torpedo under a Beaufighter
Beaufighter TT Mk 10 NT913
SAAF Beaufighter attacking Trieste 23 March 1945
RAAF Bristol Beaufighter Mk 21 A8-57 22 Sqn
Beaufighter Mk 21
Prototype Beaufighter VIC X7543
Beaufighter Mk.I R2058
Pilot sitting in the cockpit of a Beaufighter
Nose mounted armour plate of a Beaufighter, 489 Squadron
Beaufighters 307 and 308 at Filton, Dominican AF
Bristol Beaufighter X EL223/G in flight
Beaufighter X with 200-gallon drop tank
Belgium 1944-45
Beaufighter Mk IF code PN-L of No 252 Squadron RAF
Bristol Beaufighter I
Beaufighter X
Beaufighter X7543 Mk VI prototype 3
Beaufighter X7543 Mk VI prototype
Beaufighter X7543 Mk VI prototype 2
Beaufighter wreck Libya
Wg Cdr A. K. Gatward commander of No. 404 Squadron RCAF, Davidstow Moor 21 August 1944
Beaufighter VI JL832 with torpedo 144 Sqn
Beaufighter VI with four Hispano cannon ports in the lower fuselage and the nose-mounted strike camera.
Beaufighter VI of No. 254 Squadron RAF
Beaufighter VIF X7883, January 1942
Beaufighter VIF V8380 of No. 89 Squadron RAF camouflaged for night operations, taxis along an Castel Benito airstrip.
Crashed Beaufighter VIF Burma
Beaufighter VIF after forced landing on the beach airstrip at Nidania
Beaufighter VIF of No. 406 Squadron RCAF Predannack
Beaufighter VIF 406 RCAF Sqn
Beaufighter IF of 307 Sqn, General Sikorski landing at Exeter
Beaufighter VIF KZ-R of No. 287 Squadron RAF at Locking
Beaufighter VIC of No. 404 Squadron RCAF Tain
F/O J.S. Cummins standing in cockpit of “Eight Ball” July 1943. No. 404 Squadron RCAF
Beaufighter Ic Vichy, ex PN-F 252 Sqn RAF
Captured Beaufighter T3229 Vichy
Beaufighter torpedo
Beaufighter TT.10 1956
Beaufighter TF X RD367 27 Sqn SEAC
The TF.X SR9J9 was the final aircraft to be constructed at the Weston factory in 1944. This particular model was equipped with centimetric radar, which was housed within an extended nose section of the aircraft.
Beaufighter TF.X NT961 of No. 144 Squadron RAF at Dallachy
Crashed Beaufighter TF.X NE831 PL-O of No. 144 Squadron RAF Dallachy
Beaufighter TF.X LZ414 of No. 254 Squadron RAF 1943
Beaufighter TF.X May 1943 in flight
Bristol Beaufighter TFX cockpit
Beaufighter tail damaged by Flak
Beaufighter T4828 of No. 252 Squadron RAF, 1942
Beaufighter T4636 NG-F of No. 604 Squadron RAF
Beaufighter strike Norway 144 Sqn
Beaufighter flyers report to RAAF 30 Squadron Leader Hank Henry at their base in Australia 1943
Beaufighter of RAAF
Beaufighter R2081 of No. 25 Squadron RAF
Beaufighter R2186
Beaufighter RAAF 30 Sqn “Goofy” F/Sgt Woolcott and Sgt Hasenohr 1943
Beaufighter R2069 of No. 25 Squadron RAF
Beaufighter R2069 25 Sqn, North Weald, September 1940
Beaufighter If R2069 25 Sqn, 1940
Beaufighter PN-B 252 Sqn July 1941
Beaufighter P6-X of of No. 489 (NZ) Squadron RAF
Beaufighter NE355 404 Sqn Davidstow Moor 21 August 1944
Beaufighter NE209 of No. 489 (NZ) Squadron RAF
Beaufighter Mk VI F V8526 factory new
Beaufighter Mk VIF V8388 in Sicily
Beaufighter Mk VIF
Beaufighter LZ
Beaufighter Luqa airfield Malta
Beaufighter JL832 489 Scotland 1943
Beaufighter Italy
Beaufighter VIc JL730 227 Sqn Sidi Magrum July 1943
Beaufighter II Prototype R2058 2
Beaufighter II Prototype R2058
Beaufighter IIF T3144
Beaufighter IIF T3032
Beaufighter IIF September 1941
Beaufighter IF X7842 WM-P of No. 68 Squadron RAF
Beaufighter IC T5040 of No. 252 Squadron RAF, Edcu March 1943
Beaufighter IC T5040 of No. 252 Squadron RAF, Edcu March 1943
Beaufighter fully loaded with its torpedo 489 Squadron, 1943
Beaufighter fires a salvo of rockets at an enemy ship, No. 489 (NZ) Squadron RAF
Dallachy Wing at Langham 5 May 1945
Convoy attack 29 March 1944
Beaufighter Coastal Command
Early Beaufighter at Filton
Beaufighter attack 404 Squadron RCAF off Royan, 13 August 1944
Beaufighter attack 404 Squadron RCAF, Skagerrak 15 October 1944
Beaufighter attack of No. 236 Squadron RAF 24 July 1944
Crashed Beaufighter A8-89 of No. 22 Squadron RAAF Tarakan
Beaufighter A8-89 22 Sqn, Tarakan 29 June 1945
Beaufighter Mk 21 A8-57 of No. 22 Squadron RAAF
Beaufighter A8-144 LY-D of No. 30 Squadron RAAF Morotai 1945
1st Mk 21 Beaufighter A8-1 Fisherman’s Bend factory, 26 May 1944
Beaufighter A8-124 “Marge” of No. 93 Squadron RAAF, crashed Labuan 30 August 1945
Beaufighter A19-2 ex T4921 at DAP Fisherman’s Bend factory
Beaufighter A19-26 ex T4978, Wagga NSW 1943
