The Gloster Gladiator is a biplane fighter aircraft designed and produced by the British aviation firm Gloster Aircraft Company, Ltd.. It was the last biplane fighter to be flown by the Royal Air Force (RAF) as well as being the first to be provisioned with an enclosed cockpit; it was also operated by the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) (as the Sea Gladiator variant) as well as being exported to numerous other air services during the late 1930s.
The Gladiator was developed during the mid 1930s as a private venture, being initially referred to the Gloster SS.37 and derived from the Gloster Gauntlet. Mid-way through development, it was decided to adapt the aircraft towards fulfilling Air Ministry Specification F.7/30. Changes over the Gauntlet included the use of wing-design techniques developed by Hawker Aircraft, the adoption of the Bristol Mercury M.E.30 radial engine, and the fitting of a cantilever main undercarriage. First flown on 12 September 1934 and entering service with the RAF in 23 February 1937, the Gladiator was quickly rendered obsolescent by newer monoplane designs even as it was being introduced. While frequently pitted against more advanced fighters during the early days of the Second World War, it acquitted itself reasonably well in combat.
The Gladiator saw action in almost all theatres during the Second World War, with a large number of air forces, some of them on the Axis side. The RAF deployed its Gladiators into front line combat on numerous fronts, including France, Norway, Greece, the defence of Malta, the Middle East, and the brief Anglo-Iraqi War (during which the Royal Iraqi Air Force was similarly equipped). Other countries deploying the Gladiator included China against Japan in the Second Sino-Japanese War; Finland (along with Swedish volunteers) against the Soviet Union in the Winter War and the Continuation War; Sweden as a neutral noncombatant (although Swedish volunteers fought for Finland against the USSR); and Norway, Belgium, and Greece resisting Axis invasion of their respective lands. The top Gladiator ace was South African pilot Marmaduke "Pat" Pattle, having scored 15 victories while flying the type.[1][2]