Blackburn: Blackburn

1923.

Note: This is a sub-section of Blackburn Aeroplane and Motor Co

Type

• Carrier-based reconnaissance.

Designer

• Blackburn Aircraft

Manufacturers

• Blackburn Aircraft

Number produced

• 44

Engines

• 1 x Napier: Lion 12-cylinder W-block inline engine, 450 hp (346 kW).

The Blackburn was developed to meet a naval requirement (Specification 3/21) for a carrier-based reconnaissance aircraft and gun spotting aircraft. Blackburn designed a new fuselage and used the wing and tail surfaces from the Blackburn: Dart. The pilot sat in an open cockpit above the engine, a navigator sat inside the fuselage and a gun position was located at the rear of the fuselage cabin. The aircraft's two-bay wings could fold for stowage aboard aircraft carriers, with the upper wing attached directly to the fuselage, which filled the interplane gap. Armament was a single forward firing Vickers machine gun mounted externally to the left of the pilot, with a Lewis gun on a Scarff ring for the gunner.

Variants

Blackburn

• Prototype, three built.

Blackburn I

• Production version with a 449 hp (335 kW) Napier Lion IIB engines, 33 built.

Blackburn II

• Improved production version with a 464 hp (346 kW) Napier Lion V, and increased gap between wings. 29 built.

Blackburn Trainer

• Trainer version of Blackburn I, fitted with side by side cockpit and dual controls. Known by the Fleet Air Arm as the Bull. Two out of Blackburn I batch.

See Also

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Sources of Information

• Wikipedia