Bristol Type 159

Bristol Aeroplane Company

Industry	Aerospace
Headquarters	Filton, Bristol , United Kingdom

Template:Infobox aircraft The Bristol Type 159 represented a British concept for a four-engine heavy bomber, developed by the Bristol Aeroplane Company based in Filton, Bristol. Although a full-scale mock-up was constructed, the programme was ultimately abandoned before any actual aircraft were produced.

Design and development

In March 1939, the British Air Ministry released specification B.1/39 calling for a heavy bomber to supersede the Avro Manchester, Short Stirling, and Handley Page Halifax. Bristol responded with the Type 159, occasionally referred to as the Beaubomber. This design featured a low-wing monoplane configuration with twin vertical stabilisers and incorporated numerous components derived from the Bristol Beaufort. It employed a nose-wheel undercarriage and was designed to carry a bomb load of approximately 15,000 lb (6,800 kg) housed within the inner wing sections. The powerplant comprised four Bristol Hercules engines, with provisions to replace these with Rolls-Royce Griffon engines if required. The crew compartments—excluding the bomb aimer's position—were enclosed within an armoured monocoque fuselage integrated with both dorsal and ventral gun turrets. Alongside the Type 159, the Handley Page HP.60—a Halifax variant—was selected, with plans to commission two prototypes of each model for comparative assessment. The Type 159 underwent wind tunnel testing that confirmed its aerodynamic stability and low drag characteristics; with design developments progressing steadily, a full-scale mock-up was completed by early 1940.

Plans were made to construct a half-scale prototype for flight evaluation; however, as the Ministry of Aircraft Production (MAP) shifted focus towards fighter aircraft manufacturing, further advancement of the Type 159 ceased and its mock-up was dismantled by May 1940.