Military Factory
Military Pay Chart
Global Firepower
Military Industrial Complex
Second World War
Home
Military Pay Scale
Military Ranks
Small Arms
Aircraft
Land Systems
Navy
Education
Military Factory Facebook Logo
flag of United Kingdom

Avro Manchester Heavy Bomber (1940)

Authored By Staff Writer | Last Updated: 8/7/2012

The development of the Avro Manchester led directly to the development of the outstanding Avro Lancaster.

Find a School Near You
Follow Military Factory on Facebook:
Trending on Military Factory:
Recent Articles:
Little MF Logo
Little MF Logo
Little MF Logo
Little MF Logo
Little MF Logo
Little MF Logo
Little MF Logo
Little MF Logo
Little MF Logo
Little MF Logo
The Avro Manchester was a semi-successful attempt by the Avro firm to fulfill Air Ministry Specification P.13/36. The specification called for a twin engine heavy bomber that could sport a multi-purpose payload of bombs or torpedoes. Unlike the Handley Page Halifax four engine offering - a bomber designed to the same Air Ministry Specification - the Manchester would see a shortened production run, short term service life and operational service rife with engine troubles. In the end, only 209 Manchesters would ever be completed, with production split between Avro (177) and Metropolitan-Vickers (32).

Outwardly, the Manchester was similar to other multi-engine Avro offerings during the Second World War (Lincoln, Shackleton, Lancaster). The twin engines were underslung on mid-mounted monoplane wings with dihedral outboard of the engines and main wheel undercarriage. The fuselage was of a mostly straight yet slender design from nose to tail. The flight deck maintained a good all-around vantage point and featured extensive framing. The empennage was dominated by the identifiable twin vertical fin arrangement common to other Avro designs. The initial production Manchester, however, sported a third vertical tail fin running between the base two and along the rear portion of the upper fuselage. The rear fuselage extended out beyond this assembly, which held the rear gunner's position.

Crew accommodations amounted to seven personnel. The aircraft was defended by 8 x 7.7mm (.303 caliber) Browning machine guns in various strategic emplacements. Two were fitted to the nose turret while the tail turret mounted no fewer than four of these weapons. The remaining two were positioned in a dorsal turret mounted to the rearward portion of the fuselage. From an offensive standpoint, the Manchester could field up to 10,350lbs of internally-held bombs or torpedoes (2).

Production model specs were quite pedestrian with a top reported speed of 250 miles per hour, a range of 1,200 miles and a service ceiling of just 19,500 feet.

Power for the Manchester was derived from the twin Rolls-Royce Vulture I 24-cylicnder X-type engines of 1,500 horsepower each (initially rated as high as 1,760 horsepower each). This selection of powerplant would eventually become the Manchesters undoing as the engines proved to have a nasty tendency to catch fire when in-flight. Though the same issue greeted the Handley Page Halifax design, forcing the Halifax to become a four-engine bomber utilizing the Rolls-Royce Merlin X series of engines, Avro continued the Manchester design with the Vulture series. By the series operation run, no fewer than 30 Manchesters were lost to engine failures effectively forcing the bomber out of service.

The first Manchester prototype, model L7246, took to the skies for the first time on July 25th, 1939. This aircraft was followed by a second prototype going airborne on May 26th, 1940. As mentioned above, the early Manchester sported a central tail fin, giving the aircraft a unique appearance in sporting three such surfaces. The Manchester entered production in this form as the Manchester Mk I model series but was delivered in only 20 such examples. Mk I aircraft joined No. 207 Squadron in November of 1940. Its first mission came about on February 24th, 1941. Manchester Mk IA's soon followed and were delivered in 200 total examples. These particular Manchesters differed in that they had their central tail fins removed in favor of enlarging the remaining two tail fins. In this form, the Manchester would be most oft-remembered.

At the height of its operational use, the Manchester formed at least eight bomber squadrons and was utilized by RAF Coastal Command as well. The last Manchester mission was recorded on June 25th, 1942. Production ended almost as soon as it had begun, wrapping up in November of 1941.

The Manchester II appeared as a proposed and improved model version of the Manchester series. These Manchester would have sported twin Bristol Centaurus or Napier Sabre engines to make up for the deficiencies inherent in the selected Rolls-Royce Vulture brand engines used in production Manchesters. Unfortunately for the Manchester and Avro, this model series was never produced.

