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From: Miloch <Miloch_member@newsguy.com>
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Subject: Armstrong Whitworth Whitley
Date: 28 Aug 2016 08:39:35 -0700
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armstrong_Whitworth_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)
Empty weight: 19,300 lb (8,768 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 33,500 lb (15,196 kg)
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)
Minimum power/mass: 0.684 hp/lb (112 W/kg)
Armament
Guns:
Bombs: Up to 7,000 lb (3,175 kg) of bombs in the fuselage and 14 individual
Bombs as heavy as 2,000 lb (907 kg) could be carried
*
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