(Vickers) Wellesley @·AIRCRAFTUBE

  • Vickers Wellesley MK I (no.47 Squadron RAF) Vickers Wellesley MK I (no.47 Squadron RAF)
    Vickers Wellesley MK I (no.47 Squadron RAF)
  • Vickers<br>Wellesley Vickers<br>Wellesley
    Vickers
    Wellesley
  • Wellesley Type 292 (Long-Range) Wellesley Type 292 (Long-Range)
    Wellesley Type 292 (Long-Range)
  • L2680, L2639 and L2638 at Brisbane after the record breaking<br>flight from Egypt to Australia, in November 1938 L2680, L2639 and L2638 at Brisbane after the record breaking<br>flight from Egypt to Australia, in November 1938
    L2680, L2639 and L2638 at Brisbane after the record breaking
    flight from Egypt to Australia, in November 1938
  • L2639 Leading L2639 Leading
    L2639 Leading
  • In Darwin after the long distance flight from Ismailia, Egypt In Darwin after the long distance flight from Ismailia, Egypt
    In Darwin after the long distance flight from Ismailia, Egypt
  • Vickers Wellesley Mk II Vickers Wellesley Mk II
    Vickers Wellesley Mk II
  • Wellesley Mk I of No.47 Squadron on a bombing<br>mission to Keren, Eritrea on April 2, 1941 Wellesley Mk I of No.47 Squadron on a bombing<br>mission to Keren, Eritrea on April 2, 1941
    Wellesley Mk I of No.47 Squadron on a bombing
    mission to Keren, Eritrea on April 2, 1941
  • Wellesley of pilot officer Kennedy<br>of 47 Sqn RAF in March 1941<br>at Agordat, Eritrea.<br>Air gunner Sergeant German was<br>mortally wounded on this day. Wellesley of pilot officer Kennedy<br>of 47 Sqn RAF in March 1941<br>at Agordat, Eritrea.<br>Air gunner Sergeant German was<br>mortally wounded on this day.
    Wellesley of pilot officer Kennedy
    of 47 Sqn RAF in March 1941
    at Agordat, Eritrea.
    Air gunner Sergeant German was
    mortally wounded on this day.
  • Vickers Wellesley of 14 Sqn RAF in Amman, Transjordan Vickers Wellesley of 14 Sqn RAF in Amman, Transjordan
    Vickers Wellesley of 14 Sqn RAF in Amman, Transjordan
  • Vickers Wellesley of the Sudan Royal Air Force East Africa Command Vickers Wellesley of the Sudan Royal Air Force East Africa Command
    Vickers Wellesley of the Sudan Royal Air Force East Africa Command
  • May 1941 May 1941
    May 1941

Vickers Wellesley

The Vickers Wellesley was a British 1930s light bomber built by Vickers-Armstrongs at Brooklands near Weybridge, Surrey, for the Royal Air Force. While it was obsolete by the start of the Second World War and unsuited to the European air war, the Wellesley was operated in the desert theatres of East Africa, Egypt and the Middle East. It was one of two planes named after Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, the other being the Vickers Wellington.

Design and development

The design originated from the Air Ministry Specification G.4/31 which called for a general purpose aircraft, capable of carrying out level bombing, army co-operation, dive bombing, reconnaissance, casualty evacuation and torpedo bombing. The biplane Vickers Type 253 design, which used a radical geodesic airframe construction, derived from that used by Barnes Wallis in the airship R100, was ordered by the Ministry and tested against the specification along with the Fairey G.4/31, Westland PV-7, Handley Page HP.47, Armstrong Whitworth A.W.19, Blackburn B-7, Hawker P.V.4 and the Parnall G.4/31. The Type 253 was declared the winner, with 150 being ordered.

The Vickers Type 246 monoplane, which used the same geodetic design principles for the fuselage and wings, was then built as a private venture, first flown at Brooklands by Vickers' Chief Test Pilot J "Mutt" Summers, on 19 June 1935 and offered to the RAF. This aircraft had superior performance but did not attempt to meet the multi-role requirements of the specification, being designed as a bomber only. An initial order for 96 Type 246s was substituted for the Type 253 order. The RAF ultimately ordered a total of 176 with the service name "Wellesley", to a newly written specification 22/35, with a 14-month production run starting in March 1937.

The Wellesley was a single-engine monoplane with a very high, 8.83, aspect ratio wing and a manually operated, retractable undercarriage. As it was not known how the geodetic structure could cope with being disrupted by a bomb bay, the Wellesley's bomb load was carried in two streamlined panniers under the wings. The Wellesley Mk I had two cockpits but this was changed in the Wellesley Mk II to a single-piece cockpit canopy covering the pilot and navigator positions.

Operational history

The RAF received its first Wellesleys in April 1937, serving with No. 76 Squadron RAF at Finningley and it eventually equipped six RAF Bomber Command squadrons in the UK. Five aircraft with provisions for three crew members were modified for long-range work with the RAF Long-Range Development Flight. Additional modifications included the fitting of Pegasus XXII engines and extra fuel tanks. On 5 November 1938, three of them under command of Squadron Leader Richard Kellett flew non-stop for two days from Ismailia, Egypt to Darwin, Australia (7,162 miles (11,526 km)) setting a world distance record. All three aircraft broke the record, but No. 2 aircraft landed in West Timor, 500 miles (800 km) short of the objective. The Wellesley's record remained unbroken until November 1945. This flight is still the longest by an aircraft with a single piston engine.