A single Manchester Mk I was pulled aside to undergo a conversion to a new Manchester III standard. This new model design (BT308) featured a greater wingspan incorporating the power of four engines but still retaining the three vertical tail surfaces of the original Manchester. First flight of the recently-dubbed "Lancaster" aircraft was achieved on January 9th, 1941. A follow-up model, the DG595, was debuted shortly thereafter and featured the enlarged twin vertical tail fins of the Manchester IA. This "Manchester III" would essentially become the prototype model of the war winning Avro Lancaster series of multi-engine heavy bombers.

Canada became the only other Manchester operator during its short-lived service life. In all, the Manchester was a failed project in itself but the evolution of the system produced the fabulous Lancaster bomber series which formed the backbone of RAF bomber groups for the duration of the war. Lancasters went on to see production totals of over 7,300 examples with the last operational use of the type ending in 1963 under Canadian control. To that end, at the very least, the Manchester design was vindicated. Text ©2003-2013 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • No Reproduction Permitted
MilitaryFactory.com does NOT sell equipment/weaponry. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance or general operation. Please consult manufacturers for such information. Our disclaimer. Email corrections / Comments to MilitaryFactory at Gmail dot com.
Picture of Avro Manchester
Pic of the Avro Manchester
View All Images (2)

Specifications for the
Avro Manchester
Heavy Bomber


Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Manufacturer: Avro / Metropolitan-Vickers - UK
Initial Year of Service: 1940
Production: 209


Focus Model: Avro Manchester Mk I/IA
Crew: 7


Length: 70.01ft (21.34m)
Width: 90.09ft (27.46m)
Height: 19.49ft (5.94m)
Weight (Empty): 31,200lbs (14,152kg)
Weight (MTOW): 50,001lbs (22,680kg)


Powerplant: 2 x Rolls-Royce Vulture I 24-cylinder X-type engines developing 1,500hp each.


Maximum Speed: 250mph (402kmh; 217kts)
Maximum Range: 1,199miles (1,930km)
Service Ceiling: 19,199ft (5,852m; 3.6miles)
Rate-of-Climb: 0 feet per minute (0m/min)


Hardpoints: 0
Armament Suite:
2 x 7.7mm Browning machine guns in nose turret
2 x 7.7mm Browning machine guns in dorsal turret
4 x 7.7mm Browning machine guns in tail turret

Up to 10,350lbs of bombs or 2 x torpedoes held internally.


Variants:
Manchester L7246 - Prototype Model Designation; three-fin tail; two engines.

Manchester I - Initial Production Model; 20 examples produced.
Manchester IA - Definitive Manchester; enlarged tail surfaces sans central tail fin.
Manchester II - Proposed variant fitted with Bristol Centaurus OR Napier Sabre series engines; never produced.
Manchester III BT308 - Fitted with 4 x Merlin engines; three-fin tail; increased wingspan; becoming prototype of Avro Lancaster bomber.


Operators:
Canada; United Kingdom

ALL AIRCRAFT CATEGORIES

BY DECADE:


• 1900 to 1909
• 1910 to 1919
• 1920 to 1929
• 1930 to 1939
• 1940 to 1949
• 1950 to 1959
• 1960 to 1969
• 1970 to 1979
• 1980 to 1989
• 1990 to 1999
• 2000 to 2009
• 2010 to 2019
• 2020 to 2029
• VIEW ALL


BY TYPE:


• Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW)
• Attack Helicopters
• Bomber Aircraft
• Medium Bombers
• Heavy Bombers
• Close-Air Support (CAS)
• Commercial Aircraft
• Dive Bombers
• Electronic Warfare Aircraft (EWA)
• Experimental / X-Planes
• Fighter Aircraft
• Floatplane Aircraft
• Flying Boat Aircraft
• Aerial Refueling Tankers
• Helicopters (ALL)
• Interceptor Aircraft
• Multi-Role Aircraft
• Navy Carrier Aircraft
• Night Fighters
• Reconnaissance / Scout
• Search & Rescue (SAR)
• Scout Helicopters
• Special Purpose
• Torpedo Bombers
• Trainer Aircraft
• Transport Aircraft
• Transport Helicopters
• Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)
• Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles (UCAVs)


COLLECTIONS:


