Blackburn Kangaroo
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| R.T.1 Kangaroo | |
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| Type | Reconnaissance Torpedo Bomber |
| Manufacturer | Blackburn Aeroplane and Motor Co Ltd |
| Maiden flight | 1918 |
| Introduced | 1918 |
| Retired | 1929 |
| 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 British twin-engined reconnaissance torpedo biplane aircraft built by Blackburn Aircraft of the First World War.
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[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.
From the sixth aircraft onwards they were powered by the more powerful Rolls-Royce Falcon III engine replacing the 250 hp Rolls-Royce Falcon II . 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 sabotaged 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Pip and Squeak) under contract as dual-control trainers for refresher training but by 1929 the last Kangaroo had been withdrawn from service and scrapped.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
- Peruvian Army Flying Service
[edit] Civil
- The Grahame-White Aviation Company
- North Sea Aerial & General Transport Company
[edit] Specifications
Data from[citation needed]
General characteristics
- Crew: 3
- 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 (2,397 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 6,287 lb (2,852 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 (3,960 m)
- Rate of climb: 480 ft/min (initial) ()
Armament
- 2× 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis machine gun
- Up to 920 lb (417 kg) of bombs
[edit] References
- 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.
- British Airacft directory accessed 9th October 2007
[edit] External links
[edit] See also
Related lists
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