Bristol Type 159 (Beaubomber)

History of the Bristol Type 159 (Beaubomber)

Before Britain entered World War II (1939-1945), the Royal Air Force (RAF) was already looking for Successor bomber line-up (consisting mainly of Avro Manchester, Short Stirling and Handley Page Halifax - detailed elsewhere on this page). The design will be powered by no fewer than four engines, carry an internal bomb load of at least 9,000 pounds, and feature a 20mm automatic cannon as a defensive weapon.

One submission was from Bristol Aircraft and concerned their "Type 159". However, the project was shelved in the mid-1940s as Britain became more committed to defending the Axis powers. As such, only partially completed models of the Type 159 design exist.

Specification B. 1/39 covers the brief development of the Type 159. During its operation, the Type 159 was nicknamed "Beaubomber", in line with other Bristol products such as "Beaufighter" and "Beaufort". The Model 159 competes with the Handley Page HP.

Proposition 60, an offshoot of the proprietary Halifax bomber design.

The Type 159 proposal features a teardrop-shaped fuselage with a glass nose section and a stepped cockpit cockpit. A dorsal turret (4 x guns) was mounted above the spine, and a rear-facing turret proceeded below in a gondola-like arrangement. The main-wing aircraft is mounted under the fuselage in a pronounced V-shape, with the engines protruding from the leading edge of the wing in a traditional fashion.

The empennage used the twin tail arrangement common to many British bombers of the time. A three-wheeled landing gear was proposed, rather than the more common "smearing" arrangement, which should give this bomber a highly modern appearance on the ground.

Power for the large aircraft comes from 4 Bristol "Hercules VII" air-cooled radial piston engines, 1,500 hp each, which will be used to drive the three-blade propellers in a typical "tie rod" fashion. Engineers also included future support for the Rolls-Royce 'Griffon' inline engine family. The crew consisted of seven people, including a pilot, navigator, bombardier and full-time gunner.

The crew compartment will also be armored to improve survivability against anti-aircraft guns and fighter jets. The finished example has an estimated kerb weight of 37,350 pounds and an MTOW of 71,000 pounds. Estimated performance specs include a top speed of 302 mph, a range of up to 2,500 miles, and a service ceiling of up to 25,300 feet.

It is assumed that the dorsal and ventral emplacements will be fitted with 20mm automatic cannons for point defense of enemy fighters.

Bristol managed to complete the wind tunnel model and subsequent stability testing before prototyping. The Air Ministry commissioned two airworthy prototypes that never materialized - a full-scale mock-up of the Type 159 was completed, but British needs at the time gave way to fighter production for defence, especially after the fall of France in June 1940 After that, a whole new heavy bomb platform is therefore hardly needed.

As work officially ceased after May/June 1940, little more was done until the design of the Type 159 project was fully recorded in history.

Specification

Base

Years in Service

1939

Origins

UK

Crew

7

Production

0

Manufacturer

Bristol Aircraft Company - UK

Operators

UK (removed)

Roles

Ground attack (bombing, strafing)

The ability to conduct air strikes against ground targets using (but not limited to) artillery, bombs, rockets, rockets, etc.

X-Plane (development, prototype, tech demo)

Aircraft designed for prototyping, technology demonstration, or research/data collection.

Dimensions and Weight

Length

82.0ft

(25.00m)

Width/span

114. 8 feet

(35.00m)

Height

20. 2 feet

(6.15m)

Cured weight

37,479 lbs

(17,000 kg)

MTOW

77,162 lbs

(35,000 kg)

Wgt Difference

+?39,683

(+18,000 kg)

Performance

Installed:

4 x Bristol Hercules VII air-cooled radial piston engines or 4 x Rolls-Royce "Griffon" liquid-cooled in-line piston engines driving three-bladed propeller units.

Maximum speed

304 km/h

(490 km/h | 265 knots)

Maximum

23,704 feet

(7,225 m | 4 km)

Area

2,501 km

(4,025 km | 7,454 nautical miles)

Range (MPH) Subsonic: <614mph | Transonic: 614-921 | Supersonic: 921-3836 | Hypersonic: 3836-7673 | Hypersonic: 7673-19180 | Reentry: > 19030

Weapons

Recommended: 4 x 20mm guns in the back turret. The 4 x 20mm guns are located in a rear-facing ventral position. Optional: Traditional intermediate bearings up to 15,000 lbs. internally secured.