Australian Beaufort Mk VIII A9-700 over Sydney Harbour 944
Beaufort Production in Australia
Even before the war began, the Beaufort was identified as the ideal aircraft to meet Australia’s coastal defense needs. In March 1939, it was decided that Australia would build Beauforts for both the RAAF and overseas-based RAF units.
Initial Stages:
- To assist with local production, Bristol promised to provide two complete airframes and 20 sets of airframe parts, as well as training for 78 key Australian personnel. 20 Bristol staff were also sent to Australia to assist with the process.
- Bristol shipped Beaufort L4448, built without engines, to Australia on October 20, 1939.
- Component production would be divided between plants in southeastern Australia, and final assembly would occur at Fishermen’s Bend in Victoria and Mascot, New South Wales, all under the supervision of the Beaufort Division of the Department of Aircraft Production (DAP).
Engine Changes and Delays:
- In April 1940, the decision was made to equip all Australian Beauforts with Twin Wasp engines, so L4448 had to be converted.
- Britain’s wartime situation led to an embargo on strategic materials, which slowed the completion of L4448 and prevented the delivery of the second promised airframe, L9811.
- The bombing of Bristol’s factories and the sinking of ships carrying supplies from the UK and USA also caused delays. Australia had to import key items such as engines and propellers until local production began.
First Flights and Production Models:
- L4448 finally made its first flight on May 5, 1941.
- The first Australian Beaufort built from imported parts, T9540, flew on August 22, 1941, achieving a top speed of 271 mph during testing. This was the first aircraft built as part of the RAF order.
- Production at Mascot was delayed, and their first Beaufort, T9545, didn’t fly until October 20, 1941. That same month, the first deliveries to 100 Squadron, the RAF’s Australian detachment, began.
- Most Australian Beauforts were built as GR Bombers, though some were completed to GR Torpedo standard, all designated Mk II.
- When the UK allocated its order of 90 Beauforts to Australia, the RAAF changed to the A9- series of serial numbers, though the order was not completed before this change.
Key Differences from British Beauforts:
- Australian production generally followed the same design and construction as the British Beauforts, with the most significant change being the enlargement of the fin from 11.4 sq ft to 14.3 sq ft to improve stability.
- Fully enclosed mainwheels were achieved with the addition of doors at the rear of the engine nacelles.
- The use of ball bearings was reduced by about half.
Armament and Other Features:
- Most Australian Beauforts were fitted with the semi-circular trailing edge extensions commonly found on Taurus-engined machines, though this was deemed unnecessary and removed from later models.
- Like British Beauforts, Australian-built planes had chin guns fitted and later removed, as well as changes to the nose guns and gun turret.
- The DAP also added a forward-firing Vickers K gun, placed in a glazed section of the cabin roof above the beam guns.
By the summer of 1942, Beauforts were participating in the war effort, and they successfully used their torpedoes against the Japanese invasion fleet at Normanby Island. They also participated in long-range attacks on Japanese shipping from the Solomans to Northern New Guinea and Timor. When Beaufort production ended in Australia, 46 of the final production batch were converted to unarmed Beaufort IX transports.