First flown on August 17, 1961, the HP.115 was designed to study the low speed qualities of the ‘slim delta’ wing proposed for the Concorde, at low speeds. It had a Viper 11 for some of the early testing that was borrowed from Huntings Jet Provost 3. The nosegear was from a Jet Provost 3 and the main gear from a Piston Provost. In the cockpit the parking brake lever came from the local Ford dealers for an Anglia car.
At nose, tail and wingtips there were some detachable steel weights for test, which came from the jig scrapyard and were made into aircraft material under duress from the AID.
H.P.115 Engine: 1 x Bristol Siddeley “Viper 9” turbojet, 860kg Max take-off weight: 2290 kg / 5049 lb Wingspan: 6.1 m / 20 ft 0 in Length: 13.7 m / 44 ft 11 in Wing area: 40.0 sq.m / 430.56 sq ft Max. speed: 400 km/h / 249 mph Range: 500 km / 311 miles Crew: 1
The Hastings was a general-purpose long-range transport flown by the RAF and RNZAF. Its roles included those of freighter, paratroop-transport, ambulance, troop-carrier, supply-dropper, jeep-carrier and glider-tug, first flown on May 7, 1946.
The initial production version was the C.1, first flown on 25 April 1947 and powered by four Bristol Hercules 101 engines. All C.1s were subsequently modified to Mk 2 standard and redesignated C.1As. The C.2 was powered by four Hercules 106 engines, had the tailplane lowered to the centreline of the fuselage and increased in area, extra fuel tanks, and the crew rest station replaced by an air-quartermaster post. The Hercules 737-powered C.3 was similar to the Mk 2 – and four were supplied to the RNZAF.
Hasting C.3
Two RAF squadrons of eight aircraft each went into service on the Berlin Airlift.
RAF Hastings assembled at Radlett in 1948
The final version was the C.4, a VIP version of the Mk 2 with accommodation for four VIPs and staff. Four were delivered to RAF Transport Command, bringing the total number of Hastings operated by the RAF up to 147. The last Hastings were withdrawn from service in 1968.
Hastings C.2 Engines: 4 x Bristol Hercules 106, 1249kW Max take-off weight: 36280 kg / 79984 lb Empty weight: 21960 kg / 48414 lb Wingspan: 34.44 m / 112 ft 12 in Length: 25.20 m / 82 ft 8 in Height: 6.86 m / 22 ft 6 in Wing area: 130.80 sq.m / 1407.92 sq ft Max. speed: 560 km/h / 348 mph Cruise speed: 486 km/h / 302 mph Ceiling: 8075 m / 26500 ft Range: 2720 km / 1690 miles
C.3 Engines: 4 x Bristol Hercules 737, 2040 hp. MAUW: 83,000 lbs. Max speed: 350 mph.
To assess the H.P.80 configuration, H.P. proposed a piloted flying scale model aerodynamic prototype based on a Supermarine Attacker fuselage with Swift wing roots, fuel system and instruments, to test the crescent wing and T-tail, together with side-mounted airbrakes. Given design number 88, it was designed by General Aircraft at Feitham, but following the company’s merger with Blackburn the H.P.88 was built, to Specification E.6/48 of March 12,1948, at Brough, North Yorkshire, where it was called the YB.2. The wing was of an early planform, before the outer kink had been modified, and there was an all-moving tail on top of the swept fin. Serialled VX330, the H.P.88 made its first f light at Carnaby on June 21,1951, powered by a Rolls-Royce Nene turbojet. The pilot reported that it was very sensitive in pitch. Late in the construction stage the RAE had insisted that, to limit the inadvertent application of g, a bob-weight be incorporated in the control system, to increase stick forces as extra G was pulled. This should have been located in the aircraft’s nose, near the control column, but it was too late to incorporate it on the H.P.88, so it was decided to change the control tube which passed up through the fin to the tail from light alloy to steel to have the same action. Unfortunately, fuselage flexibility was not taken into account. During a high-speed low-level test run at Stansted on August 26,1951, the rear fuselage motion coupled with the control rods and the aircraft developed a divergent oscillation in pitch which exceeded 12g before the H.P.88 broke up, killing Handley Page pilot Douglas Bloomfield. Very little was learned in the comparatively few flights it had made.
Designed during the Second World War for future peace time routes, the Hermes was dogged by misfortune and delays. The initial prototype of 1945 stalled and crashed, and it was not until August 1947 that the definitive Hermes 2 passenger version flew.
The Hermes 2 development aircraft had the tailwheel undercarriage of the Hastings but a lengthened fuselage.
On 19 March 1947 production was authorised for 25 pressurised HP.81 Hermes IVs for BOAC, with nose wheel.
Hermes 4
The Hermes IV was assembled in 73 days. Britain’s first large civil transport with a nosewheel, was pressurised, and held up to 63 passengers.
1948
The Hermes IV made its first flight from Radlett on 5 September 1948 in the hands of H.G. Hazelden. The first flight was for 75 minutes. A second flight was of about 4 hours.
Loss of the prototype dented confidence but Farnborough 1950 saw the Mk.5 second prototype G ALEV featuring slotted flaps, increased all up weight and a fuselage very high above the ground which necessitated what for the period were very high steps.
The Hermes 4 was the first British post-war airliner built to modern standards to go into service; 25 were delivered to BOAC for use on its Commonwealth routes, services beginning in August 1950. Normal accommodation was for 40 passengers, but alternative seating arrangements provided for a maximum of 74. Originally powered by four 1,565kW Bristol Hercules 763 radial engines, all were subsequently re-engined with 1,583kW Hercules 773s and were then known as Hermes 4As. It was replaced by Canadian C 4s in 1952.
