Bristol Buckingham

The Bristol Type 163 Buckingham was a British Second World War medium bomber for the Royal Air Force (RAF). Overtaken by events, it was built in small numbers and was used primarily for transport and liaison duties.

Design and development

In early 1939 Bristol suggested a bomber variant of the Beaufighter with their Hercules engines. British policy at the time was for medium bombers to be obtained from the US allowing British industry to concentrate on heavy bomber designs; nonetheless a design was requested preferably based on an existing aircraft. This meant working with the Beaufighter or Beaufort. Bristol worked on their design first as the Bristol Type 161 then the Type 162 Beaumont.

Air Ministry specification B.7/40 called for a medium bomber to replace the Blenheim. The specification stipulated a speed of at least 300 mph at 5,000 ft, a normal load of 1,000 lb of bombs and a centre turret armed with at least two 0.5 inch (12.7 mm) machine guns. Only one manufacturer (Armstrong Whitworth) tendered a full design but it did not meet with approval. So when Bristol brought their Type 162 ("tentatively named Beaumont"), which was well matched to B.7/40, to the Air Staff, the company received a request to complete a mockup in 1940 and then a confirmed contract for three prototypes in February 1941. The Beaumont was based on the rear fuselage and tail of a Beaufighter, with a new centre and front fuselage. The armament was a mid-upper turret with four machine guns, with four more machine guns firing forward and two firing to the rear.

Construction began in late 1940, with a new Air Ministry Specification B.2/41 to be written around it. Changes in the requirements, removing dive bombing and "direct army support" which incoming US bombers were expected to be capable of and increasing the performance to allow for the future, meant the Beaumont would no longer suffice. The changes in performance (requiring a bomb load of 4,000 lb, a speed of 360 mph and a range of 1,600 miles) meant a redesign by Bristol to use the Bristol Centaurus engine. This was part of an attempt to give all the crew positions unobstructed views and access to each other's positions. The bomb bay could hold a 4,000 lb, two 2,000 lb, four 1,000 lb or six 500-lb bombs. The rear of the gondola had a hydraulically powered turret with two 0.303 Browning machine guns. The Bristol-designed dorsal turret carried four Brownings. A further four fixed, forward-firing Brownings were controlled by the pilot. During testing, the Buckingham exhibited poor stability which led to the enlargement of the twin fins, along with other modifications.

Once the Buckingham's handling problems were revealed, it was realised that the type was of little use. As a result, it was cancelled in August 1944. To keep the Bristol workforce together, for later production of the Brigand and the Hawker Tempest, a batch of 119 were built. Uses for the aircraft were sought and a conversion to a communications aircraft was devised.

After the first 54 had been built as bombers, the remainder were converted for high-speed courier duties with RAF Transport Command. The gun installations were removed and four seats and windows fitted in the fuselage. The aircraft was named Buckingham C.1. Despite its 300 mph (480 km/h) speed and superior range to the Mosquito transports, with room for only four passengers, the Buckingham was rarely put to use. Considered the "highest performance trainer in the RAF," the Buckmaster continued to serve as a trainer until its retirement in the mid-1950s.

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Powerplant

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|eng1 number=2

|eng1 name=Bristol Centaurus VII

|eng1 type=18-cylinder air-cooled sleeve-valve piston engines

|eng1 hp=2520

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|prop blade number=4

|prop name=constant-speed propellers

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Performance

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|max speed mph=336

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|range miles=2300

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|ferry range miles=3000

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|wing loading lb/sqft=48

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References

Notes

Bibliography

Buttler, Tony. British Secret Projects: Fighters and Bombers 1935–1950. Hinckley: Midland Publishing, 2004. .
Buttler, Tony. "Left Behind By Progress: The Bristol Buckingham". Air International, Vol, 52, No 3, March 1997, pp. 182–187. .
Mondey, David. The Hamlyn Concise Guide to British Aircraft of World War II. London: Aerospace Publishing., 1982 (reprint 1994). .
"Two of a Trio: The Bristol Buckingham Fast Day or Night Bomber and the Brigand Long-range Attack Monoplane." Flight, 13 December 1945.
Winchester, Jim. The World's Worst Aircraft: From Pioneering Failures to Multimillion Dollar Disasters. London: Amber Books., 2005. .

External links

Bristol Type 163 Buckingham

Design and development

See also

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links