As a possible replacement for the pre-war Vickers Wellington medium bomber, Vickers had proposed a series of designs. The first, to meet the same specification as the Bristol Buckingham and Air Ministry Specification B.11/41, was for a high speed twin-engined medium bomber, with remote controlled turrets in engine nacelles and guns in the nose. This was considered to be neither fast enough to be a fast bomber nor well armed enough to be a normal medium bomber. A four-engined development of the same design was also drawn up. The official position was that the Wellington was becoming obsolete but as the Vickers factories were set up only for geodetic construction any design would need to be based on that method. [1] Vickers were working on a Wellington with a pressurised cabin for high altitude work and the Ministry was interested in a pressurized version of the Warwick; this was supported by Lord Beaverbrook. The proposed design changed the twin-engined Warwick wing for an elliptical wing with four Merlin engines. The aircraft was expected to manage 43,000 ft (13,000 m) having delivered 8,000 lb (3,600 kg) of bombs. The contract for two prototypes of the Warwick was covered by Specification B.5/41 and development and construction work proceeded until September 1942. In mid-1942, the Wellington replacement and B.5/41 were merged as a result of a new specification, B.3/42 for a Lancaster replacement but without high altitude performance. Vickers could take the work already done along and fit the four-engine wing to a new design of fuselage and a contract was raised for what would become the Windsor. The wings of the first prototypes were built to the earlier specification and so had lower weight limits imposed.
The Windsor was designed to Air Ministry Specification B.5/41 (later modified to Spec. B.3/42) for a high-altitude heavy bomber with a pressurised crew compartment and an ability to fly at 345 miles per hour (555 km/h) at 31,000 feet (9,400 m).[2] Notable features of the Windsor included its pressurised crew compartment. The main undercarriage consisted of four single-wheel oleo struts - one in each engine nacelle. The defensive guns were mounted in barbettes at the rear of each outboard nacelle, which were to be remotely operated by a gunner in a pressurised compartment in the extreme tail.
The Windsor used Wallis's geodetic body and wing structure that Vickers had previously used in the Wellesley, Wellington and Warwick bombers. In these aircraft the wing structure flexural strength in bending and the torsional stiffness were calculated (and designed) as being controlled separately by a single spar and the geodetic lattice construction respectively.[3] However, testing of wings showed that the geodetic structure also contributed to the wing bending resistance so, for the Windsor, Wallis designed the wing so the geodetic structure would take all the torsional and bending loads. This was achieved by gradually reducing the lattice angle (45 degrees relative to the span) at the wing tips to about 15 degrees at the root. A spar was not needed so there was more room for fuel. With no spar the wing was more flexible than before and there was concern that excessive deflections would occur in an emergency landing with wings full of fuel. To limit the deflection at the wing tip Wallis added an extra landing gear leg in the outboard engine nacelles.[4] Instead of doped Irish linen covering used on the earlier geodetic aircraft, a stiff and light skin was used on the Windsor. This was made from woven steel wires and very thin (1⁄1000 inch (0.025 mm) thickness) stainless steel ribbons, doped with PVC or other plastic, specially designed to avoid ballooning. To properly fit the skin to the frame, a tuning fork had to be used.
Operational history
Only three examples (the original plus successive prototypes known as Type 457 and Type 461) were built. This was due to refinements in the existing Lancaster bomber, rendering it suitable for the role for which the Windsor had been designed. The first prototype flew on 23 October 1943, the second on 15 February 1944, and the third on 11 July 1944. All three were built at Vickers' secret dispersed Foxwarren Experimental Department between Brooklands and nearby Cobham. The two latter prototypes were tested until the end of the Second World War, when further development and production were cancelled.
Variants
Type 447
First prototype, serialled DW506, powered by four 1,315 horsepower (981 kW) Rolls-Royce Merlin 65 engines.
Type 457
Second prototype, serialled DW512, powered by four 1,635 horsepower (1,219 kW) Merlin 85 engines.
Type 461
Third prototype, serialled NK136, powered by four 1,635 horsepower (1,219 kW) Merlin 85 engines, armed with a pair of 20mm guns in each remote-controlled barbette in rear of outer engine nacelles, aimed from the unarmed tail position.
Goulding, James and Philip Moyes. RAF Bomber Command and its Aircraft, 1941-1945. Shepperton, Surrey, UK: Ian Allan Ltd., 1978. ISBN0-7110-0788-8.
Mason, Francis K. The British Bomber since 1914. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books, 1994. ISBN0-85177-861-5.
Murray, Dr. Iain Bouncing-Bomb Man: The Science of Sir Barnes Wallis. Haynes. ISBN978-1-84425-588-7.
Swanborough, Gordon. British Aircraft at War, 1939-1945. Saint Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, UK: HPC Publishing, 1997. ISBN0-9531421-0-8.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vickers Windsor.
