Beaufighter Specifications |
The Irish Adventure of Richard Kukura and Tommy Hulme and the fate of their Beaufighter JL710 |
Beaufighter MK VIc at the RAF Museum Hendon
A Beaufighter presently in the RAF museum at Hendon outside London.
This photograph was given to Aidan McGovern by some people who came many years
ago to investigate the Crash site.
You can see a close-up photograph taken by Liz Rothwell of this aircraft's escape hatch here or on page 15 of the booklet.
Beaufighter MK VIc Specifications
| Full Name | Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter Mk VIc |
| Type | Long-range Day and night Heavy fighter - Maritime Strike Fighter |
| Developer and Primary Manufacturer | Bristol Aeroplane Company Ltd, Filton & Whitchurch, Bristol |
| Beaufighter JL710 | One of 555 built at the Bristol MAP Shadow factory at Old Mixon Weston Super Mare |
| Maiden flight (Prototype) | 17 July 1939 |
| Primary users | Royal Air Force & Canadian, New Zealand and Australian Air Forces |
| Produced | 1940-1945 |
| Total Built | 5,562 in UK + 364 in Australia (Mk VIc 518 at Bristol - 175 at Fairey) |
| Wingspan | 57' 10" (17.6 m) |
| Length | 41' 4" (12.5 m) |
| Height | 15' 10" (4.8 m) |
| Weight (Empty) | 14900 lbs (7296 kg) (Max Empty) Max (AUW) 21,000lb (9,500kg) |
| Weight (Full) | 20800 lbs (9434 kg) |
| Speed | 337 mph (542 kmph) at 16,000 ft (4861m) |
| Max Speed @ height | 305 mph (490 km/h) at sea-level. 320 mph at 10,000 ft (515 Km/h at 3048 m) |
| Service Ceiling | 26,000ft (7899 m) |
| Range | 1810 miles (2913 km) |
| Engine | 2 x Bristol Hercules VI or XIV 1,670 hp (1230 Kw) (14 cylinder radial, sleeve valve) (Good picture & description on the Wikipedia web site here) |
| Propeller | 2 x D.H. Three blade, variable-pitch, Bracket type 6/6, 12ft 9in (3.89m) diameter. |
| Rate of Climb | 1,600 ft/min (487 m/min) |
| Crew | 2 (Pilot & Navigator, radio operator) |
| Weapons | Rockets, bombs or even torpedoes could be carried in addition to the arms below |
| Cannon 20 mm Hispano | 4 in ventral bay below pilot |
| Machine guns 0.303 | 2 in Port wing + 4 in Starboard wing + one Type K in dorsal cupola. |