The Vickers FB-5 was the first British plane to be built with a mounted machine gun on the front. Because of this you would think it would be highly popular and used a lot on the front line. However, the plane was fighting in the sky's above the trenches for just a few short months before being replaced by the faster and better armed Fokker E. With a maximum speed of 70 mph and a maximum height of 9,000 ft, it was no match for the up and coming planes even though it could carry up to two mounted machine guns.
Instead the Vickers FB-5 spend the duration of the war carrying out reconnaissance missions for which it was perfect for as it could fly for up to four and a half hours at a time. This meant that it could be sent on longer haul flights.
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