Country of origin:

United Kingdom

Description:

Medium bomber, torpedo bomber, and reconnaissance aircraft

Power Plant:

Two CAC-built 895 kw (1,200 hp) Pratt and Whitney R-1830-S3C4-G Twin Wasp air-cooled radial engines

Specifications:

Armament:

Two 7.7 mm (0.303 in) Browning Mk II machine guns firing forward in the
nose; one hydraulically operated Bristol B1 Mk V dorsal turret with two
7.7 mm (0.303 in) Browning machine guns; or Mk VE dorsal turret with two 12.7 mm (0.5 in) Browning machine guns; provision to carry two 227 kg (500 lb) or four 113.4 kg (250 lb) bombs internally; or one 53 cm (21 in) torpedo semi internally, plus two 113.4 kg (250 lb) bombs on underwing racks

History:

In 1935 the British Air Ministry issued specifications for a torpedo bomber and general-reconnaissance aircraft /bomber and this led to the Bristol Beaufort, an initial contract for 78 aircraft being placed in August 1936, the prototype flying for the first time on 15 October 1938. Power plant was the 843 kw (1,130 hp) Bristol Taurus 14-cylinder two-row radial engine. First unit equipped was No 22 Squadron Coastal Command.

The British manufacturer found the performance of the Australian-built aircraft with the Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp engine exceeded that of the British Bristol Taurus engine and the Beaufort II was fitted with the Twin Wasp engine but, because of a shortage of Twin Wasp engines in the United Kingdom, subsequent European-built Beauforts had the Bristol Taurus engine .

When production concluded in the United Kingdom some 1,200 examples had been completed, many being fitted with ASV and Yagi aerials. The type was the standard torpedo-bomber with Coastal Command from 1940 to 1943 and was involved in many of the early attacks on the Kriegsmarine battle-cruisers ‘Scharnhorst’, ‘Gneisenau’ and ‘Prinz Eugen’, as well as laying hundreds of mines around European ports.

In 1939 it was proposed to establish an Australian assembly line to build the Bristol Type 152 Beaufort bomber. In order to achieve the highest possible decentralisation of component manufacturers, several hundred specialist sub-contractors supplied parts to the Railway workshops at Chullora, NSW, Newport, VIC, and Islington, SA. These factories were to make the parts into complete sub-assemblies for delivery to the two main assembly plants at Mascot in Sydney, NSW and Fishermens Bend in Melbourne, VIC. This new organisation became known as the Beaufort Division of the Department of Aircraft Production and, on 1 July 1939, contracts were received for 90 aircraft for the RAF and 90 for the RAAF. Twenty sets of airframe components and the eighth production aircraft were shipped to Australia.

Initially difficulties were being experienced with obtaining the Bristol Taurus engine, which was fitted to English-built Beauforts, and to solve the problem the decision was made to fit the Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp engine to a prototype for the proposed Australian-built aircraft. This machine (serial L4488) was flown at Mascot, NSW for the first time on 5 May 1941. By this time the Twin Wasp engine had entered licence production at the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC) plant at Lidcombe, NSW, and the Curtiss Electric variable-pitch propeller entered production at the de Havilland plant at Alexandria, NSW.

First production aircraft were known as the Mk V, but a shortage of engines led to the importation of some American-built R-1820S1C3-Gs with single-speed blowers instead of the R-1820S3C4-G with two-speed blowers. These aircraft then became the Mk VI. Mk V aircraft were serial numbered A9-1 to A9-50, and the Mk VI A9-51 to A9-90. A shortage of propellers led to the use of the Hamilton Standard type and the 60 aircraft so fitted became known as the Mk VII (serials A9-91 to A9-150). The Mk VII also had an increase in vertical fin area to improve stability. Production continued and, as engine and propeller shortages were overcome, the new aircraft became known as the Mk VA and were serialled A9-151 to A9-180. These were identical to the Mk V except for the larger fin.

