Blackburn B.6 Shark

The Shark was a carrier-borne torpedo biplane with a buoyant metal-skinned fuselage and a 750hp Armstrong Siddeley Tiger IV two-row radial engine. Production for the Fleet Air Arm was undertaken between 1934 and 1937, with 238 Shark I, II and III (Pegasus radial engines) being built, many as seaplanes. Accommodation was provided for a crew of two and armament comprised one 680kg torpedo or equivalent bomb load, plus one forward-firing Vickers and one rear-mounted Vickers or Lewis machine-gun. Deck take-offs and landings were aided by the large camber-changing flaps fitted to the aircraft. Sharks served with Nos 820 and 821 Squadrons on board HMS Courageous, No 822 Squadron on board HMS Furious and No 705 (Catapult) Flight on the battleships HMS Repulse and Warspite. The type was also used at Air Gunnery Schools in the UK and Trinidad.
Six Sharks were also delivered to the Portuguese Navy in March 1936 and were based at Bom Succeso on the River Tagus, near Lisbon, where they operated for several years. Four aircraft were built for the Royal Canadian Air Force and 17 IIIs were built under licence by Boeing Aircraft of Canada during 1939-40, mainly for the RCAF.

Blackburn Shark over HMS Nelson

Blackburn B 6 Shark Mk.II
Engine: Armstrong Siddeley Tiger VI, 750 hp, 567kW
Length: 35 ft 3 in / 10.74 m
Height: 12 ft 1 in / 3.68 m
Wingspan: 45 ft 12 in / 14.02 m
Wing area: 489.009 sq.ft / 45.43 sq.m
Max take off weight: 8050.5 lb / 3651.0 kg
Weight empty: 4039.6 lb / 1832.0 kg
Max. speed: 130 kt / 241 km/h
Cruising speed: 103 kt / 190 km/h
Service ceiling: 15994 ft / 4875 m
Wing load: 16.4 lb/sq.ft / 80.0 kg/sq.m
Range: 543 nm / 1006 km
Crew: 2-3
Armament: 2x cal.303 MG (7,7mm), 680kg Torp.

Blackburn B.5 Baffin

The Baffin was an improved version of the Ripon with a 421kW Bristol Pegasus radial engine in place of the water-cooled Napier Lion. Two prototypes and 33 production Baffins served with a single flight at Gosport for dummy deck-landing and torpedo practice and with Nos 810, 811 and 812 Squadrons on board the aircraft carriers HMS Courageous, Furious and Glorious respectively from 1934 until replaced by Sharks in 1936. One batch of 14 Baffins were shipped to Malta as reserve aircraft when the carriers exercised their squadrons in the Mediterranean.
More than 60 Ripons were re-worked and re-engined as Baffins during 1934-35. Twenty-nine surplus Fleet Air Arm aircraft were sold to the RNZAF during 1937-38 for the Wellington, Christchurch and Auckland Territorial GR Squadrons, which combined for wartime coastal patrols.

The Baffin was taken out of RAF service in 1937.

Engine: 1 x Bristol Pegasus IM-3, 405kW
Take-off weight: 3450 kg / 7606 lb
Empty weight: 1900 kg / 4189 lb
Wingspan: 13.9 m / 45 ft 7 in
Length: 11.6 m / 38 ft 1 in
Height: 4.1 m / 13 ft 5 in
Wing area: 63.4 sq.m / 682.43 sq ft
Max. speed: 218 km/h / 135 mph
Cruise speed: 160 km/h / 99 mph
Ceiling: 4500 m / 14750 ft
Range w/max.payload: 725 km / 451 miles

Engine: Bristol Pegasus II M-3, 580-660 hp.
Max speed: 136 mph.
Service ceiling: 15,000 ft.
Range: 450 miles.
Crew: 2
Armament: 2 mg + 2000 lb bombs.

Blackburn B.3 / M.1/30

A single-engine, two-seat biplane naval torpedo bomber. Two prototypes, first flown on 8 March 1932. No production.

M.1/30
Serial: S1640
Cn: 3380/1
1 aircraft ordered from The Blackburn Aeroplane and Motor Co. Ltd, Brough, Yorkshire, to contract 55826/30. First flew 8 March 1932.

