One of the squadrons to be equipped with the aircraft was No. The Bristol Beaufighter would serve with a number of other air forces including the United States Army Air Force and Royal Canadian Air Force and by the time production ended a total of 5,928 had been built. Variants Click on the aeroplane image to view a larger version. 22nd March 1941, and had a slightly better top speed of 327 mph than the Mk I with the same range and armament. This would require the tail end of the aircraft to be re-designed. Bristol submitted Bristol Beaufighter, Jerry Scutts (Crowood Aviation). Note how the aircraft on deck are facing the stern of the carrier! Boulton Paul turret in the fuselage with four 0.303-in machine-guns.
It had an all-up weight of 16,000 lb (7,000 kg) and a maximum speed of only 335 mph (540 km/h) at 16,800 ft (5,000 m). The centimetric AI. With the speed of a Hawker Hurricane, the Beaufighter entered service in the fall of 1940 as a disappointing day fighter. The last flight of a Beaufighter in RAF service was by TT.10,Additionally, a number of sunken aircraft are known to exist. A detailed look at the development and service career of the Bristol Beaufighter, the first dedicated night fighter to enter RAF Service. Their speeds are compatible with the Liberator slightly slower.Biggles mentions the power-operated turret but actual production Beaufighters did not carry one. RAF Fairwood Common Airfield May 1944 . an increased range but this would never enter production.The Royal Australian Air Force would also take delivery of a small number of Beaufighters in 1941 and 1942. Besides their four 20 mm cannon in the nose and six machine guns in the wings, the aircraft were frequently modified to carry bombs. 68 Sqn. Gatword with Sergeant G.Fern as his Customers who viewed this item also viewed. observer. Beaufighters built under licence in Australia and these would become the Mk 21.Based on the TF.Mk X the Mk 21, powered by the 1,600-hp Hercules 14, had a top speed of 320 mph, a range of 1,750 miles with a service ceiling of 29,000 ft. Armament consisted of four 20mm cannons This gave the Mk VI a top speed of 330 mph, range of 1,500 miles, service ceiling of 29,000ft and By the time the war in Europe ended on the 8th May 1945 the North Coates Strike Wing would be credited with sinking over 150,000 tons of enemy shipping.Perhaps one of the most audacious operations of the Second World War was carried out by a No. Some models of the Mk X had an extended dorsal fin fillet but this one doesn't.Eric Loutte's drawing of the Beaufighter which was supposed to pick up Biggles and co. in.A Beaufighter Mk.VIC. Reformed on the 15th June 1941 No. Suggested Retail: $201.95 Discount price: Sale Price: $145.95. VIII shown here on a Bristol Beaufighter set the pattern for AI radars well into the 1970s. It has often been said—although it was originally a piece of RAF whimsy quickly taken up by a British journalist—that,From late 1944, RAF Beaufighter units were engaged in the,The Beaufighter was also used by the air forces of,Many Mark 10 aircraft were converted to the target tug role postwar as the TT.10 and served with several RAF support units until 1960. The Bristol Beaufighter was intended as a interim measure long rage heavy fighter until the Westland Whirlwind problems could be overcome. Top Speed: Range: The production version of the Mk II would be powered by the 1,300-hp Merlin XX, with the first example a Mk IIF flying on the These changes to the aircraft hampered its performance and no further Mk Vs were produced.The Hercules powered Beaufighter Mk VI was next powered by either the 1,670-hp VI or the XVI. Entering service with the Royal Air Force in July 1940 the Beaufighter would serve in a number of roles and form the North Coates Strike Wing. The first test flight of the new Beaufighter Mk 21 was made on the 26th May 1944 from Fishermans Bend, Victoria, Australia. occurring on the 12th May 1960.During its RAF career the Bristol Beaufighter would serve in a number of roles including night fighter, torpedo-bomber and ground attack. when five German U-boats were found and sunk by Nos. Australian Air Force use the type and the Bristol Beaufighter would be involved in the Battle of the Bismarck Sea during March 1943. No. These were previous Mks converted to serve as target tugs and would be the last of the type to serve with the Royal Air Force, its final sortie Unlike the Beaufort, the Beaufighter had a long career and served in almost all theatres of war in the Second World … States Fifth Air Force, which during these three days would attack a Japanese convoy on its way to Lae, New Guinea which were ferrying troops and supplies. The TF.Mk X would be used for anti-shipping operations and would be fitted with AI Mk VIII radar and this combination was to prove effective as shown in one 48 hour period type in the Battle of the Bismarck Sea which took place between the 2nd and 4th March 1943. | Royal Air Force official photographer / Public Domain This is due to the invention of the airborne interception radars but what made the Beaufighter special is the fact that it was big enough to carry it without losing performance.