Beaufighter A19-120 ex T5338, code LY-H 30 Sqn, 26 December 1943
Beaufighter A19-134 ex JL854 LY-B 30 Sqn 16 December 1943
Beaufighter 5 Middle East Training School Egypt
Beaufighter gun camera, No. 489 (NZ) Squadron RAF
Night fighter Beaufighter SA-H of No. 456 Squadron RAAF Valley
Beaufighter VI Italy 1944
Beaufighter Mk I X7873 “4” of No. 46 Squadron RAF
Beaufighter Mk IF R2198 code PN-B of No 252 Squadron RAF
Beaufighter 22 Sqn RAAF
Beaufighter 21 A8-118 No. 22 Squadron RAAF 1945
Beaufighter of No. 16 Squadron SAAF
Beaufighter of No. 16 Squadron SAAF, Yugoslavia
Beaufighter of No. 143 Squadron RAF “Dallachy Strike Wing” April 1944
Beaufighter Convoy attack
Beaufighter Convoy attack
Beaufighter X of No. 143 Squadron RAF
Beaufighters attacking ships off The Naze 489 Squadron
Beaufighters attacking ships off The Naze 489 Squadron RAF
Beaufighters of No. 236 Squadron RAF 1944
Australian Beaufighter Blasts Japanese Planes at Madang Airport 1943
Attack of North Coates Wing
Attack in the Aegean March 1944
Beaufighter VI JL832 “A” of No 144 Squadron RAF 25 April 1943
Cockpit of Beaufighter, 489 Squadron
Beaufighter P6-S escorted by Polish P-51 PK-W, 315 Squadron
Type
- Roles: Two-seat long-range day and night fighter, reconnaissance fighter, torpedo-carrier, and bomber.
Wings
- Design: Mid-wing cantilever all-metal monoplane with a three-section structure and a 5° dihedral.
- Construction: Two spars with single-sheet webs, former ribs, and stressed-skin covering. Features split hydraulically-operated flaps and fabric-covered, metal-framed ailerons.
Fuselage
- Structure: All-metal monocoque in three sections, using Z-section frames and L-section stringers covered with smooth metal skin.
Tail Unit
- Design: Cantilever monoplane type with separate structures for tail-plane and fin, smooth metal skin except for wooden tips.
- Control Surfaces: Metal-framed, fabric-covered rudder and elevators with controllable trim-tabs.
Landing Gear
- Type: Retractable main gear raised backward into engine nacelles, with hydraulically operated doors. Tail-wheel retracts forward into the fuselage. Features twin brakes and oleo-pneumatic shock absorbers.
Power Plant
- Engines: Two 1,600 hp Bristol Hercules XVII fourteen-cylinder radial air-cooled engines with two-speed superchargers and constant-speed airscrews.
- Fuel System: Four self-sealing tanks (two central, two outer), with additional long-range tanks available. Separate oil tanks and coolers for each engine.
Accommodation
- Crew: Two members (pilot and observer). Access through under-side hatches, which also serve as emergency exits along with other quick-release panels and windows.
Armament
- Guns:
- Four 20 mm cannons in the nose.
- Six 0.303 in. machine-guns in the wings (varies with configuration).
- One rear-facing 0.303 in. Vickers gun in the observer’s station.
- Bombs/Torpedoes:
- Capacity for under-wing bombs or an 18-inch torpedo under the fuselage.
- Option for eight rocket projectiles or long-range fuel tanks instead of wing guns.
Equipment
- Communication and Navigation: Radio equipment with remote controls, intercommunication systems, navigation aids, and identification equipment.
- Emergency and Miscellaneous: Includes oxygen, fire-extinguishers, first-aid, emergency rations, dinghy, and additional provisions for desert operations.
Dimensions
- Wingspan: 57 ft. 10 in. (17.65 m)
- Length: 41 ft. 4 in. (12.6 m)
- Height: 15 ft. 10 in. (4.84 m)
Weights
- Mk. VI and XI:
- Tare weight: 14,875 lbs. (6,747 kg)
- Loaded weight: 22,779 lbs. (10,332 kg) with bombs.
- Mk. X:
- Tare weight: 15,592 lbs. (7,072 kg)
- Loaded weight: 25,400 lbs. (11,521 kg) with a torpedo.
Performance
- Mk. VI:
- Max speed: 315 mph (507 km/h) at 14,000 ft.
- Rate of climb: 2,000 ft/min (610 m/min)
- Service ceiling: 26,000 ft (7,930 m)
- Range: 1,540 miles (2,480 km) at 190 mph (305 km/h)
- Mks. X and XI:
- Max speed: 320 mph (515 km/h) at 10,000 ft.
- Speed at sea level: 305 mph (491 km/h)
- Rate of climb (with torpedo): 1,600 ft/min (490 m/min)
- Service ceiling (without torpedo): 19,000 ft (5,795 m)
- Range (with torpedo): 1,400 miles (2,253 km), extendable to 1,750 miles (2,816 km) with long-range tanks.
These specifications emphasize the aircraft’s adaptability, combining high speed, long range, and significant armament capabilities for various combat and reconnaissance roles.