The Blenheim is the result of a request from Lord Rothermere in Bristol for a six-person transport plane to be the fastest and quietest. Bristol manufactured the Type 142 which flew at 80 km / h more than the fastest British fighter of the time, the Hawker Fury.
Flying for the first time on April 12, 1935, it was going to experience a rapid development and become the Bristol Blenheim MK I at the request of the British Air Ministry which converted it from transport aircraft to light bomber and commanded immediately 150 Copies of a bomber version of the aircraft. The RAF was actually looking for a high-speed bomber to replace the Hind.
At the time of the Second World War, the Blenheim was modified. Its autonomy was extended by larger tanks, its new reinforced landing gear allowed a higher maximum mass and the nose was modified. The new version was originally called Bolingbroke, but eventually received the designation Blenheim Mk IV and entered service in March 1939. The previous version, Mk.I, which numbered 1,134 in the RAF, was largely converted to this standard Before Britain's entry into the war. A few specimens, however, were transformed into Mk.IF and equipped with a radar for interception at night, thus becoming the first aircraft to be equipped with radar.
At the time of the Munich crisis in 1938, it equipped 16 squadrons of the R.A.F. At the outbreak of hostilities in 1939. The Blenheim was to mark the beginning of the Second World War by major acts of arms. In September 1939 he was the first to fly over German territory and photograph the fleet at Wilhemshaven. He was also the first, a few days later, to carry out an offensive bombing mission with squadrons 107 and 110.
The Blenheim, the middle bomber, was the backbone of the RAF bombing formations until 1942. Once again, he was the first to sink a U-boat on March 11, 1940. But little by little, The airplane showed its limits and was engaged only on the fronts of Greece, North Africa and the East until the end of 1943. It will finish its career in 1942 being replaced by more efficient airplanes. The only shadow in his painting was the plane that lost the most crews, more than any other model of the R.A.F. It was produced in 3,286 copies in its Mk IV version.
Specifications :
Crew 3
Length 8,60 m
Wingspan 17,17 m
Height 3 m
Wing area 43,6 m²
Leermasse 4450 kg
Max. Start weight 6545 kg
Cruising speed 319 km / h
Maximum speed 428 km / h
Height of service: 8310 m
Coverage 2351 km
Engines 2 × Bristol-Mercury XV-star engines with 690 kW each
Armament 5 × Browning-MG cal. 0.303 (7.7 mm)
454 kg bombs in the bomb bay
145 kg at outdoor stations
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