Bristol Beaufort

Torpedo Bomber Aircraft [ 1940 ]

The Bristol-brand Beaufort served as the RAFs principle torpedo bomber from 1940-1943, then replaced by the more capable Beaufighter.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 09/20/2016 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

Angled right side view of a Bristol Beaufort in flight

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The Bristol Beaufort enjoyed a strong run between the war years of 1940-1943 as the primary British torpedo bomber in service. Designed as the successor to the aged biplane Vildebeest design by Vickers, the Beaufort saw success in the role until being eventually replaced itself by the more capable Bristol-brand Beaufighter. Nevertheless, the Beaufort would be used in good number throughout a number of fronts that would include the Pacific Theater, the Middle East and the Mediterranean.

The Bristol Beaufighter featured accommodations for four personnel. The twin engine Mk I design was originally fitted with Bristol-type Taurus VI piston engines with the later Mk II marks featuring American-brand Pratt & Whitney radials. Defensive armament consisted of 7.7mm machine guns: two mounted in the nose position and an additional two in a dorsal gun position. It should be noted, however, that some Beauforts fitted additional 7.7mm machine guns in beam (waist gunner) positions and a rear-firing array under the nose assembly. Bombload capacity was a respectable 2,000lbs of traditional drop bombs. A 1,605lb torpedo could be fitted in place of the bombs. The aircraft was also quite capable of mine laying sorties and produced a plethora of such missions with successful results during its years of service with the RAF.

Design was of a conventional approach. The wings were of monoplane layout and low-mounted on the fuselage. The identifiable dorsal turret was mounted at rear as part of the upper fuselage design, limiting the arc of fire to the rear, above and sides only. The nose assembly was of a greenhouse style design with the cockpit mounted behind the nose area and above.

Beauforts were largely responsible for the disruption of Axis supply lines in the English Channel and the Mediterranean. Australia produced the Beaufort as a local version in the form of the Mk V-IX series for their Royal Australian Air Force. Operations for the RAF were also present in the Middle East under British control. The last models of the Beaufort were produced as trainers with the top turret completely removed. As mentioned earlier, the system as a whole was eventually replaced by the Bristol Beaufighter in the middle years of the war. The Beaufighter is detailed elsewhere on this site.©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

Service Year

1940

Origin

United Kingdom

Crew

4

Production

2,080
UNITS

Bristol - UK

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

Australia; Canada; New Zealand; South Africa; Turkey; United Kingdom

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Ground Attack (Bombing, Strafing)
Ability to conduct aerial bombing of ground targets by way of (but not limited to) guns, bombs, missiles, rockets, and the like.

Length

44.3 ft
(13.49 m)

Width/Span

57.8 ft
(17.62 m)

Height

14.2 ft
(4.34 m)

Empty Wgt

13,100 lb
(5,942 kg)

MTOW

21,228 lb
(9,629 kg)

Wgt Diff

+8,128 lb
(+3,687 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the Bristol Beaufort Mk I production variant)

Installed: 2 x Bristol Taurus VI radial piston engines developing 1,130 horsepower each.

Max Speed

265 mph
(426 kph | 230 kts)

Ceiling

16,499 ft
(5,029 m | 3 mi)

Range

1,600 mi
(2,575 km | 4,769 nm)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the Bristol Beaufort Mk I production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)

STANDARD:
2 x 7.7mm machine guns in nose
2 x 7.7mm machine guns in dorsal turret

OPTIONAL:
Maximum bomb load of up to 2,000 lb.

1 x 1,605 lb 457mm torpedo
1 x 7.7mm rear-firing machine gun under nose
2 x 7.7mm machine guns in beam positions

Supported Types

Graphical image of an aircraft medium machine gun

Graphical image of an aircraft conventional drop bomb munition

Graphical image of an aircraft aerial torpedo

(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)

Hardpoint Mountings: 4

Mk I - Initial Production Version; fitted with Bristol Taurus II 1,010hp powerplants; 965 produced.

Mk II - Fitted with American Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp radial piston engines; 415 produced.

Trainer - Final production versions completed sans dorsal turret.

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Angled right side view of a Bristol Beaufort in flight