Country of origin:

Great Britain

Description:

Long-range heavy bomber

Power Plant:

Four 1,305 kw (1,750 hp) CAC-built Rolls Royce Merlin 66, 85 or 102 twelve-cylinder VEE liquid-cooled engines

Specifications:

Armament:

Two 12.7 mm (0.50 in) Browning machine guns each in nose and tail turrets; two 20 mm Hispano cannon in dorsal turret; max bomb load 9,072 kg (22,000 lb)

History:

The Avro 694 Lincoln was designed in anticipation of an Air Ministry specification for a heavy bomber capable of operating at altitudes up to and including 10,668 m (35,000 ft). The prototype Lincoln B.1 (PW925) flew at Ringway in Manchester, on 9 June 1944, two further prototypes being built thereafter (PW929 and PW932). The standard bomb-bay catered for a variety of bombs, including the ten-ton ‘Grand Slam’. It was considered the Lincoln would be suitable for operations in the Pacific Theatre during the latter stages of the war but, due to early production delays, it did not enter service until September 1945, during which month Japan capitulated. A number were used for long-range flights, including the flight of 617 Squadron RAF to the United States, and 97 Squadron RAF to Singapore in 1948.

Subsequently the type saw service with the RAF against the Mau Mau terrorists in Kenya and Communist forces in Malaya. The type also was used extensively in the Berlin Airlift, one aircraft (RF345) being shot down by a MiG-15.

Plans were prepared for production in Canada as the Lincoln B.15 but only six examples of this model were completed. The last Lincoln B.2 was delivered to the RAF in April 1951 and the type was retired from RAF Bomber Command in December 1955. A number were supplied to Argentina and one of these (B-022) in 1965 flew 6,720 km (4,176 miles) non-stop in 20 hrs 37 mins during a mission to Antarctica.

In 1943 it was planned to produce the Lancaster Mk 3 at the Beaufort Division of the Department of Aircraft Production, but this was changed in 1944 to the Mk 4. Lancaster ED930 (later A66-1) arrived in Australia as a pattern aircraft. In the event it was decided to build the Lincoln at the Government Aircraft Factory facility at Fishermens Bend, VIC. A73-1 was flown for the first time on 12 March 1946. 85 aircraft were originally to be built but only 73 were completed.

Serialled A73-1 to A73-73 these aircraft were known as the (B) Mk 30 and were modified to meet Australian conditions. A73-1 to A73-10 were Assistance Contract aircraft and were imported as components and unassembled parts, having Merlin 85B engines. A73-11 to A73-25 were also (B) Mk 30s, had additional stringers added in the fuselage roof and had a strengthened main undercarriage. A73-26 to A73-73 were the (B) Mk 30A. A73-26 to A73-50 had the Rolls Royce Merlin 85B engine, whereas A73-51 to A73-66 had the Australian CAC-built Merlin 102. A73-67 to A73-73 reverted to the Rolls Royce built Merlin 85B, had stronger top and bottom booms fitted to the centre section and rear spar, had the front spar webs reinforced in the main undercarriage bays and had strengthened skins fitted at the wing cut-outs.

At one stage it was decided to build a general reconnaissance variant, A73-48 being the first converted. This involved the extension of the fuselage by 2 m (6 ft 6 in) and A73-28, A73-55 to A73-57 and A73-59 to A73-73 were also converted. Later 20 (A73-28, A73-55, A73-57, A73-60 to A73-62, and A73-65 to A73-68) were converted to (MR) Mk 31 standard for maritime reconnaissance duties. These provided accommodation for four extra crew members, being a tactical navigator and three sono-buoy operators. Major changes were made to weapon carriage and pyrotechnic systems to permit air-to-sea operations. ASV radar was introduced, and fuel capacity was increased by installing two jettisonable fuel tanks in the bomb-bay. Provision was made for carriage of an airborne lifeboat. An improved auto-pilot was installed, and a low altitude bomb-site was introduced. Empty weight increased to 20,367 kg (44,900 lb) and max all-up-weight was 37,195 kg (82,000 lb). In 1952 consideration was given to building a maritime-reconnaissance Mk 32 and this would have had Radar and Magnetic Anomaly Detection (MAD) equipment in a similar installation to that on the Lockheed Neptune but this conversion was not carried out. Two Lincolns (A73-14 and A73-18) were converted as VIP transports, being fitted with windows and seats.

