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[slejsa]

Blackburn B-26 Botha was a reconnaissance and torpedo bomber that was planned as replacement of Avro Anson. The RAF desperately needed a new aircraft and so they commissioned 442 Botha´s before starting of their production. The first prototype took of in Martlesham Heath in December 1938. However the first flight showed a bad performance of Botha. That is why company of Blackburn made some adaptation. These new aircraft arrived to the base of 608^th Squa­dron Coastal Command in Thornaby on 28^th June 1940. Nevertheless their commission bring nest complications. Botha had poor stability, difficult piloting and weak engines. For example practically empty Botha wasn´t able to flight with one engine only. The clove in the coffin of Botha were a inexplicable series of crashes. That is why Botha´s were pulled back out of the operation service after 5 month only. They were use as trainer to the 1944.
General characteristics
Category: aeroplane for anti-submarine/anti-ship warfare
Producer: Blackburn Aircraft Co Ltd., Brough and Dumbarton, Great Britain
Production Period: 1938-1942
Number of Produced: 580
Maiden Flight: 28.12.1938
Crew: 4
Empty Weight: 5 366 kg (11 830 lb)
Take-off Weight: 7 996 kg (17 628 lb)
Wingspan: 17,98 m (59ft)
Length: 15,56 m (51ft 0.5in)
Height: 4,46 m (14ft 7.5in)
Wing Area: 48.12 m² (518 ft sq)
Type of Engine: Bristol Perseus XA, power 694 kW (930 hp)
Propeller: three-blade, constant speed propeller de Havilland 5/11 Hydromatic
Fuel Tank Capacity: 1 981 l (435.75 Imp gal)
Maximum Speed: 407,2 km/h in 4572 m (253 mph in 15000 ft)
Climb Rate: 3,8 m/s (740 ft/min)
Service Ceiling: 7 193 m (23 600 ft)
Range: 2 043,9 km (1 270 mi)
Armament: 1x fixed 7,7 mm (.303) Vickers Mk.V machine gun
                2x 7,7 mm Lewis Mk.III machine gun in the Frazer-Nash F.N.7 dorsal turet
               1x 18in Mk.XII or Mk.XIV torpedo or
               1x 2000 lb bomb or
               2x 500 lb bomb or
               4x 250 lb bomb

[SAS~Gerax]

Good request! And: I must admit its the first time I read about this plane .. 

[BravoFxTrt]

Same here, +1

[slejsa]

I think that Botha was based on the same requirement like Beaufort...but with completly different result Nevertheless it should be very interesting to missions from summer of 1940.

[David Prosser]

Good idea, slejsa. I think they were used as transports too after their Coastal Command career ended. A British transport is needed. So if this appeared, we'd have two planes for the price of one. To save work it could be released as AI only.

cheers

David Prosser

[cuccos19]

Hello! Could you tell me, what is the source of this, which book is in it? It is in Hungarian, but it is new for me. Thank you for help!

[slejsa]

I´m sorry but I don´t know. I found this picture on http://www.eliteday.com/blueprint/01_htm_uj/blackburn_small.html. Nevertheless if you can speak Hungarian you should try to look up the book there

[cuccos19]

Thanks! I will check it out.

[Oscarito]

What a nice looking twin!
And an illustrious unkkown, at least for me...