Hermes IV Engines: 4 x Bristol Hercules 763, 1566kW / 2,100 hp Max take-off weight: 39000 kg / 85981 lb Empty weight: 25100 kg / 55336 lb Wingspan: 34.44 m / 113 ft 0 in Length: 29.51 m / 96 ft 10 in Height: 9.14 m / 29 ft 12 in Wing area: 130.80 sq.m / 1407.92 sq ft Max. speed: 563 km/h / 350 mph Cruise speed: 435 km/h / 270 mph Ceiling: 7470 m / 24500 ft Range: 3200 km / 1988 miles with 14,000 lb (6,350 kg.) payload Seats: 5 crew; 40 passengers
With the intention that the RAF should provide Britain’s strategic nuclear deterrent, design work began at Handley Page in 1947 on a long-range four-engined medium bomber that would be able to carry nuclear or conventional weapons internally. The Victor was the last of three V-bombers (named by Sir Winston Churchill) to enter RAF service, preceded by the Valiant and Vulcan.
Godfrey Lee presented his ideas to Sir Frederick Handley Page (FHP), who in 1945 had requested a study for a jet bomber to replace the Avro Lincoln. In February 1946 Lee came up with a futuristic design with a 45 degree swept wing of 122ft span, with wingtip fins and only a small trimming tailplane. Designed to carry a 10,000lb atomic bomb at 520kt over 5,000 miles, it had four axial-flow turbojets. A brochure was prepared and design number 80 allocated. The Air Ministry responded with Air Staff Operational Requirement OR.229, calling for a radius of action of 1,500 nautical miles (n.m.) with a 10,000 lb bomb, and a cruising speed of 500kt at heights from 35,000 to 50,000 ft. An amendment increased the range to 5,000 miles and minimum altitude to 50,000 ft.
This requirement became Specification B.35/46 of March 1947. Handley Page tendered the H.P.80, and was told at the end of July that an order would be placed, along with one for the Avro 698.
To keep the lift:drag ratio high to get good range, the span had to be fairly large, and the average chord fairly small. The aspect ratio came out at about 8:1, rather high, which suggested that the wing would be relatively heavy. The sweep at the wing root would have to be 50 degrees.
Victor K.2
A model of the initial wing design was tested in a high-subsonic speed wind tunnel at the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) at Farnborough. Disappointingly, the drag-rise Mach number was shown to be only about 0.8, mostly due to the outer parts of the wing. However, the modified wing was much better, mainly due to the effective thinning down of the outer panels owing to their extended chord. Additionally, the wingtips were given a special round shape, again to maintain high sweep of the isobars.
The Victor’s flying controls would have to be capable of operating at high Mach numbers and with large applied air loads. The decision was made to go to fully-powered electro-hydraulic operation. The only connection between the flying controls and the pilots’ controls in the cockpit was via an operating valve. When the pilot moved the column the valve allowed fluid at high pressure to enter a hydraulic actuating jack, moving the control surfaces. To cope with a failure, the control units were duplicated and independent of the aircraft’s hydraulic system.
One innovation was the airbrake installation in the rear fuselage. This comprised a pair of large shaped plates, hinged to open out on either side of the fuselage at any angle up to about 60 degs. Actuated by a single hydraulic jack inside the rear fuselage, they gave a lot of drag either to slow the aircraft down or to adjust the approach angle when landing. They were found to work well.
The Victor’s wing structure was based on three mainspars which carried the major loads. Sandwich panels that took internal pressure and fuel loads had supporting local spars. There were relatively few ribs, but those at the root and kinks were massive, and were joined, flange to flange, by what were termed “pipejoints ‘. Thus the wing could be built in three portions per side, and was relatively easy to transport.
The wing was essentially a “multi-load-path” component, having sandwich panels and multiple webs. The webs, with spanwise corrugations, withstood spanwise endload due to bending, shear due to wing torsion and chordwise end loads due to tank pressure and air loads.
The panels consisted of an inner and outer skin separated by about an inch by corrugations, this core also making a contribution for end load and shear. Spot welding was used to attach the outer skin to the core, and the inner skin was attached by blind rivets.
The spars at the root were swept well forward to where the wing was at maximum thickness, enabling the engines to be mounted on sub-structure behind them. This made engine removal quite easy. Sandwich panels were used here as cover, but the corrugations ran chordwise so that they did not take up wing bending end loads, carried by the spars at this point. The lower surface mainly comprised engine and undercarriage doors.
The mid-set wings have compound sweepback, varying from 52.2 deg on the inner wings to 35.2 deg on the outer.
Five years would elapse from acceptance of the basic idea to the maiden flight of the first Victor prototype, W13771, on 24 December 1952 at the Aeroplane & Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE) at Boscombe Down with test pilot H.G.Hazelden, and another five years would be spent in development and flight testing before the RAF took delivery of its first production Victor.
The prototype H.P.80 remained at Boscombe Down until runway lengthening at Radlett had been completed, although Handley Page employees at Radlett and Cricklewood were given their first glimpse of the aircraft in the air when it flew over during one lunchtime, the staff having been advised of the event earlier in the day. The first official public appearance of the Victor was in the flypast at the Queen’s Coronation Review at Odiham onjuly 15, 1953, and in September that year it appeared at the SBAC Exhibition at Farnborough in a rather sinister black, red and silver colour scheme. Disaster struck on July 14, 1954, however, when WB771 suffered a fatal flutter incident at Cranfield, resulting in the loss of test pilot “Taffy” Ecclestone and all the crew. By then the second prototype, W13775, was ready to continue flight development.
The production Specification, B128P, had appeared in August 1952, but it was not until February 1, 1956, that XA917, the first production aircraft made its first flight from Radlett, followed by the second, XA918, some seven weeks later. Retained by Handley Page for development flying, XA917 was never used in RAF squadron service. It had the distinction of reaching supersonic speed for the first time, in a dive, on June 1, 1957, the largest aircraft to have done so in the UK. It ended its flying career in 1960, after nearly 500hr flight time on 222 test flights. The fifth production aircraft, XA921, was finished in an all-white scheme that was to become standard for Victors for several years. It was exhibited on the ground at Marham for the Queen’s Review of Bomber Command on July 23,1957. Groundschool for Victor personnel in the RAF started when “A” Flight of No 232 Operational Conversion Unit (OCU) was disbanded in December 1956 for the unit to attend at Radlett. This lasted nearly a year, the Flight re-forming and receiving its first Victor at the end of November 1957, about two years after the desired date for entry stated in operational requirernent OR.229. The first squadron to operate the Victor BI was No.10 Sqn at Cottesmore, re-formed on April 1, 1958; the 40th anniversary of the formation of the RAF. TheVictor, in its several marks, was to stay in RAF service for almost as long again. Next came 15 Sqn, in September, followed by 57 Sqn on New Year’s Day 1959.
