The Boulton Paul Defiant is a British interceptor aircraft that served with the RAF during World War Two. The Defiant was designed and built by Boulton Paul Aircraft as a “turret fighter” without any fixed forward-firing guns.
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.
The sole surviving Boulton Paul Defiant, RAF serial N1671 is on display at RAF Museum Cosford. When I went it was still being assembled.
When I was young, I remember seeing the Boulton Paul Defiant Airfix kit and being impressed as it had a turret!