The Warwick was a slightly enlarged version of the Wellington and employed the same geodetic form of construction. It was designed originally to Specification B. 1/35 to replace the Wellington. But because the generation of four-engined bombers was also being produced at the same time, it was subsequently adapted for reconnaissance duties with Coastal Command and first went into service in 1943. Other models were built for transport and air-sea rescue duties. The final version, the GR.V, entered service in 1945 and carried bombs, mines or depth-charges. About 840 production Warwicks were built.
Warwick GR Mk.II Engines: 2 x Bristol “Centaur VI”, 1864kW / 2466 hp Max take-off weight: 23247 kg / 51251 lb Empty weight: 14118 kg / 31125 lb Wing load: 51.05 lb/sq.ft / 249.0 kg/sq.m Wingspan: 29.48 m / 96 ft 9 in Wing area: 1006.003 sq.ft / 93.46 sq.m Length: 20.88 m / 68 ft 6 in Height: 5.64 m / 18 ft 6 in Max. speed: 228 kts / 422 km/h / 262 mph Service ceiling: 5790 m / 19000 ft Range: 3460 km / 2150 miles Bombload: 6900kg Crew: 6
The Barnes Wallis geodetic construction, introduced on the Vickers Wellesley and used later on the Vickers Wellington and Vickers Warwick, was highly successful. To exploit its physical characteristics fully, however, a very big aeroplane was desirable. Vickers’ designer, Rex Pierson, used geodetics in evolving a four-engined bomber to meet Specification B.13/36, but the Short Stirling was awarded the contract. Another opportunity came with Specification B.1/39, but this was again unsuccessful, and it was not until the submission to Specification B.5/41 that the Vickers tender was accepted. The requirement was for a high-altitude heavy bomber with pressurized crew compartment, and an ability to fly at 555km/h at 9450m. Two prototypes of the new bomber were ordered, but changes resulted in a new specification, B.3/42, being drawn up. Vickers designated their design the Type 447, and the name Windsor was given to the aircraft. Various armament trials were carried out on a Warwick prototype, and the first Windsor flew from Farnborough, where it had been assembled, on 23 October 1943. It attained a speed of 486km/h at 7620m, and had completed almost 34 hours of flight testing before being written off in a forced landing, caused by problems with a propeller constant-speed unit. The second prototype, Type 457, contained armour plating and other modifications, and flew from Wisley on 15 February 1944, demonstrating similar performance to the first aircraft. This aircraft was grounded in June 1946, and broken up. A third Windsor, Type 480, was flown on 11 July 1944, with some further changes incorporated. This aircraft was fitted later with defensive barbettes in the outboard engine nacelles, each barbette having two remotely-controlled rear-firing 20mm cannon. Trials for these were carried out by a Lancaster, but although further tests continued for some 10 months, the Windsor programme was cancelled on 15 March 1946, with the third aircraft finishing its days as an instructional airframe. A fourth Windsor, originally Type 471 but later changed to Type 483, was almost complete when the programme finished.
Engines: 4 x Rolls Royce Merlin 65, 1613 hp Max take-off weight: 24500 kg / 54014 lb Empty weight: 17500 kg / 38581 lb Wingspan: 35.71 m / 117 ft 2 in Length: 23.42 m / 76 ft 10 in Height: 7.01 m / 23 ft 0 in Wing area: 115.94 sq.m / 1247.97 sq ft Max. speed: 275 kts / 510 km/h / 317 mph Ceiling: 8305 m / 27250 ft Range: 2511 nm / 4650 km / 2889 miles Armament: 2 x 7.7mm machine-guns, 2 x 20mm cannon Bombload: 5500kg
In 1935, to meet Air Ministry Specification F5/34, calling for a single seat monoplane interceptor armed with six or eight machine guns, a retractable undercarriage was required and an enclosed cockpit; a speed of at least 275mph (442kph) at 15,000ft (4,572m) was stipulated. This requirement was taken up by a number of firms. Bristol produced the Type 146 (835hp/622kW Bristol Perseus). Vickers brought their Jockey Mk II into approximate line with the requirements as the Venom (625hp/466kW Bristol Aquila). Henry Folland produced his last design for Gloster, the G.38 (840hp/626kW Bristol Mercury IX). James Martin also looked at F5/34 and surprisingly found it to his taste. None of the aircraft built to this specification achieved production status.
