Bristol Beaufighter Mk VI

Bristol Beaufighter Mk VI
Image from Tamiya scale model kit

Bristol Beaufighter TFX

The prototype flew on 17 July 1939 and the first production Beaufighters were delivered to the Royal Air Force in the following April. The type was the first high performance night fighter equipped with airborne interception radar and successfully operated against the German night raids in the winter of 1940-1941. Later the Beaufighter was introduced into Coastal Command as a strike fighter. Its original formidable gun armament was retained but rockets and torpedoes were added giving it an even greater fire power.

Not only did the Beaufighter operate with distinction in North West Europe but also a considerable reputation was earned in the Middle and Far East.

5562 Beaufighters had been produced by the time the last one was delivered in September 1945 and fifty-two operational Royal Air Force squadrons had been equipped with the type.

Bristol Beaufighter

Beaufighter crews accounted for over half of the Luftwaffe bombers shot down during the Blitz.

 

Bristol Hercules Sleeve Valve Engine

The Beaufighter was powered by a pair of Bristol Hercules 14-cylinder, air-cooled, sleeve-valve, radial piston engines, 1,600 hp each. The Hercules was followed by the Centaurus, which also used sleeve valves.

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Daring Solo Beaufighter Raid - Paris 1942
Mark Felton Productions