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Britain's Avro Lancaster bomber^1,2,3,4,5

Avro Lancaster:	Avro Lancaster:	Avro Lancaster:	Avro Lancaster, Squadron 15:
Avro Lancaster, dropping incendiaries, No 101 Squadron⁵:	Avro Lancaster:	Avro Lancaster:	Avro Lancaster:
Avro Lancaster, Rose rear turret, 1944:	Avro Lancaster, Fraser Nash rear turret, 1944:	Avro Lancaster Mk II, Bristol Hercules engines:	Avro Lancaster nose:
Avro Lancaster:

Design

The Avro Lancaster was based on the Avro Manchester.¹ Roy Chadwick was the primary designer of the Lancaster.²

Avro decided to proceed with development of the Lancaster even though there was no contract.⁴ This development was named the Type 683.⁴

Prototype

A Manchester airframe was taken from the production line and equipped with longer span wings.⁴ Four Rolls-Royce Merlin X engines were also placed in the new wings.⁴ Avro wanted the prototype to be ready by May 31, 1941.⁴ Some of the work was delayed by a German air raid on Ringway.⁴

The prototype of the Lancaster first flew on January 9, 1941.^2,3,4 It had the serial number BT308 and was designated the Manchester III.⁴ The name Lancaster was approved on January 27, 1941.⁴

BT308 was sent on January 27, 1941, to Boscombe Down where the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE) was to test it.⁴ A report was issued on March 3, 1941 asking for some modifications.⁴

The prototype then had the twin fins and wider tail installed.⁴

The DG595, 2nd prototype, first flew on May 13, 1941.⁴ Avro finally received a contract for the two prototypes plus two additional prototypes to be built with Bristol Hercules engines.⁴ The DT810, with the Bristol engines, flew on November 26, 1941.⁴ The second prototype was cancelled.⁴

Production

The initial order for the Lancaster was for 100, 43 to be built by Avro and 57 by Metropolitan Vickers.⁴ This was increased to 454 on June 6, 1941.⁴

Some Manchesters were converted on the production line into Lancasters.³ The manufactures of the Lancasters were Avro, Metrovick, Armstrong Whitworth, Austin, Vickers, and Victory Aircraft.³

The first Lancaster Mk I flew in October 1941.³

Prototypes: 3³
Lancaster Mk I: 3,434³, 3,544²
Lancaster Mk I Special: 32³
Lancaster Mk II: 300^2,3
Lancaster Mk III: 2,990², 3,030³
Lancaster Mk VII: 180³
Lancaster Mk X: 422², 430³
Total: 7,366², 7,377³

Variants

Lancaster Mk I: Rolls-Royce Merlin XX (1,460 HP) engines.²
Had Rolls-Royce Merlin 20, 22, or 24 engines (1,280, 1,390, 1,620 HP).³
Lancaster Mk I Special: Adapted to carry the bomb used on the Dambuster Raid.³ Grand Slam bomb was 22,000 lb / 9,980 kg.³ To save on weight it had the bomb bay doors and dorsal turret removed.³
Lancaster Mk I (FE): Specially prepared for use in Asia (Far East).²
Lancaster Mk II: Had Bristol Hercules VI or XVI 14 cylinder engines (1,650 / 1,675 HP).^2,3
Lancaster Mk III: Packard built Merlin 28, 38, or 224 engines (1,300 or 1,620 HP).^2,3 Many had Gee, H2S, and other navigational aides installed.²
Lancaster Mk VI: Merlin 87 engines.² 4 blade propellars.²
Lancaster Mk VII: Built by Austin.² Revised dorsal turret.²
Lancaster Mk X: Constructed in Canada.²

Usage

Over 156,000/156,192⁵ missions were flown by Lancasters.^1,2,5 During those missions 608,612 tons of bombs were dropped.^2,5 Approximately 3,836 Lancasters were lost during World War II.⁵ 2,508 were lost in operations over Germany.⁵

Countries that used Lancasters were Australia, Britain, Canada, and Poland.³

A total of 56⁵/61 squadrons were equipped with the Lancaster.^3,5

First Squadron

In January 1942 No. 44 Squadron was the first to be completely outfitted with the Lancasters.^2,4

