Beaufighter part 2

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1st Mk 21 Beaufighter A8-1 Fisherman's Bend factory, 26 May 1944

Attack in the Aegean March 1944

Attack of North Coates Wing

Australian Beaufighter Blasts Japanese Planes at Madang Airport 1943

Beaufighter 21 A8-118 No. 22 Squadron RAAF 1945

Beaufighter 22 Sqn RAAF

Beaufighter 5 Middle East Training School Egypt

Beaufighter A19-120 ex T5338, code LY-H 30 Sqn, 26 December 1943

Beaufighter A19-134 ex JL854 LY-B 30 Sqn 16 December 1943

Beaufighter A19-2 at DAP Fisherman s Bend factory

Beaufighter A19-2 ex T4921 at DAP Fisherman's Bend factory

Beaufighter A19-26 ex T4978, Wagga NSW 1943

Beaufighter A8-124 93 Sqn crashed Labuan 30Aug1945

Beaufighter A8-124 "Marge" of No. 93 Squadron RAAF, crashed Labuan 30 August 1945

Beaufighter A8-144 LY-D of No. 30 Squadron RAAF Morotai 1945

Beaufighter A8-89 22 Sqn, Tarakan 29 June 1945

Beaufighter attack 404 Squadron RCAF off Royan, 13 August 1944

Beaufighter attack 404 Squadron RCAF, Skagerrak 15 October 1944

Beaufighter attack of No. 236 Squadron RAF 24 July 1944

Beaufighter Coastal Command

Beaufighter Convoy attack

Beaufighter fires a salvo of rockets at an enemy ship, No. 489 (NZ) Squadron RAF

Beaufighter flyers report to RAAF 30 Squadron Leader Hank Henry at their base in Australia 1943

Beaufighter fully loaded with its torpedo 489 Squadron, 1943

Beaufighter gun camera, No. 489 (NZ) Squadron RAF

Beaufighter IC T5040 of No. 252 Squadron RAF, Edcu March 1943

Beaufighter Ic Vichy, ex PN-F 252 Sqn RAF

Beaufighter IF of 307 Sqn, General Sikorski landing at Exeter

Beaufighter If R2069 25 Sqn, 1940

Beaufighter IF X7842 WM-P of No. 68 Squadron RAF

Beaufighter II Prototype R2058

Beaufighter IIF September 1941

Beaufighter IIF T3032

Beaufighter IIF T3144

Beaufighter Italy

Beaufighter JL832 489 Scotland 1943

Beaufighter Luqa airfield Malta

Beaufighter LZ

Beaufighter Mk 21

Beaufighter Mk 21 A8-57 of No. 22 Squadron RAAF

Beaufighter Mk I X7873 "4" of No. 46 Squadron RAF

Beaufighter Mk IF code PN-L of No 252 Squadron RAF

Beaufighter Mk IF R2198 code PN-B of No 252 Squadron RAF

Beaufighter Mk VI F V8526 factory new

Beaufighter Mk VIF

Beaufighter Mk VIF V8388 in Sicily

Beaufighter Mk.I R2058

Beaufighter NE209 of No. 489 (NZ) Squadron RAF

Beaufighter NE355 404 Sqn Davidstow Moor 21 August 1944

Beaufighter of No. 143 Squadron RAF "Dallachy Strike Wing" April 1944

Beaufighter of No. 16 Squadron SAAF

Beaufighter of No. 16 Squadron SAAF, Yugoslavia

Beaufighter of RAAF

Beaufighter P6-S escorted by Polish P-51 PK-W, 315 Squadron

Beaufighter P6-X of of No. 489 (NZ) Squadron RAF

Beaufighter PN-B 252 Sqn July 1941

Beaufighter R2069 25 Sqn, North Weald, September 1940

Beaufighter R2069 of No. 25 Squadron RAF

Beaufighter R2081 of No. 25 Squadron RAF

Beaufighter R2186

Beaufighter RAAF 30 Sqn "Goofy" F/Sgt Woolcott and Sgt Hasenohr 1943

Beaufighter strike Norway 144 Sqn

Beaufighter T4636 NG-F of No. 604 Squadron RAF

Beaufighter T4828 of No. 252 Squadron RAF, 1942

Beaufighter tail damaged by Flak

Beaufighter TF X RD367 27 Sqn SEAC

Beaufighter TF.X LZ414 of No. 254 Squadron RAF 1943

Beaufighter TF.X May 1943 in flight

Beaufighter TF.X NT961 of No. 144 Squadron RAF at Dallachy

Beaufighter torpedo

Beaufighter TT Mk 10 NT913

Beaufighter TT.10 1956

Beaufighter VI Italy 1944

Beaufighter VI JL832 "A" of No 144 Squadron RAF 25 April 1943

Beaufighter VI JL832 with torpedo 144 Sqn

Beaufighter VI of No. 254 Squadron RAF

Beaufighter VI with four Hispano cannon ports in the lower fuselage and the nose-mounted strike camera.

Beaufighter VIc JL730 227 Sqn Sidi Magrum July 1943

Beaufighter VIC of No. 404 Squadron RCAF Tain

Beaufighter VIF 406 RCAF Sqn

Beaufighter VIF after forced landing on the beach airstrip at Nidania

Beaufighter VIF KZ-R of No. 287 Squadron RAF at Locking

Beaufighter VIF of No. 406 Squadron RCAF Predannack

Beaufighter VIF V8380 of No. 89 Squadron RAF camouflaged for night operations, taxis along an Castel Benito airstrip.