By the outbreak of the Second World War, the Wellesley had been phased out from home-based squadrons, with only four examples remaining in Britain, but they remained in service with three squadrons based in the Middle East. Following the Italian declaration of war on 10 June 1940, the remaining Wellesley squadrons participated in the East African Campaign against Italian forces in Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somaliland. Although obsolete, the Wellesley formed a major part of the British Commonwealth bomber forces, mainly carrying out raids targeting Eritrea and northern Ethiopia. Sudan-based Wellesleys carried out their first bombing mission on 11 June 1940, against Asmara in Eritrea. Three days later, they were involved in their first air combat, when Capitano Mario Visintini, future top-scoring biplane ace of the Second World War, intercepted a pair of Wellesleys from 14 Squadron on their way to bomb Massawa. Visintini, who was flying a Fiat CR.42, shot down the aircraft K7743, flown by Pilot Officer Reginald Patrick Blenner Plunkett. It was the first of Visintini's 16 air victories in Eastern Africa.

In the early part of the campaign, fighter escort was not available and when caught by CR.42s, Wellesleys proved vulnerable to the Italian biplane fighter. Despite this, the Wellesley continued to be sent on bombing raids, bombing Addis Ababa from Aden on 18 August. The Wellesley continued in use against the Italians over East Africa until November 1941, when Gondar, the last Italian-held town, fell to Commonwealth and Ethiopian forces. The final Wellesley-equipped unit, 47 Squadron, was then switched to maritime reconnaissance duties over the Red Sea, continuing in this role until September 1942.

While the Wellesley was not a significant combat aircraft, the design principles that were tested in its construction were put to good use with the Wellington medium bomber, which became one of the mainstays of Bomber Command in the early years of the European war. In February 1940, three Wellesleys (K7728, K7735 and K8531) were sold to Egypt to serve in the Royal Egyptian Air Force.

Variants

  • Type 281 Wellesley : Company designation for the Wellesley bomber..
  • Type 287 Wellesley Mk I : Two-seat medium bomber aircraft. The Wellesley Mk I had two separate cockpits..
  • Wellesley Mk II : The Mk II had a single-piece cockpit canopy..
  • Type 289 : Engine testbed. It was used to test the Hercules HE15 radial piston engine..
  • Type 291 : Blind-flying model..
  • Type 292 : Three aircraft were modified for long-distance flying. The aircraft were used by the RAF's Long-Range Development Flight..
  • Type 294 : Prototype with strengthened wing..
  • Type 402 : Three-seat experimental aircraft..

Operators

  • South Africa : South African Air Force.
  • United Kingdom : Royal Air Force :
    • No. 7 Squadron RAF.
    • No. 14 Squadron RAF.
    • No. 35 Squadron RAF.
    • No. 45 Squadron RAF.
    • No. 47 Squadron RAF.
    • No. 76 Squadron RAF.
    • No. 77 Squadron RAF.
    • No. 117 Squadron RAF.
    • No. 148 Squadron RAF.
    • No. 207 Squadron RAF.
    • No. 223 Squadron RAF.
    • No. 267 Squadron RAF.

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This text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
Source : Article Vickers Wellesley of Wikipedia ( authors )

Vickers Wellesley

  • Role : General purpose bomber.
  • Manufacturer : Vickers-Armstrongs Ltd.
  • Designer : Barnes Wallis.
  • First flight : 19 June 1935.
  • Introduction : 1937.
  • Retired : 1944.
  • Primary users :
    • Royal Air Force.
    • Royal Egyptian Air Force.
    • South African Air Force.
  • Produced : 1936–1938.
  • Number built : 177.

    • Specifications (Wellesley)

  • Crew : 3 (pilot, bombardier, and rear-gunner).
  • Length : 39 ft 3 in (11.96 m).
  • Height : 15 ft 3½ in (4.67 m).
  • Wingspan : 74 ft 7 in (22.73 m).
  • Wing area : 630 ft² (58.5 m²).
  • Wing loading : 18 lb/ft² (86 kg/m²).
  • Empty weight : 6,760 lb (3,066 kg).
  • Loaded weight : 11,048 lb (5,011 kg).
  • Max. takeoff weight : 12,500 lb (5,670 kg).
  • Maximum speed : 228 mph (198 kn, 369 km/h) at 19,700 ft (6,000 m).
  • Cruise speed : 180 mph (157 kn, 290 km/h) at 15,000 ft (4,600 m) (57% power).
  • Range : 1,220 mi (1,963 km).
  • Service ceiling : 25,500 ft (7,772 m).
  • Climb to 15,000 ft (4,600 m) : 17.8 min.
  • Powerplant : One Bristol Pegasus XX radial piston engine.
  • Power : 925 hp (690 kW).
  • Power/mass : 0.08 hp/lb (0.14 kW/kg).
  • Armament :
    • Guns :
      • One .303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine gun in right wing.
      • One .303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers K machine gun in rear cockpit.
    • Bombs :
      • 2,000 lb (907 kg) of bombs.

— — — = = — — —

This text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
Source : Article Vickers Wellesley of Wikipedia ( authors )
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