M.1/30A
Serial: K3591
Cn: 3900/1
1 aircraft built by The Blackburn Aeroplane and Motor Co. Ltd, Brough, Yorkshire, as a Private Venture. First flew 24 February 1933; to the Air Ministry under contract 244326/33 on 18 May 1933. Originally flew under Class B conditions as B-3

M.1/30A
Engine: 1 x 825hp Rolls-Royce Buzzard IIIMS
Take-Off Weight: 4718 kg / 10401 lb
Empty Weight: 2787 kg / 6144 lb
Wingspan: 15.09 m / 49 ft 6 in
Length: 12.14 m / 39 ft 10 in
Height: 4.45 m / 14 ft 7 in
Wing Area: 60.48 sq.m / 651.00 sq ft
Max. Speed: 229 km/h / 142 mph
Ceiling: 2789 m / 9150 ft
Crew: 2
Armament: 2 x 7.7mm machine-guns, 4 x 250kg bombs or a torpedo

Blackburn B.2 Shark

A two-seat (side-by-side) all-metal biplane trainer with a semi-monocoque Alclad fuselage and fabric-covered wings first produced in 1932.

Blackburn B.2 Shark Article

The entire output of 42 aircraft was produced for pilot training at civilian Elementary and Reserve Flying Schools under the RAF expansion scheme. Blind-flying hood, camera-gun or vertical camera were fitted for advanced instruction. All were transferred to Air Training Corps squadrons as instructional airframes in 1942.

B-2
Engine: 1 x De Havilland Gipsy III, 97kW
Take-Off Weight: 839 kg / 1850 lb
Loaded Weight: 533 kg / 1175 lb
Wingspan: 9.19 m / 30 ft 2 in
Length: 7.39 m / 24 ft 3 in
Height: 2.74 m / 8 ft 12 in
Wing Area: 22.85 sq.m / 245.96 sq ft
Max. Speed: 180 km/h / 112 mph
Cruise Speed: 153 km/h / 95 mph
Range W/Max.Fuel: 515 km / 320 miles
Crew: 2

Blackburn T.7B / 3MR4

Designed for production in Japan. The first prototype flown on 28 December 1929.

Engine: 1 x 625hp Hispano-Suiza Type 51-12Lbr
Take-off weight: 3617 kg / 7974 lb
Empty weight: 1769 kg / 3900 lb
Wingspan: 15.01 m / 49 ft 3 in
Length: 10.13 m / 33 ft 3 in
Height: 3.78 m / 12 ft 5 in
Wing area: 55.00 sq.m / 592.01 sq ft
Max. speed: 213 km/h / 132 mph
Ceiling: 3505 m / 11500 ft
Range: 628 km / 390 miles
Crew: 3
Armament: 3 x 7.7mm machine-guns, 2 x 110kg bombs or a torpedo

Blackburn 2F.1 Nautilus

A two-seat shipboard fighter-reconnaissance aircraft designed by F A Bumpus to Specification 0.22/26, the Nautilus was of all-metal construction with duralumin and fabric skinning, and was flown for the first time in May 1929 with a 525hp Rolls-Royce F.XIIMS 12- cylinder liquid-cooled engine. Armament comprised one forward-firing 7.7mm Vickers gun and a Lewis gun of similar calibre on a ring mounting in the rear cockpit. Other contenders for the contract were the Short Gurnard, the Fairey Fleetwing and a navalized version of the Hawker Hart. After competitive trials during the autumn of 1929, the Hart was selected for production as the Osprey. Only one Nautilus prototype was completed.

Engine: 525hp Rolls-Royce F.XIIMS 12- cylinder
Take-off weight: 2155 kg / 4751 lb
Empty weight: 1462 kg / 3223 lb
Wingspan: 11.28 m / 37 ft 0 in
Length: 9.65 m / 31 ft 8 in
Height: 3.30 m / 10 ft 10 in
Wing area: 42.55 sq.m / 458.00 sq ft
Max. speed: 248 km/h / 154 mph
Range: 603 km / 375 miles
Armament: one 7.7mm Vickers gun and one 7.7mm Lewis gun

Blackburn F.1 Turcock

A single-seat biplane designed by F A Bumpus and B A Duncan as a private venture to meet the requirements of Specifications F.9/26 and N.21/26, the F.1 could accept a variety of air-cooled and water-cooled engines in the 450-600hp range. The design was assigned the name Blackcock but it was intended to allocate individual names to variants as and when built.
The F.1 was of all-metal construction and primarily fabric covered, and armament was intended to comprise two 7.7mm Vickers guns in the fuselage.
The prototype, powered by a 446hp Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar VI 14-cylinder two-row radial, carried no armament and was flown for the first time on 14 November 1927. Built to a Turkish government contract, the prototype was allocated the name Turcock but was destroyed in an accident on 23 January 1928, no further development being undertaken.

Engine: 446hp Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar VI 14-cylinder two-row radial
Take-off weight: 1236 kg / 2725 lb
Empty weight: 1035 kg / 2282 lb
Wingspan: 9.45 m / 31 ft 0 in
Length: 7.41 m / 24 ft 4 in
Height: 2.72 m / 8 ft 11 in
Max. speed: 283 km/h / 176 mph