Vickers Valparaiso

Vickers

Industry	Aerospace
Founded	1828 in Sheffield, England
Products	Aircraft

The Vickers Valparaiso was a British light bomber biplane from the 1920s, developed by Vickers as an export variant of the Vixen. It found buyers primarily in Portugal and Chile.

Development and design

Conceived as an export adaptation of the Vixen I, the aircraft was rebranded as the Valparaiso to differentiate it from the original Vixen, which incorporated classified government technology and was thus restricted from export. Two engine configurations were offered: the Type 93 Valparaiso I equipped with the same Napier Lion engine as the Vixen, and the Type 92 Valparaiso II, which used a Rolls-Royce Eagle powerplant. Aside from their propulsion systems, both models closely resembled the Vixen I, featuring single-bay biplane wings constructed from wood and fuselages made of steel tubing. The Portuguese Air Force procured ten units of the Lion-powered Valparaiso I for reconnaissance bombing roles, alongside four Valparaiso II aircraft powered by the Eagle engine intended for advanced pilot training. In 1928, Portugal opted to produce a modified version under license, integrating a Gnome et Rhône Jupiter radial engine. This led to Vickers converting one aircraft to this specification, followed by OGMA (Oficinas Gerais de Material Aeronáutico) manufacturing thirteen additional units designated as Type 168 Valparaiso III.

Operational history

File:Vickers Valparaiso I.jpg

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The Valparaisos operated by Portugal demonstrated considerable effectiveness in service. Notably, two aircraft completed an extensive journey in 1928, flying from Portugal to its African territories of Angola and Mozambique and returning successfully. This achievement influenced Portugal’s decision to initiate licensed production of the Valparaiso III. The radial-engine variants remained active within Portuguese service until they were phased out in 1943, succeeded by Westland Lysander aircraft.

In Chile, a single prototype Valparaiso I was acquired from Vickers in 1924. Its performance impressed Chilean operators, prompting an order for eighteen further modified examples. These later models reverted to the original Vixen designation and were known as the Vixen V.

Variants

Type 93 Valparaiso I

Export model of the Vickers Vixen equipped with a Napier Lion engine. A total of 11 units were produced.

Type 92 Valparaiso II

Powered by the Rolls-Royce Eagle engine, this variant saw four aircraft constructed.

Type 168 Valparaiso III

Designed for Portugal and powered by a Jupiter radial engine, 13 examples were manufactured under license by OGMA.

Operators

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• Chilean Air Force

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• Aeronáutica Militar (Portuguese Army Aviation)

External links

• Vickers Valparaiso I e II (Portuguese language)