Vickers Warwick

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vickers_Warwick

The Vickers Warwick was a multi-purpose twin-engined British aircraft developed
and operated during the Second World War. In line with the naming convention
followed by other RAF heavy bombers of the era, it was named after a British
city or town, in this case Warwick. The Warwick was the largest British
twin-engined aircraft to see use during the Second World War.

The Warwick was designed and manufactured by Vickers-Armstrongs during the late
1930s. It was intended to serve as a larger counterpart to the firm's successful
Wellington bomber; as such, the two aircraft share similar construction and
design principles. However, unlike the smaller Wellington bomber, development of
the Warwick was protracted by a lack of suitable high-powered engines with which
to power the type. While the maiden flight occurred on 13 August 1939, delays to
its intended powerplant, the Napier Sabre engine, led to alternatives being
explored in the form of the Bristol Centaurus and Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double
Wasp radial engines. By the time capable engines were available, rapid advances
in the field of aviation had undermined the potency of the design in the face of
the fighters of the Luftwaffe.

While the Warwick did enter quantity production during 1942 and squadron service
with the Royal Air Force (RAF) shortly thereafter, it had been made effectively
redundant in the bomber role by aircraft of rival firms, thus barely more than a
dozen aircraft were configured as bombers. Instead, the type was placed into
operational use by the RAF in various other capacities, such as under RAF
Transport Command for transport duties, in addition to its adoption by RAF
Coastal Command as an air-sea rescue and maritime reconnaissance platform. The
Warwick was also adopted by the Polish Air Forces in exile in Great Britain and
the South African Air Force. A civil operator, the British Overseas Airways
Corporation (BOAC), also operated a handful of Warwicks.

The Warwick was designed in parallel with the smaller Wellington, both aircraft
having been derived from the Vickers Type 271 design developed to conform with
the demands of Specification B.9/32. By the end of July 1935, the Air Ministry
was able to consider eight designs; the design proposed by Vickers, designated
as the 284, powered by a pair of Bristol Hercules engines, had generously
exceeded the specifications' requirements. Accordingly, on 7 October 1935,
Vickers received an order for a single prototype to be produced; the Air
Ministry also ordered prototypes of the designs tendered by Armstrong Whitworth
(known as the AW.39, a development of the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley) and
Handley Page (known as HP.55). However, prior to these alternative designs being
built, they were cancelled - both Handley Page and Armstrong Whitworth
preferring to work upon the newer specifications released for medium (P.13/36)
and heavy (B.12/36) bombers.


Role
Maritime reconnaissance, air-sea rescue, transport

Manufacturer
Vickers-Armstrongs

First flight
13 August 1939

Primary users
Royal Air Force (RAF)
South African Air Force
Polish Air Force in exile
BOAC

Number built
846

Developed from
Vickers B.9/32

The first production Warwick B Mk I was delivered to the RAF for testing at the
Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment, Boscombe Down on 3 July 1942.
On 28 January 1942, this first aircraft was lost, reportedly due to fabric
panels on the wings which had come loose. The second production Warwick promptly
took its place in flying trials; on 18 February 1943, it too was destroyed, by a
fire which began in the starboard engine.

Only 16 aircraft were delivered as bombers, as by this time more capable
four-engined heavy bombers such as the Short Stirling and Handley Page Halifax
were in service. Those Warwicks that were delivered in the bomber configuration
saw little use as such, instead being used to investigate various technical
features and issues, including navigational equipment, engine performance, role
suitability, and air-deployable lifeboats. It soon became clear that the
Warwick, with its spacious fuselage and long range, would be well suited to
utility roles. In January 1943, the Air Staff decided that the Warwick would
serve as the predominant platform for transport and air-sea rescue.

Early testing showed the Warwick to be under-powered and with severe handling
problems, especially when flown on a single engine. Accordingly, stability and
control trials commenced with the third production Warwick, which yielded
acceptable handling during single engine operations when outfitted with a new
bulged rudder. The version of Double Wasp fitted to early models proved
extremely unreliable with many in-flight failures; later versions fitted with
the Centaurus engine had better performance but the handling problems were never
solved.

The Warwick was subsequently considered for transport and air-sea rescue roles,
and BV243 was successfully converted into a transport to serve as a trial
aircraft. An additional 13 Mk Is were converted on the production line as C Mk I
transports for use by BOAC. BOAC's Warwicks were used briefly on its Middle East
services before being transferred back to RAF Transport Command in 1944. One
hundred similar aircraft were built for the RAF as Warwick C Mk IIIs, and
entered service with 525 Squadron in June 1944, with three more squadrons
operating the Warwick III. They were mainly used in the Mediterranean theatre,
as the vulnerability of the fabric skinning to high temperature and humidity
stopped plans to operate the Warwick in the Far East, the model remaining in use
until retired in 1946.

Specifications (Warwick ASR Mk I)

General characteristics
Crew: six
Length: 72 ft 3 in (22.00 m)
Wingspan: 96 ft 8½ in (29.48 m)
Height: 18 ft 6 in (5.6 m)
Wing area: 1,006 ft² (93.5 m²)
Empty weight: 28,154 lb (12,797 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 45,000 lb (20,455 kg)
Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney R-2800/S.1A4-G "Double Wasp" radial piston
engine, 1,850 hp (1,380 kW each) each

Performance
Maximum speed: 224 mph (195 knots, 361 km/h)
Range: 2,300 miles (2,000 NM, 3,700 km)
Service ceiling: 21,500 ft (6,550 m)
Rate of climb: 660 ft/min (3.35 m/s)

Armament

Guns: 8 x .303 (7.7 mm) Browning machine guns in three turrets



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