Vickers Wellesley

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Vickers Wellesley
Type general purpose bomber
Manufacturer Vickers-Armstrong Ltd
Designed by Barnes Wallis
Maiden flight 19 June 1935
Introduced 1937
Retired 1944
Status retired
Primary user Royal Air Force

The Vickers Wellesley was a British 1930s light bomber built by Vickers Armstrong for the Royal Air Force. While it was obsolete by the start of the Second World War, and unsuited to the European air war, the Wellesley was successfully used in the desert theatres of East Africa, Egypt and the Middle East.

Contents

[edit] Design and development

The design originated from the Air Ministry Specification G.4/31 which called for a General Purpose aircraft, capable of carrying out level bombing, army co-operation, dive bombing, reconnaisance, casulty evacuation and torpedo bombing. The Vickers Type 253 (using a radical geodetic construction that was derived from that used by Barnes Wallis in the airship R100 in the fuselage structure), the Fairey G.4/31, Westland PV-7, Handley Page HP.47, Armstrong Whitworth A.W.19, Blackburn B-7, Hawker P.V.4 and the Parnall G.4/31 offerings were tested against the specification. The Type 253, was declared the winner, with 150 being ordered.

The Vickers Type 246 monoplane, which used the same geodetic design principles for both the fuselage and wings, was then built as a private venture, first flying on the 19 June 1935 [1] and offered to the RAF. This had superior performance, but did not attempt to meet the multi-role requirements of the specification, being designed as a bomber only. An initial order for 96 Type 246s was substituted for the Type 253 order[1]. The RAF ultimately ordered a total of 176 as the Wellesley, to a newly written specification 22/35.

The Wellesley was a single-engined monoplane with a very high aspect ratio wing, and a manually operated, retractable undercarriage. As it was not known how the geodetic structure could cope with being disrupted by a bomb bay, the Wellesley's bomb load was carried in two panniers under the wings[1]. The Wellesley Mk I had two separate cockpits. This was changed in the Wellesley Mk II to a single-piece cockpit canopy covering both the pilot and navigator positions.

[edit] Operational service

A flight of RAF Vickers Wellesley bombers over the pyramids in Egypt c. 1940
A flight of RAF Vickers Wellesley bombers over the pyramids in Egypt c. 1940

Five aircraft with provisions for three crew members were modified for long-range work with the RAF Long Range Development Flight. Additional modifications included the fitting of extra fuel tanks. On 5 November 1938, three of them under command of S/L R. Kellett flew non-stop for two days from Ismailia, Egypt to Darwin, Australia (7,162 miles, 11,525 km) setting a world distance record. All three aircraft succeeded in breaking the existing record, but No. 2 aircraft landed in West Timor, 500 miles short of the final objective. The Wellesley's record remained unbroken until November 1945. [2]

During the Second World War, the primary use of the Wellesley was in overseas theatres of operation, mainly in the Middle East. Among its significant wartime operations were the bombing of Addis Ababa in August 1940.

While the Wellesley was not a significant combat aircraft, the design principles that were tested in its construction were put to good use with the Wellington medium bomber that became one of the main types of RAF Bomber Command in the early years of the European war.

[edit] Variants

  • Type 281 Wellesley : Company designation for the Wellesley bomber.
  • Type 287 Wellesley Mk I : Two-seat medium bomber aircraft. The Wellesley Mk I had two separate cockpits.
  • Wellesley Mk II : The Wellesley Mk II had a single piece cockpit canopy.
  • Type 289 : Engine testbed. It was used to test the Hercules HE15 radial piston engine.
  • Type 291 : Blind-flying model.
  • Type 292 : Three aircraft were modified for long-distance flying. The aircraft were used by the RAF's Long-Range Development Flight.
  • Type 294 : Prototype with strengthened wing.
  • type 402 : Three-seat experimental aircraft.

[edit] Operators

[edit] Units using the Wellesley

[edit] Specifications (Wellesley)

General characteristics

  • Crew: Two
  • Length: 39 ft 3 in (11.96 m)
  • Wingspan: 74 ft 7 in (22.73 m)
  • Height: 12 ft 4 in (3.75 m)
  • Wing area: 630 ft² (58.5 m²)
  • Empty weight: 6,369 lb (2,889 kg)
  • Loaded weight: 11,000 lb (5,035 kg)
  • Max takeoff weight: 12,500 lb (5,670 kg)
  • Powerplant: 1× Bristol Pegasus XX radial, 925 hp (690 kW)

Performance

Armament

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Mason, Francis K. The British Bomber since 1914. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books, 1994. ISBN 0-85177-861-5.
  2. ^ Barfield 1973, p. 89.
  • Barfield, Norman. Vickers Wellesley Variants (Profile Aircraft). London: Profile Publications Limited, 1973.

[edit] External links

[edit] Related content

Related development

Wellington

 

Designation sequence

Valentia - Wellesley - Wellington - Warwick - Vickers Type 432 - Vickers Windsor

 

 

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