Armstrong Whitworth Whitley

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armstr...tworth_Whitley

The Armstrong Whitworth A.W.38 Whitley was one of three British twin-engined
front line medium bomber types that were in service with the Royal Air Force
(RAF) at the outbreak of the Second World War. Alongside the Vickers Wellington
and the Handley Page Hampden, the Whitley was developed during the mid-1930s
according to Air Ministry Specification B.3/34, which it was subsequently
selected to meet. In 1937, the Whitley formally entered into RAF squadron
service, it was the first of the three medium bombers to be introduced.

Following the outbreak of war in September 1939, the Whitley participated in the
first RAF bombing raid upon German territory and remained an integral part of
the early British bomber offensive until the introduction of four-engined
"heavies".[2] Its front line service included maritime reconnaissance with
Coastal Command and the second line roles of glider-tug, trainer and transport
aircraft. The type was also procured by British Overseas Airways Corporation
(BOAC) as a civilian freighter aircraft. The aircraft was named after Whitley, a
suburb of Coventry, home of one of Armstrong Whitworth's plants.


Role
Night bomber

National origin
United Kingdom

Manufacturer
Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft

Designer
John Lloyd

First flight
17 March 1936

Introduction
1937

Retired
1945

Status
Retired

Primary user
Royal Air Force

Number built
1,814[1]

Developed from
Armstrong Whitworth AW.23

On 9 March 1937, the Whitley Mk I began entering squadron service with No. 10
Squadron of the RAF, replacing their Handley Page Heyford biplanes.[18][19] In
January 1938, the Whitley Mk II first entered squadron service with No. 58
Squadron; and in August 1938, the Whitley Mk III first entered service with No.
51 Squadron.[19] In May 1939, the Whitley Mk IV first entered service with No.
10 Squadron; and in August 1939, the Whitley Mk IVA first entered service with
No. 78 Squadron.[19] By the outbreak of the Second World War, a total of seven
squadrons were operational, the majority of these flying Whitley III or IV
aircraft, while the Whitley V had only just been introduced to service; a total
of 196 Whitleys were on charge with the RAF.

On the night of 29/30 April 1942, the last operational mission by a Whitley
squadron, the bombing of the Port of Ostend in Belgium, was performed by No. 58
Squadron.[26] In late 1942, the Whitley was retired from front line service;
however, the type continued to operate as a transport for troops and freight, as
well as for paratroop training and towing gliders.[27] In 1940, the Whitley had
been selected as the standard paratroop transport; in this role, the ventral
turret aperture was commonly modified to be used for the egress of
paratroopers.[26] No. 100 Group RAF used Whitleys as an airborne platform to
carry airborne radar and electronic counter-measures. In February 1942, Whitleys
were used to carry the paratroopers who participated in the Bruneval raid, code
named Operation Biting, in which German radar technology was captured from a
German base on the coast of France.

Specifications (Whitley Mk V)

General characteristics
Crew: 5
Length: 70 ft 6 in (21.49 m)
Wingspan: 84 ft (25.60 m)
Height: 15 ft (4.57 m)
Wing area: 1,137 ft² (106 m²)
Empty weight: 19,300 lb (8,768 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 33,500 lb (15,196 kg)
Powerplant: 2 × Rolls-Royce Merlin X liquid-cooled V12 engine, 1,145 hp (855 kW)
each

Performance
Maximum speed: 200 kn (230 mph, 370 km/h) at 16,400 ft (5,000 m)
Range: 1,430 nmi (1,650 mi, 2,650 km)
Ferry range: 2,100 nmi (2,400 mi, 3,900 km)
Service ceiling: 26,000 ft (7,900 m)
Rate of climb: 800 ft/min (4.1 m/s)
Max. wing loading: 29.5 lb/ft² (143 kg/m²)
Minimum power/mass: 0.684 hp/lb (112 W/kg)

Armament

Guns:
1 × .303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers K machine gun in nose turret
4 × .303 in Browning machine guns in tail turret

Bombs: Up to 7,000 lb (3,175 kg) of bombs in the fuselage and 14 individual
cells in the wings, typically including 12 × 250 lb (113 kg) and
2 × 500 lb (227 kg) bombs
Bombs as heavy as 2,000 lb (907 kg) could be carried




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