First Raid

Essen was the Lancasters first target on the night of March 10 and 11, 1942.^2,3

Dambusters

Used on the "Dambusters" raid by the No. 617 Squadron in May 1943.^1,2,3 The Lancasters had to fly 60' / 18.3 m above the water at exactly 249 mph / 402 kph when it released the rotating bomb, which then skipped across the water to sink next to the dam and then detonate.¹

	Avro Lancaster³	Avro Lancaster Mk I²	Avro Lancaster B Mk I^1,2
Type	Heavy bomber³	Bomber²	Bomber¹
Crew	7³	7²	8¹ Pilot, navigator, flight engineer, bombardier, nose gunner, mid-upper gunner, radio operator, rear gunner¹
Engine (Type)		4: Rolls-Royce Merlin XX pistons²	4: Rolls-Royce Merlin 20³ 4: Rolls-Royce Merlin 22³ 4: Rolls-Royce Merlin 24^1,3
Cylinders		Inline²	Inverted inline¹
Cooling
HP		1,460 each²	Merlin 20: 1,280 each³ Merlin 22: 1,390 each³ Merlin 24: 1,620 each³
Propeller blades
Dimensions
Span	102'³ 31.09 m³	102'² 31.09 m²	102'¹ 31.09 m¹
Length	68' 10"³ 20.98 m³	69' 6"² 21.18 m²	69'¹ 21.18 m¹
Height	20' 4"³ 6.18 m³	20'² 6.1 m²	20'¹ 6.25 m¹
Wing area		1,297 ft² ² 120.49 m² ²	1,296 ft² ¹ 120.49 m² ¹
Weight
Empty	41,000 lb³ 18,600 kg³	36,900 lb² 16,738 kg²	36,923 lb¹ 16,783 kg¹
Loaded	68,000 lb³ 30,845 kg³		67,859 lb¹ 30,845 kg¹
Loaded with 14,000 lb / 6,350 kg bombs		68,000 lb² 30,845 kg²
Maximum overload	72,000 lb³ 32,660 kg³
Performance
Speed @ 11,480' / 3,500 m			286 mph¹ 462 kph¹
Speed @ 11,500' / 3,500 m			Merlin 24: 287 mph³ Merlin 24: 462 kph³
Speed @ 11,500' / 3,505 m		287 mph² 462 kph²
Cruising speed			Merlin 24: 215 mph³ Merlin 24: 347 kph³
Climb			Merlin 24: 270'/minute³ Merlin 24: 82 m/minute³
Climb to 20,000' / 6,095 m		41.6 minutes²
Service ceiling		24,500'² 7,470 m²	Merlin 24: 24,500'³ 24,492'¹ Merlin 24: 7,465 m³ 7,467 m¹
Range			Merlin 24: 2,678 miles³ Merlin 24: 4,310 km³
Range with 10,000 lb bomb load			Merlin 24: 1,040 miles³ Merlin 24: 1,673 km³
Range with 13,970 lb / 6,350 kg bomb load			1,674 miles¹ 2,700 km¹
Range with 14,000 lb / 6,350 kg bomb load		1,660 miles² 2,671 km²
Armament			9: 7.7 mm Browning MG¹
Nose turret		2: 7.7 mm MG²
Dorsal turret		2: 7.7 mm MG²
Ventral turret		2: 7.7 mm MG²
Tail turret		4: 7.7 mm MG²
Nose, dorsal, tail turrets	8: 0.303" MG³
Ventral - some models	2: 0.303" MG³
Bombs	14,000 lb³ 6,350 kg³	14: 1,000 lb bombs² 14: 454 kg bombs²	14,000 lb¹ 6,350 kg¹

Sources:

Aircraft of WWII, General Editor: Jim Winchester, 2004
Fighting Aircraft of World War II, Editor: Karen Leverington, 1995
Aircraft of WWII, Stewart Wilson, 1998
Lancaster Squadrons 1942-43, Jon Lake, 2002
Lancaster Squadrons 1944-45, Jon Lake, 2002