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The Slingsby Hengist was a British military glider designed and built by Slingsby Sailplanes Ltd. Like other British troop carrying gliders in the Second World War, it was named after military figures whose name began with H, in this case the Jute invader Hengist. ==Design and development== The use of assault gliders by the British was prompted by the use by Germany of the DFS 230 transport glider, which was first used in May 1940 to successfully land assault troops on the Eben Emael fort in Belgium.〔Simons 1996, p. 99.〕 Their advantage compared to parachute assault was that the troops landed in one place, rather than being dispersed. The Slingsby T.18 Hengist was designed by John "Jack" Frost. It was a 15-seat glider designed to meet Specification X.25/40 (in accordance to O.R.98), issued in February 1941. The specification was issued in case sufficiently powerful tugs were not available for the larger Airspeed Horsa.〔Ellison 1971, p. 188.〕 Four prototypes were ordered in late 1940, the first prototype DG570 flying in January 1942, towed by an Armstrong Whitworth Whitley.〔Swanborough 1997, p. 89.〕 A total of 14 production Hengist Mk I were delivered to the RAF between February 1943 and March 1944. One of Frost's uniquedesign touches was to fit the Hengist with a rubber bag as a landing device. A strengthened undercarriage was used on the production aircraft and was designated the Mk III, but this designation was not carried over to the RAF.〔 In appearance, the Hengist was notable for the curved upper and lower surfaces of its flat sided fuselage. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Slingsby Hengist」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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