Bristol BEAUFIGHTER MK VI F

Bristol Beaufighter Papercraft Bristol BEAUFIGHTER MK VI F Papercraft

The Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter (often referred to simply as the "Beau") is a multi-role aircraft developed during the Second World War by Bristol Aeroplane Company in the UK. It was originally conceived as a heavy fighter variant of the Bristol Beaufort bomber. The Beaufighter was a versatile aircraft used in service initially as a night fighter, and later mainly in the maritime strike and ground attack roles; it also replaced the earlier Beaufort as a torpedo bomber.

Variants built in Australia by the Department of Aircraft Production (DAP) were sometimes referred to by the name DAP Beaufighter. The idea of a fighter development of the Beaufort was suggested to the Air Ministry by Bristol. The suggestion coincided with the delays in the development and production of the Westland Whirlwind cannon-armed twin-engine fighter.[2] Bristol made proposals of a fixed four-cannon version and a turret fighter with twin cannons; the former was preferred by the assistant chief of the air staff. As a torpedo bomber and "general reconnaissance" aircraft the Beaufort had moderate performance but for fighter-like performance Bristol suggested their new Hercules engines in place of the Beaufort's Taurus (another Bristol engine).

Since the "Beaufort cannon fighter" was a conversion of an existing design, development and production was expected far more quickly than with a completely fresh design. Accordingly, the air ministry produced draft Specification F.11/37 written around Bristol's suggestion for an "interim" aircraft pending proper introduction of the Whirlwind. Bristol started building a prototype by taking a partly-built Beaufort out of the production line. This conversion served to speed the process—Bristol had promised series production in early 1940 on the basis of an order being placed in February 1939—and the ministry ordered two prototypes from the line and two built from scratch. Although it had been expected that maximum re-use of Beaufort components would speed the process, the fuselage needed more work than expected and had to be completely redesigned.[3] As such, the first prototype flew for the first time on 17 July 1939, a little more than eight months after the design had started, possibly due to the use of much of the Beaufort's design and parts. A production contract for 300 machines "off the drawing board" had already been placed two weeks before the prototype F.17/39 even flew.