Defiant (Total: 1,170, Canadian: 21, Group 0)

Boulton Paul Defiant

(RAF Photo) (Source Harold A Skaarup web page)
Boulton Paul P.82 Defiant, RAF (Serial No. L7026), coded PS*V, c1941.

The Boulton Paul Defiant is a British interceptor aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force (RAF) during World War II. The Defiant was designed and built by Boulton Paul Aircraft as a "turret fighter", without any fixed forward-firing guns, also found in the Blackburn Roc of the Royal Navy.

In combat, the Defiant was found to be reasonably effective at destroying bombers but was vulnerable to the Luftwaffe's more manoeuvrable, single-seat Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters. The lack of forward-firing armament proved to be a great weakness in daylight combat and its potential was realised only when it was converted to a night fighter. It eventually equipped thirteen squadrons in this role, compared to just two squadrons as a day-fighter. In mid-1942 it was replaced by better performing night-fighters, the Bristol Beaufighter and de Havilland Mosquito.

The Defiant continued to find use in gunnery training, target towing, electronic countermeasures and air-sea rescue. Among RAF pilots it had the nickname "Daffy". Wikipedia





YouTube Defiant Fighter

Wikipedia Wikipedia Defiant Fighter

General Harold A Skaarup Web Page

Defiant AA281, Mk. I

s/n AA281

m/d P.82

c/n 651

Boulton-Paul

AA 281

With No. 409 (NF) Squadron, RCAF from 9 July 1941. One of the first 13 aircraft delivered to that unit, all arriving on 9 July 1941. Crashed on 11 October 1941, after pilot lost control. Came down at Wolverton, Norfolk. Pilot Flight Lieutenant F.S. Watson killed, Flight Sergeant McKinnon bailed out.
last update: 2025-February-05
1941-October-11 KIA RCAF Flight Lieutenant Frederick Stanley Watson 2021-07-10

Defiant DR896, TT.Mk.I

s/n DR896

m/d P.82

Boulton-Paul

DR 896


last update: 2025-March-10
1943-August-16 KIFA RCAF Flight Sergeant Wilber Joseph Shaver 2021-08-01

Defiant DR923, TT.Mk.I

s/n DR923

m/d P.82

Boulton-Paul

DR 923


last update: 2025-March-10
1942-November-30 KIA RCAF Warrant Officer 1 Robert George Brookes 2025-03-04

Defiant L6957, Mk. I

s/n L6957

m/d P.82

Boulton-Paul

L 6957


last update: 2025-March-10
1940-May-29 KIA RAF Sergeant Evan John Jones 2024-02-15

Defiant L6959, Mk I

s/n L6959

m/d P.82

Boulton Paul

L 6959


last update: 2025-March-10
1940-May-28 KIA RAF Pilot Officer Horace Scott 2023-12-17

Defiant L6995, Mk. I

s/n L6995

m/d P.82

Boulton-Paul

L 6995


last update: 2025-March-10
1940-July-19 KIA RAF Pilot Officer Richard Alexander Howley 2021-03-02

Defiant L7007, Mk. I

s/n L7007

m/d P.82

Boulton Paul

L 7007


last update: 2025-March-10
1940-May-25 KIA RAF Pilot Officer Jack Elmer Hatfield 2024-02-15

Defiant N1570, Mk. I

s/n N1570

m/d P.82

Boulton-Paul

N 1570


last update: 2025-March-10
1941-December-08 KIFA RCAF Sergeant Thomas Edward Tressam 2021-07-15

Defiant N1629, Mk. I

s/n N1629

m/d P.82

Boulton-Paul

N 1629


last update: 2025-March-10
1942-March-18 KIFA RCAF Sergeant George Allan Paul Sanders 2021-08-04

Defiant N1675, Mk. I

s/n N1675

m/d P.82

Boulton-Paul

N 1675


last update: 2025-March-10
1943-May-27 KIA RCAF Warrant Officer 1st Class Alfred Irvine 2022-01-26

Defiant N1804, Mk. I

s/n N1804

m/d P.82

Boulton-Paul

N 1804


last update: 2025-March-10
1942-September-03 KIA RCAF Flight Sergeant Joseph Alphonse Jean Gerard Pelletier 2021-05-06

Defiant N3364, MK. I

s/n N3364

m/d P.82

Boulton-Paul

N 3364

Served with No. 410 (NF) Squadron, RCAF, in 1941/42. Crashed while on patrol night of 26/27 March 1942, came down near Morpeth, UK. Pilot Flight Sergeant F.E. Haines killed.
last update: 2025-February-05
1942-March-26 KIA RCAF Flight Sergeant Frank Ernest Haines 2021-08-09

Defiant N3432, MK. I

s/n N3432

m/d P.82

Boulton-Paul

N 3432


last update: 2025-March-10
1942-January-01 KIA RCAF Sergeant Hiram Wolf 2021-07-07

Defiant N3499, MK. I

s/n N3499

m/d P.82

Boulton-Paul

N 3499


last update: 2025-March-10
1941-August-16 KIA RAF Sergeant Harold Lewis Learning 2022-01-06

Defiant N3503, MK. I

s/n N3503

m/d P.82

Boulton-Paul

N 3503

Served with No. 410 (NF) Squadron, RCAF, in 1941/42. Crashed into Aberlady Bay, East Loyhian on 11 April 1942, during a training flight. Sgt. R.G. Smith and Sgt. A.G. MacKinnon killed.
last update: 2025-February-05
1942-April-11 KIA RCAF Flight Sergeant Roderick Giles Smith 2022-01-18

Defiant N3520, MK. I

s/n N3520

m/d P.82

Boulton-Paul

N 3520


last update: 2025-March-10
1941-February-26 KIA RAF Flight Lieutenant Sydney Farquhar Johnson 2021-03-07

Defiant T3914, Mk. I

s/n T3914

m/d P.82

Boulton-Paul

T 3914


last update: 2025-March-10
1942-February-18 KIA RCAF Flight Sergeant John Robert Lucas 2023-07-19

Defiant T4075, Mk. I

s/n T4075

m/d P.82

Boulton-Paul

T 4075


last update: 2025-March-10
1942-September-22 KIA RCAF Sergeant John Francis Teskey 2021-07-20

Defiant V1117, Mk. I

s/n V1117

m/d P.82

Boulton-Paul

V 1117


last update: 2025-March-10
1942-July-25 KIA RCAF Flight Sergeant John Stanley George Arundel 2024-11-03

Defiant V1138, Mk. I

s/n V1138

m/d P.82

Boulton-Paul

V 1138


last update: 2025-March-10
1941-September-26 KIFA RCAF Pilot Officer Robert Charles Colley 2024-04-29

Defiant V1138, Mk. I

s/n V1138

m/d P.82

Boulton-Paul

V 1138


last update: 2025-March-10
1942-January-14 KIFA RCAF Sergeant Kenneth Gordon Drinkwater 2024-10-28