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Bristol Fashion

Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 6:20 pm
by dwg
Okay, first try at providing new aircraft.

The Bristol Buccaneer was a torpedo bomber derivative of the Beaufighter developed by Bristol from May 1942. Using a new fuselage bringing the crew together in the cockpit area, the design was originally intended to use the unchanged wings and Hercules engine of the Beaufighter allowing comparatively rapid development and considerable production efficiencies, however concern grew late in the year that the design was running out of growth margin, in particular weight increases meant that the span had to be increased, meaning a new wing design and a decision was made to switch to the Centaurus-engined wing of the Buckingham, a decision which ultimately led to the design entering service as the Brigand TF.I, but only after VJ Day.

If the limited growth margins had been accepted and the weight kept down to allow the continued use of the Beaufighter wing, then the Buccaneer might have entered service rather earlier than the Brigand, early enough to see useful service. The initial anticipated first flight for the Buccaneer was November 1943, which would have given entry into operational service sometime in the late summer of 1944.



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RE: Bristol Fashion

Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 6:22 pm
by dwg
Side profile:



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RE: Bristol Fashion

Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 6:23 pm
by dwg
Top Profile:



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RE: Bristol Fashion

Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 6:25 pm
by dwg
Top Alpha Profile:

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RE: Bristol Fashion

Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 6:30 pm
by dwg
The Bristol Type 162 Beaumont was a bomber derivative of the Beaufighter, using a new fuselage, originally intended to be attached to Beaufighter wings. Development began in 1940, growing out of earlier 1939 ideas for a Beau-bomber and through the Type 161, and despite the design growing to the point that a new wing and undercarriage design was needed, production was authorised in November 1940, with first flight expected summer-autumn 1941, which would likely have led to service entry in late-spring to summer 1942. Unfortunately requirement-creep set in and, faced with requirements now specifying higher speed, bombload and range than the Hercules engines could support, Bristol were forced to completely redesign the aircraft around the more powerful Centaurus engines, eventually leading to the Type 163 Buckingham, which turned out to be an almost complete failure - too late, too large, too lightly defended.

But if requirement-creep hadn't set in, the Type 162 Beaumont would actually have been an entirely acceptable replacement for the Blenheim, and it would have been available at an ideal point to play a major role in the CBI theatre.

The initial requirements called for the Beaumont to be capable of high-altitude bombing, dive-bombing, and close-support(in an alternate version replacing the ventral barbette and bomb-load with two forward-firing 20mm), but the latter two roles later disappeared, expected to be covered by the Vultee Vengeance and the Brewster Bermuda, however it is likely that the close-support role, at least, would have been reinstated in a production aircraft, as was seen in the alternative high-altitude and close-support versions of the Blenheim V.

RE: Bristol Fashion

Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 6:37 pm
by dwg
Beaamont B.I Details

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RE: Bristol Fashion

Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 6:39 pm
by dwg
Beaumont B.II Details

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RE: Bristol Fashion

Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 6:42 pm
by dwg
Beaumont B.I Side Profile

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RE: Bristol Fashion

Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 6:43 pm
by dwg
Beaumont B.II Side Profile

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RE: Bristol Fashion

Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 6:47 pm
by dwg
Beaumont Top Profile (Common to both variants)

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RE: Bristol Fashion

Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 6:48 pm
by dwg
Beaumont Top Alpha (Common to both variants)

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RE: Bristol Fashion

Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 6:57 pm
by dwg
All the graphics are actually .bmps sailing under false colours, just rename them to use.

Stats are hypothesized from the Beaufighter and the few details on the Beaumont and Buccaneer that are given in British Secret Projects: Fighters and Bombers 1935 to 1950 by Tony Buttler, if anyone has any other sources, feel free to chime in!

(I'm away for the next 2-3 weeks, so I'll pick up any comments when I get back).

RE: Bristol Fashion

Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 9:59 pm
by oldman45
These would be a nice addition, thanks.

RE: Bristol Fashion

Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2012 8:54 pm
by Dili
Weights weights weights!