First Australian production Lincolns were allotted to No 82 Bomber Wing at Amberley, QLD to replace Consolidated Liberators with Nos 12, 21 and 23 Squadrons. In February 1948 these units were re-numbered Nos 1, 2 and 6 Squadrons. A fourth Lincoln unit was formed on 17 March 1949 when No 10 Squadron was re-formed at Townsville, QLD as a general reconnaissance squadron, No 1 Squadron later becoming a component of No 90 Composite Wing when it went to Malaya.

On 11 April 1950 a Lincoln (A73-46) flew to the United Kingdom on exchange duties and was shown at the SBAC show at Farnborough, Hampshire; and a RAF Lincoln B.2 operated with No 82 Wing RAAF on similar duties. Another (A73-15) was modified for long-range navigation trainer duties for the Air Navigation School at Sale, VIC this aircraft having its turrets faired over. A73-43 made a number of flights for cosmic ray studies as part of Australia’s contribution to the International Geophysical year in 1957. A73-29 was used in rainmaking research during the 1950s, measuring meteorite dust density and freezing nuclei, carrying electrostatic cloud seeding equipment in the bomb bay to ‘shock’ the clouds into precipitation.

No 1 Squadron RAAF equipped with the Lincoln (B) Mk 30 moved to Tengah, Singapore on 17 July 1950 and carried out some 3,000 sorties against terrorists. A number of these aircraft were fitted with four rocket stubs under each wing. The main duties of the Lincolns were the bombing and strafing of bandit hideouts. The Squadron dropped 15,000 tonnes of bombs and dropped millions of leaflets. Two aircraft were lost. A73-39 overshot the runway at Singapore on 30 November 1951 and was damaged beyond repair, and A73-40 ditched in the sea off the west coast of Johore on 1 February 1951. The unit returned to Australia in July 1958, being replaced by Australian-built English Electric Canberras.

The type saw extensive service at Woomera, SA and a number of Lincolns with RAF serials operated in that area in support of weapons testing. Two with the Weapons Research Establishment (WRE) were RE339 fitted with Bristol Theseus 21 engines, being used for “Tallboy” bomb dropping tests; and RF403 with Armstrong Siddeley Pythons outboard and Merlins inboard, being used for high-altitude bombing trials at Woomera, eventually being scrapped at Tocumwal, NSW in 1958. Others included RA640,RA648, RE259, RE418, and RE423, most being scrapped at the end of their service in Australia.

In 1949 No 10 Squadron was re-formed with the Lincoln, followed by No 11 Squadron in 1950. In 1961 the type was grounded and many were flown to Archerfield, QLD for scrapping, although some were reduced to components at Townsville. The last Australian Lincoln flight was A73-65 on 14 June 1961 when it flew from Townsville, to Darwin, NT to be used for fire fighting practice.

Last survivors of the type were A73-65 and A73-55 which was scrapped at Amberley, in the late sixties; and ten were used for fire fighting practice at various airports, including Point Cook, VIC (A73-10 and A73-13); Mascot, NSW (A73-27 and A73-45); Eagle Farm, QLD (A73-50); East Sale (A73-58); Amberley (A73-25); Richmond, NSW (A73-36); Wagga Wagga, NSW (A73-22); and Edinburgh, SA (RA640).

Lincolns lost in service, other than the two mentioned above, were: A73-11, A73-16, A73-35, A73-43, A73-44, A73-46, A73-47, A73-51, A73-54, A73-63 and A73-70, a number of these being converted to components after suffering severe storm damage or other accidents.

The forward fuselage section of A73-27 was recovered and survives after recovery from the fire dump at Mascot, and is at the Camden Museum of Aviation at Narellan, NSW. Only a couple survive in museums.

In 2004 a fund was set up by a Melbourne group, the Avro Bomber Preservation Group, to obtain for restoration and display one ex RAF Lincoln (RE342), which had been on display at a museum at Southend in the United Kingdom, together with enough parts to build a static display Avro Lancaster. However, the necessary funds could not be obtained.

Later in the year another organisation purchased the Lincoln and Lancaster parts and imported them to Australia for restoration in the coming years. Little work was carried out on the aircraft and in late 2019 the RAAF Museum annexe at RAAF Base Amberley, announced it was obtaining the Lincoln parts from the National Aviation Museum at Moorabbin, VIC and would build a Lincoln for static display at the museum. The wreck of another is known to survive in a remote part of Queensland where it crashed.

Another (RE408/B-010) is in the Museo Nacional de Aeronautica at Buenos Aires in Argentina.