Fundamentally a redesigned and improved Type 151 Jockey and, indeed, initially known as the Jockey II, the Type 279, for which Vickers adopted the name Venom, was intended to meet the requirements of Specification F.5/34. Powered by a 625hp Bristol Aquila AE.3S nine-cylinder sleeve-valve radial engine enclosed by a long-chord NACA cowling, the Venom was a highly sophisticated aircraft, with a metal monocoque fuselage, its stressed skin being affixed by countersunk rivets. It was unique at the time it entered flight test, on 17 June 1936, in having 90°-deflection flaps. The Venom retained the sideways-hinging engine feature of the Type 151, and a battery of eight 7.7mm machine guns was mounted in the wings from the start of test flying. The Venom proved exceptionally manoeuvrable, with outstanding roll rate and turning radius, but it lacked the power to compete seriously with its Rolls-Royce liquid-cooled Vee-type-engined contemporaries, and, as no sufficiently compact British air-cooled radial of adequate power was available for installation, it was scrapped in 1939.
Engine: Bristol Aquila, 625hp/466kW Max take-off weight: 1885 kg / 4156 lb Wingspan: 9.98 m / 33 ft 9 in Length: 7.36 m / 24 ft 2 in Height: 3.27 m / 11 ft 9 in Wing area: 13.56 sq.m / 145.96 sq ft Max. speed: 502 km/h / 312 mph Ceiling: 9755 m / 32000 ft
Direct London to Paris flights were pioneered in 1921 by a Vickers Viking III.
1921 Vickers Viking III flew from the Seine, near the centre of Paris, to the Thames, near the Houses of Parliament, in two hours with Major-General Sir Frederick Skyes, Controller General of Civil Aviation.
Air Ministry Specification G.4/31 called for a General Purpose aircraft, capable of level bombing, army co-operation, dive bombing, reconnaissance, casualty evacuation and torpedo bombing. The Vickers Type 253 won against the Fairey G.4/31, Westland PV-7, Handley Page HP.47, Armstrong Whitworth AW.19, Blackburn B-7, Hawker PV-4 and the Parnell G.4/31.
Designed by Rex Pierson, the Type 253 was the first aircraft built which partly used the Barnes Wallis geodetic design in the fuselage. Despite an order for 150, Vickers offered their private venture monoplane design the Type 246. This used the same geodetic design principles for both the fuselage and the wings, and first flew on 19 June 1935. It had superior performance to the 246 but did not attempt to meet the multi-role requirement, being a day and night bomber only. First flown with PV 0-9 markings, the 253 showed a lower tare weight, better performance and larger payload, partly as a result of the 8.85 – 1 high aspect ratio wing.
The Wellesley evolved from Vickers’ design for a general-purpose day and night bomber and coastal-defence torpedo-carrier biplane to satisfy Air Ministry Specification G.4/31, the company having decided to develop and build a monoplane aircraft to meet the same specification. When evaluated there was little doubt that the monoplane was superior, with the result that the Air Ministrv contract for the biplane was cancelled, being replaced on 10 September 1935 by one for 96 examples of the monoplane under a rewritten G.22/35 specification. The RAF ultimately ordered 176, named Wellesely, to a newly written specification 22/35, with a 14 month production run starting in March 1937.
Named the Wellesley, it was the first RAF aircraft to utilise the geodetic form of construction devised by Barnes (later Sir Barnes) Wallis; offering a lightweight structure of great strength, it was adopted later for the Wellington. The other highly unusual feature was the provision of a pannier beneath each wing to serve as a bomb container. The low-set monoplane wing was also of geodetic construction, the main landing gear was hydraulically retractable, and power plant comprised a single Bristol Pegasus radial piston engine.
To avoid disrupting the geodetic structure, the bombload was carried in two streamlined panniers under the wings. The Wellesly Mk.1 had two separate cockpits, but this was changed in the Mk.II to a single piece cockpit canopy covering the pilot and navigator positions.
