Main Menu
Britain's Bristol Beaufort torpedo-bomber1,2
Bristol Beaufort:
Bristol Beaufort:
Bristol Beaufort:
Bristol Beaufort Mk I:
Design
The Bristol Beaufort was to be a larger version of the Blenheim.2 It was designed to be a torpedo bomber in the Far East.2
Prototype
The prototype of the Beaufort was first flown on October 15, 1938.1,2
The Beaufort Mk II was first flown in November 1940.2
Production
415 Beauforts were completed by 1943 by Bristol.1
Australia produced 700.1
Production ended in April 1944.2
- Beaufort Mk I: 1,0142
- Beaufort Mk II: 4152
- Beaufort Mk V: 502
- Beaufort Mk VA: 302
- Beaufort Mk VI: 402
- Beaufort Mk VII: 602
- Beaufort Mk VIII: 5202
- Total: 2,1292
Variants
- Mk I: Early versions powered by Bristol Taurus II (1,010 HP) engine.1 Later versions had the Bristol Taurus VI engine.1
- Mk II: Was powered by American Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp radials.1
- Mks V - IX: Built in Australia for the Royal Australian Air Force.1
- Mk IX "Breaufreighter"2: Transport with an enlarged cabin.2
Usage
The Beaufort was used by Australia, Britain, Canada, and Turkey.2
The Bristol Beaufort was the main torpedo bomber of the RAF from 1940 to 1943 until it was replaced by the Beaufighter.1,2 The Beaufort was primarily used as a bomber and mine layer.2
Engine Problems
The Beauforts were grounded for two months starting in May 1940 due to engine difficulties with the Taurus.2
First Use
The No. 22 Squadron was outfitted with the first Beauforts in December 1939.1 They were used on a mine laying operation on the night of August 15 and 16, 1940.1
The first 2,000 lb / 907 kg bomb was dropped on May 7, 1940.1
Coastal Command Squadrons
Beauforts were first delivered to the Coastal Command in December 1939.2
There were six Coastal Command squadrons outfitted in the United Kingdom and four in the Middle East.1
Gneisenau and Scharnhorst
The Beauforts were used to attack the Gneisenau and Scharnhorst in Brest harbor on April 6, 1941.1,2
Prinz Eugen
Beauforts were used in the North Sea against the Prinz Eugen in May 1942.2
Mediterranean
Axis convoys were the main target of the Beaufort in the Mediterranean.2
Last Operation
The No. 217 Squadron had the last sortie of the Beaufort from Ceylon in September 1944.2
Australian Production
Two factories in Australia assembled Beauforts that used pieced that were produced throughout Australia.2 These were under the supervision of the Department of Aircraft Production.2
The engines were licensed built Twin Wasps by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation.2
The Beauforts that were constructed were to be used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).2
The first Australian built Beaufort was flown in May 1941.2 The final delivery was in September 1944.2
Some of the first Beauforts produced were sent to Singapore after the Japanese attacks.2
Ten RAAF squadrons were equipped with the Beaufort.2
The RAAF Beauforts were withdrawn from service in 1946.2
| Bristol Beaufort Mk I1,2 | Bristol Beaufort Mk II2 | Bristol Beaufort Mk V2 | Bristol Beaufort Mk VIII2 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Torpedo bomber1,2 Reconnaissance2 |
Torpedo bomber1,2 Reconnaissance2 |
Light bomber2 | Light bomber2 |
| Crew | 41 | 42 | 42 | 42 |
| Engine (Type) | 2: Bristol Taurus VI1,2 | 2: Pratt & Whitney R-1830-S3C4G Twin Wasp2 | 2: CAC built Pratt & Whitney R-1830-S3C4G Twin Wasp2 | |
| OR | 2: Bristol Taurus XII/XVII2 | |||
| Cylinders | Radial1,2 142 | Radial2 | Radial 142 | |
| Cooling | ||||
| HP | 1,065 each2 | 1,200 each2 | 1,200 each2 | |
| OR | 1,130 each1 | |||
| Propeller blades | 3 each2 | |||
| Dimensions | ||||
| Span | 57' 10"1,2 17.62 m1, 17.63 m2 |
57' 10"2 17.63 m2 |
57' 10"2 17.63 m2 |
57' 10"2 17.63 m2 |
| Length | 44' 3"1,2 13.49 m1,2 |
44' 3"2 13.49 m2 |
44' 3"2 13.49 m2 |
44' 3"2 13.49 m2 |
| Height | 14' 3"1,2 4.34 m1,2 |
14' 3"2 4.34 m2 |
14' 5"2 4.42 m2 |
14' 5"2 4.42 m2 |
| Wing area | 503 ft2 1 46.73 m2 1 |
|||
| Weight | ||||
| Empty | 13,100 lb1,2 5,942 kg1,2 |
14,070 lb2 6,382 kg2 |
||
| Loaded | 21,228 lb1,2 9,629 kg1,2 |
21,000 lb2 9,526 kg2 |
||
| Maximum load | 22,500 lb2 10,206 kg2 |
|||
| Performance | ||||
| Speed @ 4,000' / 1,219 m |
278 mph2 447 kph2 |
|||
| Speed @ 6,000' / 1,830 m |
265 mph1,2 426 kph1,2 |
|||
| Speed @ 14,500' / 4,420 m |
268 mph2 431 kph2 |
268 mph2 431 kph2 |
||
| Cruising speed | 160 mph2 257 kph2 |
155 mph2 250 kph2 |
||
| Climb | 1,200'/minute2 366 m/minute2 |
1,200'/minute2 366 m/minute2 |
||
| Service ceiling | 16,500'1,2 5,029 m2, 5,030 m1 |
21,000'2 6,400 m2 |
25,000'2 7,620 m2 |
25,000'2 7,620 m2 |
| Range | 1,600 miles1,2 2,574 km1, 2,575 km2 |
1,410 miles2 2,269 km2 |
1,060 miles2 1,706 km2 |
1,060 miles2 1,706 km2 |
| Range with auxiliary fuel | 1,450 miles2 2,334 km2 |
1,450 miles2 2,334 km2 |
||
| Armament | 4 - 6: 0.303"2 | 4 - 6: 0.303"2 | ||
| OR | 4 - 6: 0.5"2 | 4 - 6: 0.5"2 | ||
| Nose | 2: 0.303" MG2 2: 7.7 mm MG1 |
2: 0.303" MG2 | ||
| Rear cockpit | 2: 7.7 mm MG1 | |||
| Dorsal turret | 1 or 2: 0.303" MG2 | 1 or 2: 0.303" MG2 | ||
| Torpedo | 18"1,2 0.457 m1, 0.46 m2 |
18"2 0.46 m2 |
||
| OR | ||||
| Bombs | 2,000 lb1, 2,200 lb2 907 kg1, 998 kg2 |
2,200 lb2 998 kg2 |
2,000 lb2 907 kg2 |
2,000 lb2 907 kg2 |
Sources:
- Fighting Aircraft of World War II, Editor: Karen Leverington, 1995
- Aircraft of WWII, Stewart Wilson, 1998