Note worthy was one flight from Farnborough to Lucia, Malta, a distance of 1,310 miles, covered in 2hr (October 14, 1958), and another from Goose Bay, Canada, to Marham, 2,020 miles, in 3hr 8min (October 20,1958).
The B.I remained in service as a part of Britain’s nuclear deterrent into the early-to-mid-1960s, being replaced by the B.2, but midway through 1964 the in-flight-refuelling tanker version of the Valiant, the first of the V-bombers, was found to be suffering from fatigue cracking of major structure, necessitating its rapid withdrawal.
Victor B.2
To fill the gap in capability created, designs were urgently prepared for the conversion of some of the Victor Mk 1 s to take over the task. Six were returned to Radlett to have underwing refuelling pods fitted. This was an interim solution; the pods were suitable for fighters, but larger aircraft needed a bigger unit which was to be fitted into the bomb bay just aft of the wing root trailing edge, along with extra fuel tanks. The “two-point tankers” retained the ability to revert to bombing at fairly short notice, and became operational at Marham in May 1965. They were followed by the “three-point tankers” starting in November 1965, 57 Sqn becoming operational with them in June, 1966, followed by Nos 216 and 55 Sqns.
When the Victor Mk2 was designed, the span was increased by adding an 18in-wide strip of wing at the root, and by moving the wingtips out 42in, giving a 10ft increase in span. By then research had shown that, if the nose of the outer wing sections could be extended forwards by a relatively small amount and given a carefully designed downwards camber, they gave acceptable behaviour at high lift and improved turning characteristics at high speed. The modification was retrospectively applied to the Mk 1 when it was converted as an inflight refuelling tanker, making it the Mk 1A. The accumulator and its associated equipment were dispensed with; a significant weight saving.
A single large weapon bay was provided, and could carry 35 bombs of 454 kg (1,000 lb).
Strength tests of complete airframes, carried out in the test rig at Park Street Test House at Radlett airfield, confirmed that the aircraft’s strength met all the structural requirements of the specification. Even when necessities during the Mk 2’s Service life meant it had to be operated at low altitude, an environment for which it was not designed, it was found to be able to perform that duty adequately, though the structure became “fatigued” more quickly. This had a big influence when it came to the conversion of the Victor B.2 to take over tanker duties from the Mk 1, and special measures had to be taken to ensure that the “fatigue life” usage was kept to a minimum and spread throughout the fleet.
The air intake ducts were fed between the top and bottom booms of the spars. The carrythrough box across the fuselage was very large, taking out the wing root bending and torsion.
The flaps and ailerons were carried on sub-spars with large flap tracks for the large Fowler type area-increasing flaps. These first moved backward with little rotation to give a relatively low-drag, high-incremental-lift position for take-off, and then moved further still and rotated to give the higher lift, higher drag for approach and landing.
Early Victors had hinged nose flaps at the outerwing leading edges, but these were superseded by fixed, drooped leading edges also carrying “turbulators” which helped to stabilise the flow round the leading edges. The main fuselage was of fairly conventional skin, stringer and frame construction, but the 32ft-long bomb bay occupied most of the fuselage aft of the main wing carry-through box. The top consisted of D-section frames, between which were mounted bag-type fuel tanks, three of the frames being strengthened to carry bomb loads and hoisting points, and ending at a bulkhead taking the front spar of the fin. Strong longerons ran along the bottom of each sideJust above the sliding bomb-bay doors. The tailcone housed a large hydraulic jack that operated the large fully-variable air brakes on each side of the rear fuselage. On top, behind the rudder, was the container for the 45ft ring-slot braking parachute.
Each eight-wheel main undercarriage bogie, housed between two heavy ribs outboard of the engines, folded forwards as it retracted. It had anti-skid brakes. The twin nosewheels were steerable but unbraked.
The crew was housed in a pressure cabin designed to a pressure differential of 9 lb/sq.in and having a sloping windscreen. The pilots had dual controls and Mk 3 ejection seats, and sat ahead of and slightly higher than the rear crew, who sat on three swivelling seats in a row. Adjacent to them, on the port side, was the crew entry door. In an emergency this opened outwards, and had a shield to protect emerging crew members. A periscope was fitted for inspecting the wing undersurface and checking if telltale vapour trails were being formed. In the tankers it was used to study the behaviour of receiver aircraft.
Production aircraft had a refuelling probe above the windscreen, in good view of the pilots. Underneath the floor of the cabin was the main radome.
The first prototype made its maiden flight on 24 December 1952. The first production Victor flew for the first time on 1 February 1956. The first production B.1, each with four 48.93kN (11,000 lb) thrust Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire 201 turbojets began to enter RAF service with No 232 Operational Conversion Unit in November 1957. The first Victor squadron (No 10) became fully operational at Cottesmore in the spring of 1958. Formation of the planned total of four Victor B.1 squadrons was completed early in 1960. B.1A aircraft had ECM and other equipment changes.
