Blackburn Kangaroo

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

R.T.1 Kangaroo
Type	Reconnaissance Torpedo Bomber
Manufacturer	Blackburn Aircraft
Maiden flight	1918
Retired	1929
Status	Out of service
Primary users	Royal Air Force Peruvian Army Flying Service
Number built	20
Developed from	Blackburn G.P.

The Blackburn R.T.1 Kangaroo was a first world war British twin-engined reconnaissance torpedo biplane aircraft built by Blackburn Aircraft.

Contents 1 History 2 Operators 2.1 Military 2.2 Civil 3 Units using the Kangaroo 4 Specifications 5 Reference 6 External links 7 Related content

[edit] History

In 1916 the Blackburn Aircraft Company designed and built two prototypes of an anti-submarine floatplane designated the Blackburn G.P. or Blackburn General Purpose. It was not ordered but Blackburn developed a landplane version as the Blackburn R.T.1 Kangaroo (Reconnaissance Torpedo Type 1). The first aircraft was delivered to Martlesham Heath in January 1918. The performance was not impressive but as 20 were already on order they entered service later that year with No. 246 Squadron RAF.

The sixth aircraft onwards was powered by the more powerfull Rolls-Royce Falcon III engine. The Kangaroo had six-months of wartime operations and they sank one U-Boat and damaged four others. Aircraft were sold on the civil market at the end of the war. They saw considerable service as converted for commercial use they could carry eight passengers.

Aircraft registered G-EAOW was one of four types competing to win the Australian government prize of £10,000 for the first flight from England to Australia. The aircraft had to make an emergency landing at Suda Bay, Crete with a suspected sabatoged engine, the aircraft and the race were abandoned.

After the war the RAF used three aircraft (named Wilfred, Pip and Squeak) under contract as dual-control trainers for refresher training but by 1929 the last Kangaroo had been withdrawn from service and scrapped.

[edit] Operators

[edit] Military

•  Peru: Peruvian Army Flying Service
•  United Kingdom: Royal Air Force

[edit] Civil

• The Grahame-White Aviation Company
• North Sea Aerial & General Transport Company

[edit] Units using the Kangaroo

• No. 264 Squadron RAF

[edit] Specifications

General characteristics

• Length: 44 ft 2 in (13.46 m)
• Wingspan: 74 ft 10 in (22.82 m)
• Height: 16 ft 10 in (5.13 m)
• Wing area: 868 ft² (80.64 m²)
• Empty weight: 5,284 lb (2397 kg)
• Loaded weight: lb (kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 6,287 lb (2852 kg)
• Powerplant: 2× Rolls-Royce Falcon III liquid-cooled V12 engine, 270 hp (201 kW) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 98 mph (158 km/h)
• Service ceiling: 13,000 ft (3960 m)

Armament

• 2× 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis machine gun
• Up to 920 lb (417 kg) of bombs

[edit] Reference

• The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing. 
• Jackson, A.J. (1974). British Civil Aircraft since 1919. London: Putnam. ISBN 0 370 10014 X. 

[edit] External links

[edit] Related content

 

 

Designation sequence

Type I - AD Scout - R.T.1 Kangaroo - Blackbird - T.1 Swift

Related lists

List of aircraft of the RAF