Britain's Handley Page Hampden bomber^1,2

Handley Page Hampden bomber:

Handley Page Hampden bomber:

Handley Page Hampden Mk I bomber:

Handley Page Hampden bomber:

Design

The Handley Page Hampden was designed to a specification given in 1932.¹

Fuselage

The fuselage was only 3' / 91 cm at it's widest point.²

Hereford

The Hereford design was originally intended for Sweden, but negotiations fell through.² The engine was replaced and it was used by the RAF.²

Prototype

The HP.52 Hampden prototype first flew on June 21, 1936.^1,2 The HP.53 Hereford prototype first flew in July 1937 with Pegasus engines.² The Pegasus were replaced by the Dagger engine and flown in October 1938 for the first time.²

Production

Deliveries started in September 1938.² Production ended in March 1942.²

• HP.52 and HP.53: 2²
• Hampden Mk I: 1,430²
  • Handley Page: 500²
  • English Electric: 770²
  • Total: United Kingdom: 1,270¹
  • Canadian Associated Aircraft: 160^1,2
• Hereford: 100², 101.¹
  • Manufacturer: Shorts²
• Total: 1,532²

Variants

• HP.52: Prototype.² Pegasus engine.² Designed for RAF.²
• HP.53: Prototype.² Designed for Sweden.² Napier Dagger VIII 16 cylinder 'H' pattern engine (1,000 HP).²
• Hampden Mk I:
• Hereford: Trainer.¹ Had a Napier Dagger engine.¹
• Hampden Mk II: Had Wright Cyclone engine.^1,2 Never produced.¹
• Hampden TB Mk I: Torpedo bomber.² 143 converted.²

Usage

Britain, Canada, and New Zealand used the Hampden.²

First Deployment

The No. 49 Squadron first received the Hampden in August 1938.¹

Start of War

There were eight (10²) squadrons equipped with Hampden Mk Is at the start of World War II.¹

Eventually fifteen squadrons would be equipped with Hampdens.¹

Missions

Early war missions involved dropping leaflets, minelaying, bombing invasion barges, and reconnaissance.²

After it was shown how vulnerable the Hampden was in daylight they switched to night operations.²

Last Raid

On the night of September 14 - 15, 1942 was the Hampdens last raid.¹ It was withdrawn from Bomber Command.¹

Coastal Command

After being withdrawn from Bomber Command four Coastal Command squadrons were outfitted with the Hampden torpedo bomber.¹

Two of these squadrons, No 144 and No 255, were stationed near Murmansk.¹

Three squadrons used their Hampdens for weather reconnaissance.¹

	Handley Page Hampden2	Handley Page Hampden Mk I1,2
Type	Medium bomber2	Bomber1
Crew	42	41
Engine (Type)		2: Bristol Pegasus XVIII piston1,2
Cylinders		Radial1 Radial 92
Cooling
HP		980 each2, 1,000 each1
Propeller blades		3 each2
Dimensions
Span	69' 2"2 21.08 m2	69' 2"1 21.08 m1
Length	53' 7"2 16.33 m2	53' 7"1 16.33 m1
Height	14' 11"2 4.55 m2	14' 11"1 4.55 m1
Wing area		688 ft2 1 63.92 m2 1
Weight
Empty		11,780 lb1,2 5,343 kg1,2
Loaded		18,750 lb2 8,508 kg2
Maximum load		21,000 lb1,2 9,526 kg1,2
Performance
Speed @ 13,800' / 4,205 m		254 mph1 409 kph1
Speed @ 15,500' / 4,724 m		265 mph2 426 kph2
Cruising speed		167 mph2 269 kph2
Climb		980'/minute1,2 298 m/minute2, 299 m/minute1
Service ceiling		19,000'1 5,790 m1
Range with 2,000 lb / 907 kg bombs		1,885 miles2 3,033 km2
Range with 4,000 lb / 1,814 kg bombs		1,200 miles1 1,931 km1
Range with maximum bomb load		1,200 miles2 1,931 km2
Armament	6: 0.303" MG2
Nose - Fixed		1: 7.7 mm1
Nose - Flexible		1: 7.7 mm1
Dorsal position		2: 7.7 mm1
Ventral position		2: 7.7 mm1
Bombs		4,000 lb1 1,814 kg1
Bombs - internal	4,000 lb2 1,814 kg2
Bombs - under wings	2: 500 lb2 2: 227 kg2
OR	1: 18" torpedo2 1: 46 cm torpedo2

Sources:

1. Fighting Aircraft of World War II, Editor: Karen Leverington, 1995
2. Aircraft of WWII, Stewart Wilson, 1998

---