The Mk 1 had four Armstrong Siddeley (later Bristol Siddeley) straight axial-flowjet engines at Sa7 rating, each giving 11,0001b static thrust at sea level. They were mounted in pairs, sharinga common air intake in the wing leading edge, individual ducts leading to each engine. The orifices at the wing trailing edge were canted slightly outwards. While the Sapphires were perfectly adequate for take-off at normal operating weights, they were marginal in overload cases. Removable underwing de Havilland Spectre rocket assistance units gave a spectacular improvement, but were rather impractical. There is no record of their use in service. The Mk 1 s had to be carefully operated in “hot and high” conditions, at some risk when heavily loaded. Many hours of research were needed to achieve an efficient engine intake. The Mk 1’s Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire engines had a design of axial compressor which was unaffected by the flow distortion that was inevitable given the intake type, but the Rolls-Royce Conways of the Mk 2 were much fussier, and drastic changes had to be made to the intakes, involving a duct of greater cross-section and flow-governing internal vanes. The fin was a conventional two-spar structure with corrugated skins, but the dihedral tailplane, carried atop the fin, was very nearly “all-moving”, with just a stub tailplane housing the elevator powered flying control units. Its construction was similar to that of the wing. The flying controls, elevators, ailerons and rudder had operating jacks driven by duplicated hydraulic motors, each being powered by its own electric motors and signalled by slide valves connected to the pilot’s controls. They were irreversible, and there was no manual reversion in the event of failure. On the Mk 1 four engine-driven alternators provided 73 KVA electrical power, transformed to 112 and 24V DC with four 24V batteries. inverters were used to supply AC to various equipments. Two hydraulic pumps, powered by 11 5V DC electric motors, supplied 4,000 lb/sq.in to work the undercarriage, flaps, airbrakes and bomb doors, and the fuselage Mk 17 hose drum unit (HIDU) on the tanker version. The span was increased by 10ft for the Mk 2. Streamlined half-bodies on the rear top surface of the wing at about mid-semi-span, called “Whitcomb Bodies” or “Kuchemann Carrots”, housed containers of Window anti-radar strips. Inspired by research by Richard T. Whitcomb of NASA in the USA and Dietrich Kuchemann at RAE Farnborough, they increased the drag-rise Mach number at the cost of a little skin-friction drag. The Sapphires were replaced by Rolls-Royce Conway bypass engines, initially Mk 10301s at Co.11 rating (17,5001b static sea level thrust), then by Co.17s, Mk 20101s of 20,000 lb-thrust. The higher thrust allowed a significant increase in all-up-weight. Although the Conway’s sea-level thrust was approximately double that of the Mk I’s Sapphire, it fell off more rapidly at high altitudes, despite fuel consumption per pound of thrust being better. The Conway required a much greater throughput of air, however, and the intakes had to be considerably enlarged and fitted with flow straightening vanes before the engine ran properly. A Bristol Siddeley Artouste auxiliary power unit was installed in the Mk 2’s starboard wing root, driving a 40KVA alternator. It could be used in flight up to 25,000ft and, because it could be started on the aircraft batteries, made the aircraft independent of ground services. The electrical system now relied on four 40KVA (later 50KVA) 200V alternators at 400Hz, with transformers to provide 11 5V AC and rectifiers for 24V DC. Two ram-air turbines in the upper rear fuselage, with intakes that opened automatically at low airspeeds, provided 15KVA AC each for the powered flying control units in the event of electrical failure. The first Victor B.2, XH668, initially with lower-power Conway 11s, made its first flight on February 20, 1959, but disaster struck once again when it disappeared over the Irish Sea on August 20 with its A&AEE and H.P. crew. As the Victor was so important to Britain’s nuclear deterrent, huge efforts were made to recover as much wreckage as possible to determine what went wrong. About 75 per cent of XH668 had been dredged up by the end of 1960. After a searching investigation by RAE Farnborough the problem was attributed to the loss of a wingtip pitot-static tube, which then caused a nose-down runaway of the Mach-trimmer system. Although this was the official verdict, many people did not think it was the right one. The company’s test pilots had made tests in which the trimmer was deliberately made to run away, and had reported that this could very easily be compensated for. Many years later a senior RAF officer stated that he knew the real answer, but was not permitted to disclose it.
Whatever the cause, the second aircraft, XH669, which had made its maiden flight a few days before the accident, then undertook the burden of Mk 2 development flying. It appeared at the SBAC Display in September 1960, and was joined by XH670,’67l,’672 and’673 in tests of new equipment. On December 5, 1960, XH673 was engaged in highaltitude tests of the hydraulic system when the system failed. Although the flying controls still worked, the bomb doors were partly open, and the flaps, airbrakes and wheels could not be extended.john Allam, H.P.’s chief test pilot and captain of the aircraft, diverted to RAF Waddington, calling the fire service there to lay a foam runway for a wheels-up landing. This was a speciality of the station, which had done it for an in-service B.1 two years earlier.
Allam made a perfect touchdown after a flapless approach, but ran out of foam before the aircraft came to rest. The friction caused a small fire, which was quickly extinguished. No-one was hurt, and the aircraft was repaired and used for trials at Boscombe Down in April 1961.
The B.2 entered service with the No 139 Squadron RAF on February 1, 1962, when 139 (Jamaica) Sqn at Wittering received XL231. These had more powerful engines, increased wing span, enlarged air intakes, and introduced a “Window'”dispenser pod on the trailing edge of each wing. In late 1962 the process of returning B.2s to Radlett began under a retrofit programme to install more sophisticated equipment and the fully-rated Conway 17 engines.
Some aircraft were also equipped for carriage of the Blue Steel air-launched rocket-powered stand-off missile with a nuclear warhead, which was released short of its intended target, well clear of any heavily defended area, and made its own way to the target at supersonic speed. These Victors were designated B.2R. No 139 Squadron was the first to become operational with the Blue Steel nuclear stand-off bomb in February 1964. Victor squadrons were subsequently specified for low-altitude in addition to high-altitude attack.
Such was the pace of technical improvements in defence capability that the airborne delivery of nuclear weapons was becoming too uncertain of success by the late 1960s.In its place the launch of intercontinental ballistic missiles from hardened shelters or submarines was chosen. Thus the B.2Rs were phased out as bombers, starting in 1968, and flown back to be stored at Radlett.
There were strategic reconnaissance Victor SR.2s in service, equipped with a battery of high-resolution cameras in the bomb bay, flanked by long-range tanks. Victor B(SR).2 strategic-reconnaissance aircraft entered service with No 543 Squadron at RAF Wyton in the autumn of 1965. These aircraft had the capability to radar map an area of up to 1,942,490sq.km during a six-hour period.
