Bristol Buckingham

Bristol Type 163 Buckingham
Company type	Medium bomber aircraft
Industry	Aviation
Founded	1943
Headquarters	United Kingdom
Products	Military aircraft

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The Bristol Type 163 Buckingham served as a British Second World War medium bomber developed for the Royal Air Force (RAF). Due to changing circumstances, it was produced in limited quantities and was primarily assigned to transport and liaison roles.

Design and development

At the beginning of 1939, Bristol proposed developing a bomber version of the Beaufighter powered by their Hercules engines. At that period, British policy favoured acquiring medium bombers from the United States to enable domestic manufacturers to focus on heavy bomber projects; however, there was still a request for a design preferably derived from an existing model. This led Bristol to explore adaptations based on either the Beaufighter or the Beaufort. Their initial efforts resulted in the Bristol Type 161 followed by the Type 162 Beaumont.

The Air Ministry issued specification B.7/40 seeking a medium bomber to succeed the Blenheim. The requirements included a minimum speed of 300 mph at 5,000 ft altitude, a standard bomb load of 1,000 lb, and a central turret armed with at least two 0.5 inch (12.7 mm) machine guns. Only Armstrong Whitworth submitted a complete design, but it failed to gain approval. When Bristol presented their Type 162 ("tentatively named Beaumont"), which closely aligned with B.7/40 criteria, the Air Staff requested a mockup in 1940 followed by an order for three prototype aircraft in February 1941. The Beaumont incorporated the rear fuselage and tail assembly from a Beaufighter combined with newly designed centre and forward fuselage sections. Its armament featured a mid-upper turret equipped with four machine guns, four forward-firing guns, and two rearward-facing guns.

Work commenced on construction in late 1940 alongside drafting a new Air Ministry Specification B.2/41 tailored to this design. However, evolving requirements eliminated dive bombing and "direct army support" roles—tasks anticipated to be fulfilled by incoming American bombers—and increased performance demands rendered the Beaumont inadequate. The revised specification called for a bomb capacity of 4,000 lb, a top speed of 360 mph, and an operational range of 1,600 miles, prompting Bristol to redesign the aircraft around the more powerful Bristol Centaurus engine.

This updated design with enlarged wings and enhanced powerplant became known as the Type 163 Buckingham. It featured gun placements in the nose as well as dorsal and ventral turrets. Its overall design was conventional except for one distinctive element: the bomb-aimer/navigator was positioned within a ventral gondola located mid-fuselage, reminiscent of similar arrangements found on earlier German Heinkel He 111H models and American Boeing B-17C and -D variants. This configuration aimed to provide clear visibility and easy communication among crew members. The bomb bay accommodated various payloads including one 4,000 lb bomb, two bombs weighing 2,000 lb each, four bombs of 1,000 lb each or six bombs of 500 lb each. Positioned at the aft end of the gondola was a hydraulically operated turret armed with two 0.303 Browning machine guns. The dorsal turret housed four Browning machine guns designed by Bristol, while an additional four fixed forward-firing Brownings were pilot-controlled.

Subsequently, specification B.2/41 was superseded by B.P/41. An order for 400 units was placed with an initial production rate targeted at 25 per month and deliveries anticipated starting March 1943; however, Bristol expressed concerns regarding the feasibility of such scale and associated costs and raised these issues with the Ministry of Aircraft Production (MAP). The prototype's maiden flight occurred on 4 February 1943. Flight testing revealed stability problems which necessitated enlarging the twin vertical fins along with other adjustments.

Operational history

File:Bristol Buckingham at RAF Boscombe Down c1945.jpg

A Buckingham B1 in 1945

By the time production commenced, operational demands had evolved. Daytime assaults on German industry were primarily executed by the US forces, while RAF Bomber Command employed de Havilland Mosquito aircraft during night operations. The Buckingham was deemed unsuitable for solo daylight missions over Europe, leading to a decision in January 1944 to deploy all Buckinghams overseas as replacements for Vickers Wellington bombers.

Upon discovering the Buckingham's handling deficiencies, its effectiveness was questioned, culminating in the program’s termination in August 1944. To maintain employment at Bristol for subsequent Brigand and Hawker Tempest manufacturing, a final batch of 119 units was produced. Alternative roles for the aircraft were explored, resulting in a conversion to a fast communications platform.

After 54 units were completed as bombers, the remaining aircraft were adapted for rapid courier service within RAF Transport Command. This involved removing armaments and installing four passenger seats along with windows in the fuselage. This variant was designated the Buckingham C.1. Despite offering speeds up to 300 mph (480 km/h) and longer range than Mosquito transports, its limited seating capacity meant it saw minimal operational use. Meanwhile, 65 unfinished Buckingham bombers on the production line were converted into the Buckmaster, a trainer aircraft designed for the similar Brigand. Known as one of the RAF's highest-performance trainers, the Buckmaster remained in service until its retirement during the mid-1950s.

Variants

Type 163 Buckingham: Four prototypes equipped with Centaurus IV engines.
Type 163 Buckingham B1: The initial production model, first flown on 12 February 1944, powered by Centaurus VI or XI engines. Originally planned for 400 units but reduced first to 300 then down to 119, with only 54 completed as bombers.
Type 163 Buckingham C1: Production aircraft finished as high-speed courier transports featuring four passenger seats, removal of armor and weaponry, and enlarged fuel capacity; 64 constructed.
Type 164 Brigand: A torpedo bomber variant utilizing Buckingham wings and tail surfaces combined with a new fuselage.
Type 165 Brigand II: A trainer version of the Brigand that was not built.
Type 166 Buckmaster: A Buckingham-based trainer aircraft.
Type 169: A proposed photo-reconnaissance model of the Buckingham that never progressed to production.

Operators

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Royal Air Force

Specifications (Buckingham C.1)

File:Bristol Buckingham 3-view Les Ailes February 1, 1947.png

Bristol Buckingham three-view diagram from Les Ailes, February 1, 1947

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External links

Bristol Type 163 Buckingham

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