more famous Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire. The Basilisk’s brief operational career thus marks a decisive step in the evolution of modern fighter aircraft.

British Aerial Transport

Classification

Production & History

Design & Classification