Beaufighter VIF X7883, January 1942

Beaufighter wreck Libya

Beaufighter X

Beaufighter X of No. 143 Squadron RAF

Beaufighter X with 200-gallon drop tank

Beaufighter X7543 Mk VI prototype

Beaufighters 307 and 308 at Filton, Dominican AF

Beaufighters attacking ships off The Naze 489 Squadron

Beaufighters attacking ships off The Naze 489 Squadron RAF

Beaufighters of No. 236 Squadron RAF 1944

Belgium 1944-45

Bristol Beaufighter I

Bristol Beaufighter TFX cockpit

Bristol Beaufighter X EL223/G in flight

Captured Beaufighter T3229 Vichy

Cockpit of Beaufighter, 489 Squadron

Convoy attack 29 March 1944

Crashed Beaufighter A8-89 of No. 22 Squadron RAAF Tarakan

Crashed Beaufighter TF.X NE831 PL-O of No. 144 Squadron RAF Dallachy

Crashed Beaufighter VIF Burma

Dallachy Wing at Langham 5 May 1945

Early Beaufighter at Filton

F/O J.S. Cummins standing in cockpit of "Eight Ball" July 1943. No. 404 Squadron RCAF

Night fighter Beaufighter SA-H of No. 456 Squadron RAAF Valley

Nose mounted armour plate of a Beaufighter, 489 Squadron

Pilot sitting in the cockpit of a Beaufighter

Prototype Beaufighter VIC X7543

RAAF Bristol Beaufighter Mk 21 A8-57 22 Sqn

SAAF Beaufighter attacking Trieste 23 March 1945

The TF.X SR9J9 was the final aircraft to be constructed at the Weston factory in 1944. This particular model was equipped with centimetric radar, which was housed within an extended nose section of the aircraft.

torpedo under a Beaufighter

Wg Cdr A. K. Gatward commander of No. 404 Squadron RCAF, Davidstow Moor 21 August 1944

Type

Roles: Two-seat long-range day and night fighter, reconnaissance fighter, torpedo-carrier, and bomber.

Wings

Design: Mid-wing cantilever all-metal monoplane with a three-section structure and a 5° dihedral.
Construction: Two spars with single-sheet webs, former ribs, and stressed-skin covering. Features split hydraulically-operated flaps and fabric-covered, metal-framed ailerons.

Fuselage

Structure: All-metal monocoque in three sections, using Z-section frames and L-section stringers covered with smooth metal skin.

Tail Unit

Design: Cantilever monoplane type with separate structures for tail-plane and fin, smooth metal skin except for wooden tips.
Control Surfaces: Metal-framed, fabric-covered rudder and elevators with controllable trim-tabs.

Landing Gear

Type: Retractable main gear raised backward into engine nacelles, with hydraulically operated doors. Tail-wheel retracts forward into the fuselage. Features twin brakes and oleo-pneumatic shock absorbers.

Power Plant

Engines: Two 1,600 hp Bristol Hercules XVII fourteen-cylinder radial air-cooled engines with two-speed superchargers and constant-speed airscrews.
Fuel System: Four self-sealing tanks (two central, two outer), with additional long-range tanks available. Separate oil tanks and coolers for each engine.

Accommodation

Crew: Two members (pilot and observer). Access through under-side hatches, which also serve as emergency exits along with other quick-release panels and windows.

Armament

Guns:
- Four 20 mm cannons in the nose.
- Six 0.303 in. machine-guns in the wings (varies with configuration).
- One rear-facing 0.303 in. Vickers gun in the observer's station.
Bombs/Torpedoes:
- Capacity for under-wing bombs or an 18-inch torpedo under the fuselage.
- Option for eight rocket projectiles or long-range fuel tanks instead of wing guns.

Equipment

Communication and Navigation: Radio equipment with remote controls, intercommunication systems, navigation aids, and identification equipment.
Emergency and Miscellaneous: Includes oxygen, fire-extinguishers, first-aid, emergency rations, dinghy, and additional provisions for desert operations.

Dimensions

Wingspan: 57 ft. 10 in. (17.65 m)
Length: 41 ft. 4 in. (12.6 m)
Height: 15 ft. 10 in. (4.84 m)

Weights

Mk. VI and XI:
- Tare weight: 14,875 lbs. (6,747 kg)
- Loaded weight: 22,779 lbs. (10,332 kg) with bombs.
Mk. X:
- Tare weight: 15,592 lbs. (7,072 kg)
- Loaded weight: 25,400 lbs. (11,521 kg) with a torpedo.

Performance

Mk. VI:
- Max speed: 315 mph (507 km/h) at 14,000 ft.
- Rate of climb: 2,000 ft/min (610 m/min)
- Service ceiling: 26,000 ft (7,930 m)
- Range: 1,540 miles (2,480 km) at 190 mph (305 km/h)
Mks. X and XI:
- Max speed: 320 mph (515 km/h) at 10,000 ft.
- Speed at sea level: 305 mph (491 km/h)
- Rate of climb (with torpedo): 1,600 ft/min (490 m/min)
- Service ceiling (without torpedo): 19,000 ft (5,795 m)
- Range (with torpedo): 1,400 miles (2,253 km), extendable to 1,750 miles (2,816 km) with long-range tanks.

These specifications emphasize the aircraft's adaptability, combining high speed, long range, and significant armament capabilities for various combat and reconnaissance roles.