The Avro 679 Manchester was a twin-engined heavy bomber developed during World War II by the Avro aircraft company in the United Kingdom. The Manchester was a failure due to its under-developed, under-powered and unreliable engines, but it was the forerunner to the famous Avro Lancaster, one of the most successful bombers of the war. Avro Manchester III heavy bomber. ... The B-52 Stratofortress, a heavy bomber. ... Combatants Allies: • Soviet Union, • UK & Commonwealth, • USA, • France/Free France, • China, • Poland, • ...and others Axis: • Germany, • Japan, • Italy, • ...and others Casualties Military dead: 18 million Civilian dead: 33 million Full list Military dead: 7 million Civilian dead: 4 million Full list World War II, also known as the Second World... Avro 504K. Avro was a British aircraft manufacturer, well known for planes such as the Avro Lancaster which served in World War II. One of the worlds first aircraft builders, A.V.Roe and Company was established at Brownsfield Mills, Manchester, England by Alliot Verdon Roe and his brother... The Avro Lancaster was a four-engine World War II bomber aircraft made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force (RAF). ...

The Manchester was originally designed to the Air Ministry Specification P.13/36 which was the same specification that Handley Page followed in their design of the Halifax bomber. The specification called for a twin-engined heavy bomber using the powerful Rolls-Royce Vulture 24-cylinder X-type engine which was essentially two Rolls-Royce Peregrine Vee-type cylinder blocks on top of each other, the bottom one inverted to give the "X" shape. When developed in 1935, the engine had promise — it was rated at 1,760 hp — but it proved woefully unreliable and had to be derated to between 1,480 and 1,500 hp. Avro's prototype Manchester L7246 first flew on 25 July 1939 but the second aircraft did not fly until 26 May 1940. The Air Ministry was formerly a department of the United Kingdom Government, established in 1918 with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the (then newly formed) Royal Air Force. ... The Handley Page Aircraft Company was founded by Frederick Handley Page in 1909. ... Halifax W1057 ZA-X of No. ... The Rolls-Royce Vulture (and the related Peregrine) were aircraft engines, and probably the least successful power units ever produced by Rolls-Royce. ... The Peregrine was a 885hp liquid-cooled V-12 aircraft engine designed by Rolls Royce in the early 1930s. ... A V engine is a common configuration for an internal combustion engine in which the pistons are aligned so that, if viewed along the line of the crankshaft, they appear to be in a V. Usually, two opposing pistons share one crank on the crankshaft. ... The cylinder block is a machined casting (or sometimes an assembly of modules) containing cylindrically bored holes for the pistons of a multi-cylinder reciprocating internal combustion engine, or for a similarly constructed device such as a pump. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1935: Events January January 11-12 – Amelia Earhart makes the first solo flight across the Pacific from Honolulu, Hawaii to Oakland, California. ... July 25 is the 206th day (207th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 159 days remaining. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1939: Events January January 12 - the RAF Auxiliary Air Force Reserve is formed February February 9 - Alex Henshaw sets a new speed record for the round trip between England and Cape Town in 4 days 10 minutes in a Percival Mew... May 26 is the 146th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (140th in leap years). ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1940: Events March March 16 - Britain suffers its first civilian air-raid casualties of the war after a raid by KG 26 on Scapa Flow March 25 - the US government grants permission to the countrys aircraft manufacturers to sell advanced...

Handley Page's response to the engine's faults was to switch the Halifax to four of the less powerful but more reliable Rolls-Royce Merlin X engines however Avro persisted with the Vulture and the Manchester went into production, entering service with No. 207 Squadron of RAF Bomber Command in November 1940. The Merlin was a 12 cylinder, 60° V, 27 litre, liquid cooled piston aircraft engine built during World War II by Rolls-Royce. ... RAF Bomber Command was the organisation that controlled the RAFs bomber forces. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1940: Events March March 16 - Britain suffers its first civilian air-raid casualties of the war after a raid by KG 26 on Scapa Flow March 25 - the US government grants permission to the countrys aircraft manufacturers to sell advanced...