The Vickers Valiant tanker fleet was withdrawn at the end of 1964, leaving the RAF without support for its English Electric Lightnings and Gloster Javelins. However, a three-point tanker version of the Victor B.1 had been agreed earlier. The choice of the Victor had been in the balance in 1962, since it was said that it would not be possible to formate two Lightnings behind it. Handley Page’s RAF liaison officer, Gp Capt “Rosie” Leigh Houlbrook, arranged for a couple of Lightnings to demonstrate that they could do so with no problem.
Thus in 1964 some aircraft were already being stripped down at Radlett, and it was decided as a matter of urgency to convert six B.1As (XH615,’620,’667,’646,’647, andm’648) to a two-point configuration (underwing Mk 20 HDUs only, on standard RAE pylons). The first two were delivered in April 1965, the other four soon after, and they carried the burden well until the three-point K.1 and K.1A versions (fuselage HDU added) started arriving in 1967.
It was decided to convert ten aircraft from the XA serial range and 14 from the XH range to K.1A standard (fixed leading-edge droop in place of noseflaps). Considerable work was required: bomb-doors were removed, bomb-bay tanks were installed and the retractable Mk 17 HDU was installed in the rear of the bomb bay. The Sapphire 201s were replaced by 207s with engine-mounted alternators.
Hawker Siddeley Aviation was awarded the Victor B.2 tanker conversion contract after H.P. ceased trading in 1970, and the 21 B.2s on the airfield at Radlett had to be refurbished to a flyable state. They were then flown to Woodford, near Manchester, for conversion. Some were in poor condition; at least one had to be flown to Woodford at low speed with its undercarriage down. The wing and fuselage HDUs and associated fuel systems were installed, in a very similar fashion to the K.1, and the large underwing tanks were made nonjettisonable. Each aircraft had to be stripped completely to remedy corrosion that had started during long storage in the open, and had to be brought up to the latest modification standard. The outer wings were strengthened and the extended tips of the B.2 were replaced by the original B.1 tips. The ailerons were set up by a small amount, and modifications were made to the flying controls. The avionics fit was revised. With the aircraft reduced to its main components, refurbishment was carried out at several locations – Chadderton, Bitteswell and others. What was effectively a rebuilt aircraft was finally assembled at Woodford and flight-tested. The process took between two and three years. The first K.2, XL231, first flew from Woodford on March 1, 1972, although it was not fully modified structurally. Reducing the span by cropping the wingtips, to reduce the bending stresses, and setting the aileron trailing edge up on both sides certainly moved the centre of lift inboard, but the wing was swept, so the change also moved it forwards, closer to the c.g., rendering the aircraft less stable. Changing the stick-gearing to the elevators partly compensated but, when he flew the K.2 many years later John Allam remarked that he thought it unduly sensitive, and, had he been in charge, would not have asked the A&AEE to accept it.
Victor K.2
It had a crew of five, and was powered by four Rolls-Royce Conway turbofans of 20,600 lb thrust each. It had a maximum speed of 640 mph (Mach 0.92) at 40,000 feet, a ceiling of 59,000 feet and a range of 3,500 miles. The changes also reduced the lift:drag ratio, giving a poorer cruise performance. But the RAF was desperate for the tanker, and it was accepted in that state. The first was delivered to the RAF on 8 May 1974. The first aircraft to enter service was XL233, and 23 others were eventually converted. They at once embarked on a regular routine of support for fighters sent out over the North Sea to investigate prowling Soviet aircraft, and also to accompany aircraft out to places such as Cyprus for regular exercises. As a tanker, the Victor is equipped with 32 separate fuel tanks carrying 55 tons of fuel, and three refuelling hoses, two on outer wing pods capable of delivering 682 lt/min, and a hose drum unit under the fuselage able to deliver 2273 lt/min. All this showed the value to the RAF of the Victor tanker, particularly when Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands on April 2,1982. In just over two weeks six aircraft were detached to Ascension Island, from where they could meet incoming supply aircraft. They also carried out a wide radar reconnaissance of South Georgia before its recapture. Victor Mk 2s were finally withdrawn from service in 1993, some three decades after they were introduced, and nearly four after the Mk 1 entered the RAF inventory – a massive achievement and tribute to the H.P. team behind the Victor’s design and development.
