Bristol Beaufort
| Bristol Beaufort | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Type: | Torpedo bombers |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
October 15, 1938 |
| Commissioning: |
1940 |
| Production time: |
1939 to 1944 |
| Number of pieces: |
2129 |
The Bristol Type 152 Beaufort was a twin-engine torpedo bomber used in World War II by the British aircraft manufacturer Bristol Airplane Company . The first flight took place in 1938, and by the end of production in August 1944, 2,129 machines had been built.
history
The Beaufort was a torpedo bomber derived from the light bomber Blenheim . The prototype flew for the first time on October 15, 1938. Due to difficulties with the new valve-controlled Bristol Taurus engines, commissioning was delayed until January 1940. But even after that there were constant problems with the engines, which sometimes resulted in flight bans.
The Beaufort was also built in Australia , but there with the more powerful American Pratt & Whitney R-1830 engines. The positive experience with these engines prompted the Air Ministry to request their installation in the new series as well. The last series, however, were again equipped with the Taurus engines, which have since been improved.
The model was used by the British coastal command as a mine-layer and torpedo bomber until 1943, after which it was replaced by the Beaufighter . The Beaufort flew in the Pacific until the end of the war . It was also successfully deployed from Malta , where it was able to massively disrupt the German supply convoys to North Africa in the Mediterranean area and thus seriously hinder the supply of the German Africa Corps . A total of over 2129 copies were built.
Versions
- Beaufort I
- First production version with Bristol Taurus engines as a torpedo bomber and reconnaissance aircraft for the Royal Air Force.
- Beaufort II
- Mk.I with Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp engines.
- Beaufort III
- not built version with Rolls-Royce Merlin -XX engines.
- Beaufort IV
- A prototype with Bristol Taurus XX engines.
- Beaufort V
- Australian built version with Pratt & Whitney R-1830 -S3C4-G twin-wasp engines. 50 were built.
- Beaufort VA
- Mk.V with enlarged tail, 30 were built in Australia.
- Beaufort VI
- Australian version with Pratt & Whitney engines R-1830-S1C3 Twin Wasp, 40 were built.
- Beaufort VII
- Version with propellers from Hamiliton Standard, 60 were built in Australia.
- Beaufort VIII
- Australian version with ASV radar that could be armed with both British and American-made torpedoes and mines. 520 were built.
- Beaufort IX
- 46 Australian Beaufort that have been converted into transport aircraft.
Production numbers
The Beaufort was built in Great Britain near Bristol in Filton and Banwell.
| version | Filton | Banwell | total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mk I | 1013 | 1013 | |
| Mk II | 166 | 250 | 416 |
| total | 1179 | 250 | 1429 |
| year | number |
|---|---|
| 1939 | 27 |
| 1940 | 361 |
| 1941 | 159 |
| 1942 | 318 |
| 1943 | 375 |
| 1944 | 189 |
| total | 1429 |
| Fiscal year | number |
|---|---|
| July 1, 1941– June 30, 1942 | 76 |
| July 1, 1942– June 30, 1943 | 285 |
| July 1, 1943– June 30, 1944 | 312 |
| July 1, 1944– June 30, 1945 | 27 |
| total | 700 |
Military use
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- Turkish Air Force
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data Bristol Beaufort Mk I |
|---|---|
| crew | 4th |
| length | 13.59 m |
| span | 17.63 m |
| height | 3.78 m |
| Wing area | 46.73 m² |
| Empty mass | 5945 kg |
| Takeoff mass | 9630 kg |
| drive | two radial engines Bristol Taurus with 1146 HP each |
| Top speed | 418 km / h at an altitude of 1830 m |
| Service ceiling | 5030 m |
| Range | 1666 km |
| Armament | four to seven 7.7 mm machine guns , 680 kg bombs or one 728 kg torpedo |
See also
literature
- CH Barnes: Bristol Aircraft Since 1910. Putnam Aeronautical, London 1988, ISBN 0-85177-823-2 .
- Tony Buttler: Bristol Beaufort (Warpaint Series No. 50). Warpaint Books Ltd., Milton Keynes 2000
- Tony Buttler: British Secret Projects. Fighters and Bombers 1935-1950. Midland, Hersham 2004, ISBN 1-85780-179-2 .
- William Green: War Planes of the Second World War. Volume Seven: Bombers and Reconnaissance Aircraft. Doubleday and Company, New York 1967.
- Roger Hayward: Beaufort File. Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., Tonbridge 1990, ISBN 0-85130-171-1 .