The next and most-produced model was the Beaufort Mk VIII, which introduced the Mk V turret and ASV radar. The aircraft could accommodate British or American torpedoes or mines. Some 520 examples of this model were built (serials A9-181 to A9-700). Production terminated in August 1944, after having reached a peak of 37 machines a month.

During 1943 the need was seen for a transport variant of the Beaufort, and A9-201 was modified on the assembly line. All operational equipment was removed, the step in the fuselage was faired over, and five passenger seats were installed. This aircraft was flown for the first time on 4 February 1944. Known as the Beaufort IX, the new model carried a payload of 1,814 kg (4,000 lb) and attained a maximum speed of 459 km/h (285 mph). Forty-six Beauforts awaiting major overhauls were converted to transport configuration commencing in November 1944 at Essendon, VIC, and were re-serialled A9-701 to A9-746.

The Bristol Beaufort played a significant role during the war in the Pacific and saw service with Nos 1, 2, 6, 7, 13, 14, 15, 32 and 92 Squadrons RAAF, and Nos 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11 and 12 Communications Squadrons. It was the main strike aircraft in this region for some considerable part of the war.

On 4 September 1943 Beauforts of No 100 Squadron RAAF attacked the heavily-defended Japanese airbase at Gasmata in New Britain, three aircraft being lost. The first Australian attack against Japanese forces by torpedo-carrying Beauforts of No 100 Squadron was on 7 September 1943 when six Bristol Beauforts, together with three Lockheed Hudsons, three Bristol Beaufighters and 16 Curtiss Kittyhawks in support, all from Milne Bay, attacked the Japanese cruiser ‘Tatta’ and an escort destroyer, but no torpedo strikes were effective due to defective Mk XIV torpedoes.

On the night of 2/3 January 1944 46 Beauforts from Nos 6, 8 and 100 Squadrons dropped 32,516 kg (71,680 lb) of bombs on Lakunai airfield, the following night attacking two other Rabaul airfields at Vunakunau and Rapopo. Beaufort units throughout the war continued to attack Japanese bases and shipping with great success.

A Beaufort was placed in storage at RAAF Fairbairn, ACT after World War II for the Australian War Memorial (AWM), this aircraft being recorded as having completed 100 wartime missions. However, in 1956 the AWM Board ordered the disposal of the aircraft, along with a number of other stored aircraft, and they were sold to a Sydney scrap dealer and broken up.

One complete Beaufort (serial DD931) has been displayed at the RAF Museum at Hendon in Greater London, this being assembled from a number of Australian airframes. One is being reconstructed from the components of a number of wrecks recovered from New Guinea at the RAAF Museum at Point Cook, VIC. The cockpit of A9-152 has been restored by the Moorabbin Aircraft Museum, VIC; the cockpit and rear fuselage of A9-703 have been placed on display at the Camden Museum of Aviation at Narellan, NSW. A9-141 is under restoration to airworthiness at Caboolture in Queensland and when completed will become VH-KTW. Most of A9-501 has been recovered from Gove, NT and is, along with parts from a number of others, being used in the rebuild.

A9-557, using parts from a number of Beauforts located in the Pacific Islands in recent years, has been restored to static display for the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, ACT. After completion it was placed on display for a period before being removed and placed on display in the terminal at Canberra airport. The fuselage of A9-13 has been placed on display at the Australian Army Museum at Oakey, QLD. The remains of another have been recovered in India and are awaiting restoration in Nashville, Tennessee.

As noted above, one Beaufort (A9-580) was specifically set aside after World War II for the Australian War Memorial but for reasons unknown it was recommended for disposal and was scrapped. The wrecks of a number of Beauforts have been found beside the old airstrip at Tadji in New Guinea where they were abandoned after accidents during World War II. Three of these have been identified as A9-535, A9-364 and A9-637, along with others, and a Douglas C-47 Dakota and Boeing B-17 Fortress.