XH668 Crashed into Irish Sea during trials, 20 August 1959
XL159 Crashed at Stubton near Newark, Notta, in superstall, 23 March 1962
XM714 Stalled after takeoff at Barnack, near Stamford, Linc, 20 March 1963
XM716 Crashed at Warboys, Cambs, after being overstressed in press demonstration, 29 June 1966
Victor B.2s cancelled 28 aircraft XL250-XL255, XM745-XM756, XM785-XM794
Specifications
HP.80 Wingspan: 110 ft Lengrh: 98 ft 2 in Wing area: 2406 sq.ft Wheel track: 30 ft 2 in Max takeoff weight: 120,000 lb Max speed: 594 mph at 36,000 ft Range: 6000 miles Aspect ratio: 8:1 Sweep at the wing root: 50 degrees Cabin pressure: 9 lb/sq.in
B.1 Engines: 4 x 48.93kN (11,000 lb) thrust Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire 201 turbojets Wingspan: 110 ft Lengrh: 102 ft 5 in Wing area: 2406 sq.ft Wheel track: 30 ft 2 in Basic weight: 89,030-90,100 lb Operating weight: 92,228-94,048 lb Max takeoff weight: 170,000-185,000 lb Max speed: 627 mph at 36,000 ft Service ceiling: 55,000 ft Range: 6000 miles
B.1A Engines: 4 x 48.93kN (11,000 lb) thrust Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire 201 turbojets Wingspan: 110 ft Lengrh: 102 ft 5 in Wing area: 2406 sq.ft Wheel track: 30 ft 2 in Basic weight: 89,030-90,100 lb Operating weight: 92,228-94,048 lb Max takeoff weight: 170,000-185,000 lb Service ceiling: 55,000 ft Range: 6000 miles
B.2 Engines: 4 x Rolls-Royce Conways Mk 10301, Co.11 rating 17,5001b static sea level thrust later Co.17s, Mk 20101, 20,000 lb/9,344 kg -thrust. Wingspan: 120 ft / 36.6 m Length 114.9 ft / 35 m Height: 30 ft 1.5 in / 9.18 m Wing area: 2597 sq.ft Wheel track: 33 ft 2 in Empty weight: 41270 kg / 90985 lb Basic weight: 107,950 lb Max takeoff weight: 187,000 lb Max speed: 647 mph at 36,000 ft Normal cruise Mach 0.92 Max cruise alt: 55,000 ft / 16,750 m Service ceiling: 60,000 ft Range: 6000 miles Combat radius: 2,300 miles / 3,700 km Max. bomb load: 35,000 lb / 15,875 kg Crew: 5
B.2R Engines: 4 x Rolls-Royce Conways Mk 10301, Co.11 rating 17,5001b static sea level thrust later Co.17s, Mk 20101, 20,000 lb/9,344 kg -thrust. Wingspan: 120 ft / 36.6 m Length 114.9 ft / 35 m Height: 30 ft 1.5 in / 9.18 m Wing area: 2597 sq.ft Wheel track: 33 ft 2 in Max. bomb load: 35,000 lb / 15,875 kg / 1x Blue Steel (nuke) Crew: 5
SR.2 Engines: 4 x Rolls-Royce Conways Mk 10301, Co.11 rating 17,5001b static sea level thrust later Co.17s, Mk 20101, 20,000 lb/9,344 kg -thrust. Wingspan: 120 ft / 36.6 m Length 114.9 ft / 35 m Height: 30 ft 1.5 in / 9.18 m Wing area: 2597 sq.ft Wheel track: 33 ft 2 in
K.1A Engines: 4 x Rolls-Royce Sapphire 207
K.2 Engines: 4 x Rolls-Royce Conways Mk 10301, 20,600 1b static sea level thrust later Co.17s, Mk 20101, 20,000 lb-thrust. Wingspan: 117 ft Wing area: 2580 sq.ft Wheel track: 33 ft 2 in Basic weight: 115,400 lb Operating weight: 224,500 lb Max takeoff weight: 223,000 lb Max speed: 640 mph / M0.92 at 40,000 ft Ceiling: 59,000 ft Range: 3500 miles Fel capacity: 55 ton Aerial refueling stns: 3 Refueling flow; 2 at 682 lt/min / 1 at 2273 lt/min Crew: 5
From 1936 Dr. Gustav Victor Lachmann concentrated on research with tailless aircraft, starting with the development of the H.P.75 Manx. This was completed in 1939, but Lachmann was interned for the duration of the war, and its development was completed by Godfrey Lee.
The airframe was built by Dart Aircraft of Dunstable, England; the aircraft was finished at Radlett, England. During taxi trials on 12 September 1942, the aircraft flew unintentionally at a height of 12 ft (3.66 m) and was subsequently damaged while landing.
Marked with the ‘Class B’ markings H-0222, the aircraft flew for the first time on 25 June 1943. Handley Page chief test pilot Fit Lt James Talbot flew the small H.P.75 for the first time at the company’s airfield at Radlett in Hertfordshire. Talbot reported that the H.P.75 flew well but had high drag owing to its fixed undercarriage. In 1945 it was designated H.P.75 for the first time.
After modification it flew again, but interest waned and it last flew on April 3, 1946. A total of 31 flights were made till 3 April 1946 (total flight time 17 hr 43 min) when the aircraft was stored and subsequently scrapped in 1952.
Engines: 2 x Gipsy Major Max take-off weight: 1800 kg / 3968 lb Wingspan: 12.2 m / 40 ft 0 in Length: 5.6 m / 18 ft 4 in Wing area: 23 sq.m / 247.57 sq ft Max. speed: 235 km/h / 146 mph
The four engined bombers, the Halifax, Stirling and Lancaster, all originated from a pre war Air Ministry specification. The Handley Page Halifax was first flown on 25 October 1939 from RAF Bicester with four “Merlin X” engines.
Originally designed for two Rolls-Royce Vulture engines, the Halifax eventually flew with four Roll-Royce Merlins.
Prototype with four Merlin 10 engines and no dorsal turret
Entering production in 1939, it was the second British four-engined bomber to enter service in the Second World War, with 35 Squadron on 13 November 1940. The first Halifax raid by the squadron was against le Havre, France, on 10 March 1941. The Halifax was the first to bomb Germany when one took part in a raid on Hamburg on the night of 12-13 March 1941.
The Halifax shared with the Lancaster the major burden of Bomber Command’s night bombing campaign against Nazi Germany but the Halifax was used extensively on other duties including glider-tug, agent dropping transport and general reconnaissance aircraft in Coastal Command.
Halifax B.2 Srs.1A
The Halifax B.2 was powered by Merlin 20 and fitted with a Hudson dorsal turret, and the B.2 Srs.1A with a nose turret.
Halifax B.2 Srs.1A
The B.2 Srs.1A had the nose turret deleted and was fitted with a Defiant dorsal turret.
HP.66 Halifax M.6
The Halifax Mk.6 was powered by Hercules 100 engines, had squared fins, H2S radar and increased span.
However, between 1941 and 1945 the Halifax made 75,532 bombing sorties and dropped 227610 tons (231300 tonnes) of bombs; more than a quarter of all bombs dropped on Germany by the Royal Air Force.
Handley Page Halifax II(III)
The Halifax I and II aircraft were powered by Rolls-Royce Merlin engines and the Halifax III was powered by Bristol Hercules engines. Apart from the role as a heavy bomber, the Halifax III and later versions also served in Coastal Command and in paratrooping and glider towing roles with the Airborne Forces.