While the Manchester was designed with twin tails, the first production aircraft, designated the Mk I, had a central fin added and a total of 20 aircraft with this configuration were completed. They were succeeded by the Mk IA which reverted to the twin-fin system and this configuration carried over to the Lancaster. A twin tail is a specific type of vertical stabilizer arrangement found on some aircraft. ...

Eventually 209 Manchesters entered service, equipping eight bomber squadrons, serving with two others and also being used by Coastal Command. Avro built 177 and Metropolitan-Vickers completed 32; plans for Armstrong Whitworth and Fairey to build the Manchester were abandoned. Coastal Command was an organization within the Royal Air Force tasked with protecting the United Kingdom from naval threats. ... Vickers Armstrong (Aircraft) company logo Vickers, founded as the Vickers Company in 1828, was a British manufacturer, primarily of military equipment, traditionally based in Barrow-in-Furness. ... Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd was a major British manufacturing company of the early years of the 20th century. ... Fairey Aviation Company logo The Fairey Aviation Company, Ltd was a British aircraft manufacturer of the first half of the 20th century, notable for a number of important planes, including the Fairey III family and the Fairey Swordfish. ...

The Mk III Manchester, BT308, which first flew on January 9 1941, was essentially the first Lancaster, being powered by four Merlin engines and with increased wingspan, although retaining the three fins and rudders of the Manchester I. The second prototype Manchester III, DG295, (by then renamed Lancaster) featured the twin, enlarged, fins and rudders of the Manchester IA. Manchester production continued until November of that year but some aircraft still in production were completed as Lancasters. January 9 is the 9th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1941: Events Jacqueline Cochran became the first woman to fly a bomber across the Atlantic Ocean. ...

Specifications (Mk I/IA)

General characteristics

• Crew: 7
• Length: 70 ft (21.34 m)
• Wingspan: 90 ft 1 in (27.46 m)
• Height: 19 ft 6 in (5.94 m)
• Wing area: ft² ( m²)
• Empty: 31,200 lb (14,152 kg)
• Loaded: lb ( kg)
• Maximum takeoff: 50,000 lb (22,680 kg)
• Powerplant: 2 x Rolls-Royce Vulture I 24-cylinder X-type, 2 x 1,500 hp ( kW)

The Rolls-Royce Vulture (and the related Peregrine) were aircraft engines, and probably the least successful power units ever produced by Rolls-Royce. ...

Performance

• Maximum speed: 250 mph (402 km/h)
• Range: 1,200 miles (1,930 km)
• Service ceiling: 19,500 ft (5,852 m)
• Rate of climb: ft/min ( m/min)
• Wing loading: lb/ft² ( kg/m²)
• Power/mass: hp/lb ( kW/kg)

Armament

• 8 x .303 in Browning machine guns, (2 in nose, 2 in mid-upper and 4 in tail turrets)
• 10,350 lb (4,695 kg) bomb load

.303 cartridge The . ... A machine gun is a fully-automatic firearm that is capable of firing bullets in rapid succession. ...

Related content

Related development: Avro Lancaster The Avro Lancaster was a four-engine World War II bomber aircraft made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force (RAF). ...

Comparable aircraft: Handley Page Halifax Halifax W1057 ZA-X of No. ...

Designation series: 652 - 652A - 679 - 683 - 685 - 688 The Avro Anson was a twin-engine, multi-role aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force, Fleet Air Arm and numerous other air forces during World War II and afterwards. ... The Avro Lancaster was a four-engine World War II bomber aircraft made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force (RAF). ... The Avro York was a passenger and freight transport of the 1940s, in both military and civilian applications. ...

See also

• List of aircraft of the RAF

Many aircraft types have served in the Royal Air Force since it was formed in 1918 by the merger of the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service. ...