Lockheed Hudson

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

The Lockheed Hudson was an American-built light bomber and coastal
reconnaissance aircraft built initially for the Royal Air Force shortly before
the outbreak of the Second World War and primarily operated by the RAF
thereafter. The Hudson was the first significant aircraft construction contract
for the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation—the initial RAF order for 200 Hudsons far
surpassed any previous order the company had received. The Hudson served
throughout the war, mainly with Coastal Command but also in transport and
training roles as well as delivering agents into occupied France. They were also
used extensively with the Royal Canadian Air Force's anti-submarine squadrons
and by the Royal Australian Air Force.

In late 1937 Lockheed sent a cutaway drawing of the Model 14 to various
publications, showing the new aircraft as a civilian aircraft and converted to a
light bomber. This attracted the interest of various air forces and in 1938, the
British Purchasing Commission sought an American maritime patrol aircraft for
the United Kingdom to support the Avro Anson. On 10 December 1938, Lockheed
demonstrated a modified version of the Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra
commercial airliner, which swiftly went into production as the Hudson Mk I.

Role Bomber, reconnaissance aircraft
Manufacturer Lockheed
Designer Clarence "Kelly" Johnson
First flight 10 December 1938
Introduction 1939
Primary users Royal Air Force
Royal Canadian Air Force
Royal Australian Air Force
United States Army Air Forces
Produced 1938–1943
Number built 2,941
Developed from Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra

By February 1939, RAF Hudsons began to be delivered, initially equipping No. 224
Squadron RAF at RAF Leuchars, Scotland in May 1939. By the start of the war in
September, 78 Hudsons were in service.[7] Due to the United States' neutrality
at that time, early series aircraft were flown to the Canadian border, landed,
and then towed on their wheels over the border into Canada by tractors or horse
drawn teams, before then being flown to Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF)
airfields where they were then dismantled and "cocooned" for transport as deck
cargo, by ship to Liverpool. The Hudsons were supplied without the Boulton Paul
dorsal turret, which was installed on arrival in the United Kingdom.

Although later outclassed by larger bombers, the Hudson achieved some
significant feats during the first half of the war. On 8 October 1939, over
Jutland, a Hudson became the first Allied aircraft operating from the British
Isles to shoot down an enemy aircraft[8] (earlier victories by a Fairey Battle
on 20 September 1939 over Aachen and by Blackburn Skuas of the Fleet Air Arm on
26 September 1939 had been by aircraft based in France or on an aircraft
carrier). Hudsons also provided top cover during the Battle of Dunkirk.

Postwar, numbers of Hudsons were sold by the military for civil operation as
airliners and survey aircraft. In Australia, East-West Airlines of Tamworth, New
South Wales (NSW), operated four Hudsons on scheduled services from Tamworth to
many towns in NSW and Queensland between 1950 and 1955.[16] Adastra Aerial
Surveys based at Sydney's Mascot Airport operated seven L-414s between 1950 and
1972 on air taxi, survey and photographic flights.[17]

A total of 2,941 Hudsons were built

Specifications (Hudson Mk I)

General characteristics
Crew: 6
Length: 44 ft 4 in (13.51 m)
Wingspan: 65 ft 6 in (19.96 m)
Height: 11 ft 10 in (3.62 m)
Wing area: 551 ft² (51.2 m²)
Empty weight: 12,000 lb (5,400 kg)
Loaded weight: 17,500 lb (7,930 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 18,500 lb (8,390 kg)
Powerplant: 2 × Wright Cyclone 9-cylinder radial engines, 1,100 hp (820 kW) each

Performance
Maximum speed: 218 kt (246 mph, 397 km/h)
Range: 1,700 nm (1,960 mi, 3,150 km)
Service ceiling: 24,500 ft (7,470 m)
Rate of climb: 1,200 ft/min (6.2 m/s)

Armament
Guns:
2 × .303 in (7.7 mm) Browning machine guns in dorsal turret
2× .303 Browning machine guns in nose
Bombs: 750 lb (340 kg) of bombs or depth charges




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