Halifax II
Due to mounting losses on Bomber Command operations over Germany Halifax bombers were restricted to less hazardous targets from September 1943.
The Halifax was in the process of being replaced as a front line bomber in 1945 but it continued in service with Coastal and Transport Commands after the war. The last operational flight was made by a Coastal Command Halifax in March 1952 while operating from Gibraltar.
Halifax production totalled 6,178, including 4751 bombers.
During 1946-48 more than 90 Halifax were converted to civil transport Halton variants. The HP.70 Halton were derived from the Halifax C.8 for BOAC immediately after WW2.
Mk.II Engines: 4 x RR Merlin XX. Max speed: 282 mph Range: 1030 miles Crew: 7 Armament: 9 x .303 Browning mg Bomb load: 13,000 lb
Handley Page HP 57 Halifax B Mk III Engines: 4 x Bristol Hercules XVI, 1615 hp Length: 70.079 ft / 21.36 m Height: 20.735 ft / 6.32 m Wingspan: 98 ft 10 in , later 104 ft 2 in / 31.75 m Wing area: 1274.996 sq.ft / 118.45 sq.m Max take off weight: 65012.2 lb / 29484.0 kg Weight empty: 38245.7 lb / 17345.0 kg Max. speed: 245 kts / 454 kph Cruising speed: 187 kts / 346 kph Service ceiling: 23999 ft / 7315 m Cruising altitude: 20013 ft / 6100 m Wing loading: 51.05 lb/sq.ft / 249.0 kg/sq.m Range (max. weight): 895 nm / 1658 km Crew: 7 Armament: 9x cal.303 MG (7,7mm), 5897kg Bomb.
Engines: 4 x Bristol Hercules 100, 1325kW Max take-off weight: 24980-30845 kg / 55072 – 68002 lb Empty weight: 17500 kg / 38581 lb Wingspan: 31.8 m / 104 ft 4 in Length: 21.4 m / 70 ft 3 in Height: 6.3 m / 20 ft 8 in Wing area: 118.5 sq.m / 1275.52 sq ft Max. speed: 502 km/h / 312 mph Ceiling: 7310 m / 24000 ft Range w/max.fuel: 3540 km / 2200 miles Range w/max.payload: 2030 km / 1261 miles Armament: 9 x 7.7mm machine-guns, 6550kg of bombs Crew: 7
The Harrow was one of the RAF’s first monoplane bombers, and though never used in combat by Bomber Command it played a significant part in the training of bomber crews. The Harrow was based on the H.P.51 troop transport, and first flew on 10 October 1936 14 months after 100 had been ordered ‘off the drawing board’.
The Harrow bomber was a cantilever high-wing monoplane with a fixed divided-type landing gear and a twin fin and rudder-type tail unit. Enclosed accommodation was provided for a normal flight crew of four, who were also expected to man the nose turret, tail turret and mid-upper gun position.
The 38 Harrow Mk I bombers had the 619-kW (830-hp) Pegasus X radial, and were followed by the 62 Harrow Mk IIs with 689kW Pegasus XX engines and improved defensive armament. Production ended in December 1937, 11 months after the type had begun to enter service with No. 214 Squadron. By the time production ceased another four squadrons (Nos 37, 75, 115 and 215) had equipped with the type, and with some Whitley squadrons these formed Bomber Command’s main strength until well into 1939. At the outbreak of war the type was retired to the transport role and tested as an in-flight refuelling tanker circa 1939.
Engines: 2 x Bristol Pegasus XX, 690kW / 925 hp Wingspan: 26.95 m / 88 ft 5 in Length: 25.04 m / 82 ft 2 in Height: 5.92 m / 19 ft 5 in Wing area: 101.26 sq.m / 1089.95 sq ft Max take-off weight: 10433 kg / 23001 lb Empty weight: 6169 kg / 13600 lb Max. speed: 174 kts / 322 km/h / 200 mph at 10,000ft Cruise speed: 141 kts / 262 km/h / 163 mph Service Ceiling: 6950 m / 22800 ft Range: 1086 nm / 2010 km / 1249 miles Armament: 4 x 7.7mm / 0.303 machine-guns, 1360kg (3,000 lb) bombs Crew: 6
Gustav Lachmann took on the technical development of modern methods of aerodynamics and metal construction. His ideas were also incorporated into the H.P.52 Hampden.
Built initially to Air Ministry Specification B.9/32, the Handley Page HP52 prototype, K4240, made its first flight on June 21, 1936.
Of conventional all-metal stressed-skin construction, the Hampden’s thick-section mid-set monoplane wings tapered both in chord and thickness. Handley Page slots on the leading edge of the wing outer panels, plus trailing-edge flaps, made possible a low landing speed. Accommodation was provided for a crew of four. Accommodation was provided for a crew of four. The fuselage was on 36in wide at its widest point.
Seven weeks after the first flight, the design was put into production, and the first examples entered RAF service in the autumn of 1938, 49 Squadron being the first unit to fully reequip with the type. By September 3, 1939, the RAF possessed a total of 212 Hampdens (ten squadrons, including reserves) which represented almost 25% of Bomber Command’s offensive first-line bomber strength. Hampdens flew on operational sorties from the first day of the war, and during the first few months suffered high casualties in unescorted daylight bombing attacks against naval targets along the German coastline.
During operations, the Hampden proved to have serious deficiencies, particularly in its defensive armament, which consisted of five 0.303 inch machine guns. The fixed forward firing gun proved almost useless and the single guns in the nose, dorsal and ventral positions had limited transverse, leaving a number of blind spots. In addition, the cramped conditions led to crew fatigue on long flights, and it was almost impossible for crew members to gain access to each others cockpit in an emergency. Losses during early daylight raids were very heavy.
To improve the defensive armament, the dorsal and ventral positions were each fitted with twin Vickers K machine-guns. In addition, armor plate was installed and flame-damping exhaust pipes were fitted for night flying. Thus modified, the Hampden did useful work in Bomber Command’s night offensive from 1940 to 1942, taking part in the RAF’s first raid on Berlin and in the 1,000-bomber raid on Cologne.
