Aviation Archive Issue 25 - 2016 UK

(Jacob Rumans) #1

50 HEAVY FIGHTERS OF WW2


A wonderfully evocative image of man and
machine. The snub-nosed ‘Beau’ was a ‘street-
fighter’, equally at home over land or sea. It was
highly successful as a heavy strike fighter, as a
night fighter, in reconnaissance or in the torpedo
attack role. It became one of the most lethal
warplanes of its era and one of the most potent
anti-shipping strike aircraft of the war.


Bristol Beaufighter TF Mk X


Type: Night/long-range/
anti-shipping
strike fighter
Crew: Two
Dimensions:
Length: 41ft 8in (12.7m)
Wingspan: 57ft 10in (17.63m)
Height: 15ft 10in (4.83m)
Weights:
Empty: 15,600lb (7,076kg)
Max T/O: 25,200lb (11,431kg)
Performance:
Max Speed: 303mph (488km/h)
Range: 1,470 miles (2,366km)
Powerplant: Two Bristol Hercules XVIII
radial piston engines of
1,770hp each
Armament: Four 20mm cannon in
nose, six 0.303in (7.7mm)
machine-guns in wings,
one 0.303in (7.7mm)
Vickers K gun in dorsal
position, plus one
torpedo and two 250lb
(113kg) bombs or eight
90lb (41kg) rockets
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