AVRO Lancaster Mk I

Developing Nation:

United Kingdom

Manufacturer/designer:

AVRO

Task:

Heavy Bomber

First Flight:

January 9th 1941: Prototype

May 13 th 1941: First production model prototype.

First Delivery:

December 24 th 1941 (at xmas eve) to No. 44 squadron (3x Mk I’s)

First Mission:

March 3 rd 1942. On this day 4 Lancaster’s of No. 44 squadron  left at 6:15 pm to drop sea-mines at Helgoland. They returned at their base five hours later without problems.

Crew:

7:

1x nose gunner/bomber, 1x pilots, 1x flight engineer, 1x navigator, 1x wireless operator, 1x mid-upper gunner, 1x tail gunner

Wing Span:

31,1 m

Wing Area:

120,45 m²

Length:

21,1 m

Height:

5,97 m

Engine (s):

4x Rolls Royce of Packard Merlin XX (1460 hp)

Weight empty:

16344 kg

Max. Take off weight:

30872 kg

Max. Speed:

443 Kph at 4572 meters

Cruise Speed:

322 Kph at 4572 meters

Max. Range:

4072 km

Service ceiling:

6706 meters

Rate of climb:

6096 m in 41 minutes and 36 seconds.

Centerline hard point(‘s):

Only with Dam busters 1x

Weapons:

2x 7,7 mm Browning machine-gun in Nose

2x 7,7 mm Browning machine-gun at mid-upper

4x 7,7 mm Browning machine-gun in tail

 

Normal Bomb-load: 6356 Kg.

Dam buster bomb-load: 9988 kg.

Extra:

3544 Mk I’s were built, the largest number of this aircrafts types.

Lancaster Short Fact’s

Totally built:

7377

Total operational sorties:

156308

Total bombs dropped:

608612 tons

Lancaster’s lost in action:

3249

Number of Lancaster’s to complete more than 100 sorties:

35

Most sorties by one Lancaster:

139 (survived the war, scrapped in 1947)

Surviving:

Only 13 of every 100 aircrew was likely to survive a complete tour of 50 missions

Lancaster’s in present time:

There are 16 Lancaster’s remaining worldwide, only 2 are in flying condition.

Lancaster served in 9 nations:

Argentina

Australia

Canada

Egypt

France (Navy Reconnaissance)

New Zealand

Poland

Sweden

United Kingdom

Lancaster served The RAF:

From: December 24 th 1941

Until:  December 1953.