Switching mainly to night bombing by early 1940, Hampdens became the chief exponent of ‘gardening’ sorties-sowing sea mines in enemy waters but continued to participate in Bomber Command’s nightly assault on Germany. In 1940 two Hampden crew members, Flight Lieutenant R A B Learoyd of 49 Squadron, and Sergeant John Harmah of 83 Squadron, were each awarded a Victoria Cross for valour during bombing operations.
No.49 Sqn Hampden
Though obsolescent for its intended role as a medium day bomber, and poorly armed for self defence against more modern enemy fighters, the Hampden continued in first line operational service with RAF Bomber Command until September 1942. In three years of operations as a pure bomber, Hampdens flew a grand total of 16541 individual sorties, dropping almost 10000 tons of bombs on German targets. In the same period, however, 413 Hampdens and their crews were lost in action. On February 1, 1942, a total of eight Hampden squadrons, all in No 5 Group, Bomber Command, were operational, though by the end of the year they had all converted to Avro Manchesters or Avro Lancasters. Retired as a bomber, the Hampden saw a further year’s first line service as a torpedo bomber with Coastal Command, equipping at least four squadrons before finally being withdrawn from operational roles in December 1943.
A total of 1584 Hampdens and its stablemate, the Hereford, was built and delivered to the RAF, equipping a total of 21 squadrons at some period of the war. A further 160 were built in Canada.
Hampdens were produced by The English Electric Co.
Nicknamed variously as ‘Hambone’, ‘Flying Suitcase’ and ‘Ferocious Frying Pan’, the Hampden was nevertheless popular with its pilots, due to its near fighter manoeuvrability and excellent all round vision field from the high forward cockpit. Internally, its very restricted space created no little discomfort for other crew members, while its poor defensive armament, comprising a single hand held machine gun in the nose and single or twin machine guns in ventral and dorsal positions, belied the original description of the design in 1936 as a ‘fighting bomber’. Nevertheless, the Hampden and its contemporaries, the Bristol Blenheim, Vickers Wellington and Armstrong Whitworth Whitley, all outdated for modern warfare by 1940, had to soldier on as Bomber Command’s only weapons during the first three years of the 1939 45 war, until heavier, four engined replacements became available in ample quantities in late 1943.
HP.53 Hereford
The Hereford bomber was a Napier Dagger-engined version of the Hampden, ordered as a back-up at the same time as the first Hampden production contracts. The noisy new inline engines overheated on the ground and cooled too quickly and seized in the air. Even routine maintenance was more complicated than that required for the Hampden’s Pegasus radials. There were no performance advantages from the new engines. Only a very small number of Herefords saw action (in Hampden squadrons). The rest were relegated to training units, soon followed by the marginally better Hampen.
The Hereford was distinguishable from the Hampden by its longer engine cowlings and greater dihedral on the outer wings.
The Hereford and Hampden had a single-pilot cockpit with a sliding canopy, which was sometimes left open in flight for the ‘wind-in-the-hair’ feel.
A total of 1,432 Hampdens were built, 502 of them by Handley Page, 770 by English Electric and 160 in Canada by the Victory Aircraft consortium. Of the 160 built, 84 were shipped by sea to Britain, while the remainder came to Patricia Bay (Victoria Airport) B.C., to set up No.32 OTU (RAF). Due to heavy attrition from accidents, a number of “war weary” Hampdens were later flown from the U.K. to Pat Bay as replacements.
Victory Aircraft Hampden Engines: Two 1000 hp Bristol Pegasus XVIII engines Maximum speed: 254 mph (409 km/h) Empty weight: 11,780 lb (5,345 kg) Loaded weight: 18,756 lb (8,505 kg) Span: 69 ft 2 in (21.1 m) Length: 53 ft 7 in (16.3 m) Height: 14 ft 11 in (4.5 m) Wing area: 668 sq ft (62.1 sq m)
HP 52 Hampden Engines: 2 x Bristol Pegasus XVII, 746kW / 1000 hp Wingspan: 21.1 m / 69 ft 3 in Length: 17.0 m / 55 ft 9 in Height: 4.6 m / 15 ft 1 in Wing area: 62.0 sq.m / 667.36 sq ft Max take-off weight: 8510 kg / 18761 lb Empty weight: 5340 kg / 11773 lb Max. speed: 408 km/h / 254 mph Cruise speed: 350 km/h / 217 mph Ceiling: 6900 m / 22650 ft Range w/max.fuel: 3200 km / 1988 miles Range w/max.payload: 1400 km / 870 miles Armament: 4 x 7.7mm / 0.303 in machine-guns, 1800kg of bombs Crew: 4
Hampden B.Mk I Span: 21.08 m (69 ft 2 in) Length: 16.33 m (53 ft 7 in) Gross weight: 8508 kg (18760 lb) Maximum speed: 426 km/h (265 mph)
Hampden TB.1
Handley Page HP 53 Hereford Engines: 2 x Napier Dagger VIII, 986 hp / 746kW Length: 53 ft 7 in / 16.33 m Height: 14 ft 11 in / 4.55 m Wing span: 69 ft 2 in / 21.08 m Wing area: 668.014 sq.ft / 62.06 sq.m Max take off weight: 17803.2 lb / 8074.0 kg Weight empty: 11701.9 lb / 5307.0 kg Max. speed : 230 kts / 426 kph / 265 mph Cruising speed: 150 kts / 277 kph / 172 mph Service ceiling : 19,000 ft / 5790 m Wing load : 26.65 lb/sq.ft / 130.0 kg/sq.m Range w/max.payload: 1043 nm / 1931 km Crew : 4 Armament : 6x cal.303 MG (7,7mm), 1814kg Bomb.
Gustav Lachmann took on the technical development of modern methods of aerodynamics and metal construction, and went on to convert the H.P.43 biplane into the H.P.51, with a modern monoplane wing and aircooled engine nacelles. This led to the order for 100 of a production version, the H.P.54 Harrow.
