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Avro Lancaster Mk I
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The Lancaster evolved from the twin-Vulture-engined Avro Manchester with a fitting of four Rolls-Royce Merlin engines. It became the mainstay of the Bomber Command offensive against Germany during World War II, and later versions were able to carry single examples of Barnes Wallis's gigantic 22,000-lb (9,980-kg) "Grand Slam" bomb for use against special targets. The first Lancaster bombing raid was mad on March 10, 1942, against Essen, Germany. British and Canadian factories completed 7,366 Lancasters, all but 300 of them with variants of the Merlin engine.
SPECIFICATIONS Avro Lancaster Mark I
- Span: 102 ft. 03 in. (31.09 m.)
- Length: 69 ft. 4 in. (21.13 m.)
- Gross Weight: 68,000 lb. (30,844 kg.)
- Armament: Eight 0.303-in Browning maching-guns (two each in nose1 and dorsal turrets2, four in tail turret3).
- Bomb load: Up to 18,000 lb (8,165 kg).
- Engines: Four Rolls-Royce "Merlin" XX twelve-cylinder Vee-type of 1,280 hp each.
PERFORMANCE
- Maximum speed: 287 mph. (462 km/h.) at 11,500 ft. (3,505 m.)
- Range: 1,730 miles (2,785 km) with 12,000 lb (5,443-kg) bomb load.
1 In the nose, the bomb aimer (American: bombardier) on outward flights would man his turret and keep a look-out for enemy fighters. But, over and near the target he would be rather busy dumping "Window" (aluminum foil to confuse radar) and dropping the bomber's load on the objective.
2 The mid-upper gunner in his hydraulically-operated turret possessed a 36-degree traverse with a taboo track to prevent him firing at parts of his own aircraft in the heat of action.
3 The rear gunner was located within an enclosed cylindrical turret with hinged doors at his back. To bail out he simply turned his turret sideways and pushed himself backwards through the doors.
The aircraft graphic above is from the Lincolnshire Aviation Hermitage Centre, East Kirby, Lincolnshire, England. It is fully restored to taxing condition.15:16 3/13/2005
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