Wellesley Mk Is entered RAF service in April 1937 but by the outbreak of World War II most of them had been transferred to the Middle East, where they remained operational into 1941. The RAF received the first Welleselys in April 1937, for 76 Sqn at Finningley, and eventually equipped six RAF Bomber Command squadrons in the UK, Nos 35, 76, 77 and 148 Sqdns. Later a number were sent out to No.223 Sqdn, and as the home based machines were replaced, they too were sent out to the Middle East.
The primary use of the Wellesely during the econd World War was maily in the Middle East with only four examples remaining in Britain at the start of the war. Among its significant wartime operations was the bombing of Addis Ababa in August 1940, and Wellesleys of 223 Sqn were among aircraft that wiped out an Italian destroyer flotilla attack on Port Sudan in April 1941. Losses to Italian CR.42 fighters did occur when intecepted, as the Wellesley’s defensice armament of one fixed gun flexibly mounted firing aft was poor. They remained in the region until 1941 performing maritime reconnaissance duties.
No.14 Squadron based on Port Sudan, East Africa
The type is remembered especially in service with the RAF’s Long Range Development Flight, which was established at RAF Upper Heyford, Oxon, in January 1938. Equipment comprised six Wellesley Mk.Is modified by the installation of 28.7 lt 1010 hp / 753 kW Pegasus Mk XXII engines installed in NACA long-chord cowlings, and driving 3 blade Rotol ‘Incredible Hub’ constant-speed propellers; plus other changes which included strengthened landing gear, increased fuel capacity and the introduction of an autopilot. Adding a third crew member and a rest bunk and a folding pilot’s seat to allow mid-air pilot exchange. Between 5 and 7 November 1938, two of a flight of three of these aircraft (led by Sqn Ldr R. Kellett) succeeded in establishing a new world long-distance record, covering non-stop the 11,526km between Ismailia, Egypt, and Darwin, Australia, in just over 48 hours.
Wellesley Mk.I Engine: 1 x Bristol Pegasus XX, 690kW / 937 hp Max take-off weight: 5035 kg / 11100 lb Empty weight: 2889 kg / 6369 lb Wingspan: 22.73 m / 74 ft 7 in Length: 11.96 m / 39 ft 3 in Height: 3.76 m / 12 ft 4 in Wing area: 58.53 sq.m / 630.01 sq ft Max. speed: 198 kts / 367 km/h / 228 mph Service ceiling: 10600 m / 34,700 ft Range: 964 nm / 1786 km / 1110 miles Crew: 2 Armament: 2 x 7.7mm machine-guns Bombload: 900kg
Air Ministry Specification G.4/31 called for a General Purpose aircraft, capable of level bombing, army co-operation, dive bombing, reconnaissance, casualty evacuation and torpedo bombing. The Vickers Type 253 won against the Fairey G.4/31, Westland PV-7, Handley Page HP.47, Armstrong Whitworth AW.19, Blackburn B-7, Hawker PV-4 and the Parnell G.4/31.
Designed by Rex Pierson, the Type 246 was the first aircraft built which partly used the Barnes Wallis geodetic design in the fuselage. Despite an order for 150, Vickers offered their private venture monoplane design the Type 253. This used the same geodetic design principles for both the fuselage and the wings, and first flew on 19 June 1935. It had superior performance to the 246 but did not attempt to meet the multi-role requirement, being a day and night bomber only. First flown with PV 0-9 markings, the 253 showed a lower tare weight, better performance and larger payload., partly as a result of the 8.85 – 1 high aspect ratio wing. An initial order for 96 Type 246s was substituted for the Type 253 order.
One prototype, first flown on 6 August 1934. No production.