• 4th Generation Fighter Aircraft
• 5th Generation Fighter Aircraft
• US X-Planes
• Classic US Warbirds
• French Military Helicopters
• Grumman "Cats"
• Howard Hughes Aircraft
• Indian Air Force
• Israeli Air Force
• Libyan Aircraft
• Modern Chinese Aircraft
• Modern Chinese Fighters
• Modern Military Aircraft
• Modern North Korean Aircraft
• Modern Trainer Aircraft
• Modern US Aircraft
• Mikoyan Aircraft
• Sukhoi Aircraft
• Syrian Aircraft
• Top 10 Fighter Aircraft of All Time


AIRCRAFT BY CONFLICT:


• Arab-Israeli War (1948)
• Cuban Missile Crisis (1959-1962)
• Falklands War (1982)
• Indo-Pak War (1965, 1971)
• Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988)
• Lebanon War (1982)
• Operation Allied Force (1999)
• Operation Desert Storm (1991)
• Six Day War (1967)
• Spanish Civil War (1936)
• Soviet-Afghan War (1979-1989)
• Yom Kippur War (1973)


MISCELLANEOUS:


• Aircraft Cockpit Pictures
• Aircraft Comparison Tool
• Aircraft Manufacturers
• Aircraft Production Totals
• Aircraft Timeline

WORLD WAR 2:


• 1939 Aircraft
• 1940 Aircraft
• 1941 Aircraft
• 1942 Aircraft
• 1943 Aircraft
• 1944 Aircraft
• 1945 Aircraft
• 1946 Aircraft
• Australian Aircraft
• Battle of Britain Aircraft
• Bombers
• Four-Engine Bombers
• British Aircraft
• British Bombers
• British Transports
• Dive Bombers
• Canadian Aircraft
• Fighters
• Chinese Aircraft
• French Aircraft
• German Aircraft
• German Fighters
• German Flying Boats
• German Jets
• Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe
• Italian Aircraft
• Imperial Japanese Aircraft
• Imperial Japanese Fighters
• Mitsubishi Bombers
• Navy Aircraft
• Pearl Harbor
• Polish Aircraft
• Romanian Aircraft
• US Aircraft
• US Bombers
• US Navy Aircraft
• Soviet Aircraft
• Torpedo Bombers
• Trainer Aircraft
• Transport Aircraft
• Tuskegee Airmen Aircraft
• W.A.S.P. Aircraft
• WW2 Aircraft Ranked by Speed
• VIEW ALL


WORLD WAR 1:


• 1914 Aircraft
• 1915 Aircraft
• 1916 Aircraft
• 1917 Aircraft
• 1918 Aircraft
• Aircraft Timeline
• Austro-Hungarian Aircraft
• Bomber Aircraft
• British Aircraft
• Fighters
• Flying Boats
• French Aircraft
• Imperial German Aircraft
• Italian Aircraft
• Scout Aircraft
• Russian Empire Aircraft
• US Aircraft
• WW1 Aircraft Ranked by Speed
• VIEW ALL


KOREAN WAR:


• Australian Aircraft
• Korean War Aces
• Korean War Jets
• North Korean Aircraft
• US Military Aircraft
• VIEW ALL


VIETNAM WAR:


• Helicopters (ALL)
• Transport Helicopters
• North Vietnam Air Force
• US Airpower
• VIEW ALL


COLD WAR:


• 1950s French Aircraft
• British V-Bombers
• Cold War Bombers
• Soviet Aircraft
• Soviet Bombers
• Soviet Interceptors
• Soviet Helicopters
• Strategic Air Command
• US Aircraft
• US Bombers
• US Interceptors
• VIEW ALL
Site Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Site Map | MF Origins


©2013 www.MilitaryFactory.com • Content ©2003-2013 MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Site Contact Email: militaryfactory at gmail dot com. The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® trademarks and protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws.


Top MF Stuff: 2013 Military Pay Scale | Military Ranks | WW2 Weapons | Sniper Rifles | Kts to Mph | WW1 Aircraft | Automatic Rifles | Aircraft Cockpits | Vietnam War Weapons | Main Battle Tanks | Submachine Guns | Shotguns | French Military Victories


Most photographic images appearing on this site are courtesy of the United States Department of Defense and are approved for public use. Other images acquired through the public domain. Digital art work courtesy of Dan Alex. Business Consulting by Kyle Williams. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance or general operation. Please consult manufacturers for such information.


eXTReMe Tracker