Engine: 1 x 635hp Bristol Pegasus IIM.3 Max take-off weight: 3791 kg / 8358 lb Empty weight: 1982 kg / 4370 lb Wingspan: 16.03 m / 52 ft 7 in Length: 11.28 m / 36 ft 0 in Height: 3.81 m / 12 ft 6 in Wing area: 53.79 sq.m / 578.99 sq ft Max. speed: 259 km/h / 161 mph Ceiling: 6614 m / 21700 ft Crew: 2
The Valentia was a development of the earlier Victoria troop-carrier, differing by having two 484kW Bristol Pegasus II.L3 or II.M3 engines (the latter for use in India) and an improved landing gear. Accommodation was for a crew of two and 22 troops; lockers were used for equipment and rifle-racks and stretcher supports were provided. Bomb racks could also be fitted if required. Twenty-eight were built as new and 54 Victorias were brought up to this standard.
Engines: 2 x Bristol II M3 Pegasus radials, 464kW / 626 hp Wingspan: 26.62 m / 87 ft 4 in Length: 18.14 m / 50 ft 6 in Height: 5.41 m / 17 ft 9 in Wing area: 2178 sq.ft / 202.34 sq.m Max take-off weight: 8845 kg / 19500 lb Empty weight: 4964 kg / 10944 lb Wing load: 9.02 lb/sq.ft / 44.0 kg/sq.m Max. speed: 104 kts / 193 km/h / 120 mph Service ceiling: 4955 m / 16250 ft Range: 695 nm / 1287 km / 800 miles Crew: 2 Bombload: 1000kg
Designed by R.K Pierson & Barnes Wallis, the Vickers Type 207 was a single-engined two-seat biplane. Often known as the Vickers M.1/30, for it was built to Air Ministry specification for a carrier based torpedo bomber to replace the Blackburn Ripon. The Air Ministry paid Vickers for a single prototype; its competitors were the Blackburn M.1/30 and the Handley Page H.P.46.
Like Blackburn, Vickers chose the 825 hp (615 kW) Rolls Royce H10 engine, later called the Buzzard IIIMS, a liquid cooled V-12 to power their aircraft. The Type 207 was a single bay biplane, without sweep or stagger and with wings of almost equal span. The upper wing carried Handley Page slots and Frise ailerons; the lower wing alone had dihedral. Both wings used the relatively thick and still novel Raf34 aerofoil section; they folded for storage. The rudder was balanced and the braced tailplane carried aerodynamic servo-assisted elevators operated via trailing edge tabs. Barnes Wallis had recently been appointed chief structural engineer for Vickers aircraft and he brought to the Type 207 new methods of duralumin construction in both wings and fuselage from his previous work on airships. Typically, these structures were complicated but light. The aircraft was fabric covered throughout.
The upper wing was well above the fuselage, braced to it by two pairs of V-form struts on either side; two single struts from the same points on the upper fuselage braced each lower wing. The pilot sat below the wing leading edge and the observer, equipped with a Lewis gun, sat well aft. The split axle undercarriage allowed torpedo dropping from under the aircraft and was fitted with wheel brakes as its ship-borne role required, together with an arrester hook and tail wheel. The Buzzard’s underslung radiator was positioned between the forward undercarriage legs.
The Type 207 flew for the first time on 11 January 1933, with Mutt Summers at the controls. The only notable modification was the addition of 2o of dihedral to the previously flat upper wing. The aircraft but neither of its crew was lost in the first fast diving test on 23 November 1933, when structural breakup was initiated by a tailplane failure. In the end there were no orders for any of the M.1/30 entrants.
Only one was built.
Engine: 1 × Rolls Royce Buzzard IIIMS, 825 hp (615 kW) Wingspan: 50 ft 0 in (15.24 m) Length: 43 ft 7 in (13.69 m) Height: 14 ft 5 in (14.42 m) Wing area: 724 sq.ft (67.3 sq.m) Empty weight: 5,200 lb (2,359 kg) Gross weight: 9,600 lb (4,354 kg) Maximum speed: at 4,000 ft (1,220 m) 159 mph (256 km/h) Rate of climb: to 4,000 ft (1,220 m) 800 ft/min (4.1 m/s) Armament: 1× 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis gun 1×torpedo of a 2000 lb (907 kg) or 1000 lb (453 kg) bomb under fuselage; or 4×500 lb ((227 kg)bombs under inner wings Crew: 2
All Aero 