May 21, 2023
vickers, windsor, second, world, british, four, engine, heavy, bomber, designed, barnes, wallis, pierson, vickers, armstrongs, factory, brooklands, windsorrole, heavy, bombermanufacturer, vickers, armstrongs, aircraft, first, flight, october, 1943status, proto. The Vickers Windsor was a Second World War British four engine heavy bomber designed by Barnes Wallis and Rex Pierson at the Vickers Armstrongs factory at Brooklands WindsorRole Heavy bomberManufacturer Vickers Armstrongs Aircraft Ltd First flight 23 October 1943Status PrototypePrimary user Royal Air ForceProduced 1943 1944Number built 3 Contents 1 Design and development 2 Operational history 3 Variants 4 Operators 5 Specifications Vickers Windsor Type 447 6 See also 7 References 7 1 Notes 7 2 Bibliography 8 External linksDesign and development EditAs a possible replacement for the pre war Vickers Wellington medium bomber Vickers had proposed a series of designs The first to meet the same specification as the Bristol Buckingham and Air Ministry Specification B 11 41 was for a high speed twin engined medium bomber with remote controlled turrets in engine nacelles and guns in the nose This was considered to be neither fast enough to be a fast bomber nor well armed enough to be a normal medium bomber A four engined development of the same design was also drawn up The official position was that the Wellington was becoming obsolete but as the Vickers factories were set up only for geodetic construction any design would need to be based on that method 1 Vickers were working on a Wellington with a pressurised cabin for high altitude work and the Ministry was interested in a pressurized version of the Warwick this was supported by Lord Beaverbrook The proposed design changed the twin engined Warwick wing for an elliptical wing with four Merlin engines The aircraft was expected to manage 43 000 ft 13 000 m having delivered 8 000 lb 3 600 kg of bombs The contract for two prototypes of the Warwick was covered by Specification B 5 41 and development and construction work proceeded until September 1942 In mid 1942 the Wellington replacement and B 5 41 were merged as a result of a new specification B 3 42 for a Lancaster replacement but without high altitude performance Vickers could take the work already done along and fit the four engine wing to a new design of fuselage and a contract was raised for what would become the Windsor The wings of the first prototypes were built to the earlier specification and so had lower weight limits imposed The Windsor was designed to Air Ministry Specification B 5 41 later modified to Spec B 3 42 for a high altitude heavy bomber with a pressurised crew compartment and an ability to fly at 345 miles per hour 555 km h at 31 000 feet 9 400 m 2 Notable features of the Windsor included its pressurised crew compartment The main undercarriage consisted of four single wheel oleo struts one in each engine nacelle The defensive guns were mounted in barbettes at the rear of each outboard nacelle which were to be remotely operated by a gunner in a pressurised compartment in the extreme tail The Windsor used Wallis s geodetic body and wing structure that Vickers had previously used in the Wellesley Wellington and Warwick bombers In these aircraft the wing structure flexural strength in bending and the torsional stiffness were calculated and designed as being controlled separately by a single spar and the geodetic lattice construction respectively 3 However testing of wings showed that the geodetic structure also contributed to the wing bending resistance so for the Windsor Wallis designed the wing so the geodetic structure would take all the torsional and bending loads This was achieved by gradually reducing the lattice angle 45 degrees relative to the span at the wing tips to about 15 degrees at the root A spar was not needed so there was more room for fuel With no spar the wing was more flexible than before and there was concern that excessive deflections would occur in an emergency landing with wings full of fuel To limit the deflection at the wing tip Wallis added an extra landing gear leg in the outboard engine nacelles 4 Instead of doped Irish linen covering used on the earlier geodetic aircraft a stiff and light skin was used on the Windsor This was made from woven steel wires and very thin 1 1000 inch 0 025 mm thickness stainless steel ribbons doped with PVC or other plastic specially designed to avoid ballooning To properly fit the skin to the frame a tuning fork had to be used Operational history EditOnly three examples the original plus successive prototypes known as Type 457 and Type 461 were built This was due to refinements in the existing Lancaster bomber rendering it suitable for the role for which the Windsor had been designed The first prototype flew on 23 October 1943 the second on 15 February 1944 and the third on 11 July 1944 All three were built at Vickers secret dispersed Foxwarren Experimental Department between Brooklands and nearby Cobham The two latter prototypes were tested until the end of the Second World War when further development and production were cancelled Variants EditType 447 First prototype serialled DW506 powered by four 1 315 horsepower 981 kW Rolls Royce Merlin 65 engines Type 457 Second prototype serialled DW512 powered by four 1 635 horsepower 1 219 kW Merlin 85 engines Type 461 Third prototype serialled NK136 powered by four 1 635 horsepower 1 219 kW Merlin 85 engines armed with a pair of 20mm guns in each remote controlled barbette in rear of outer engine nacelles aimed from the unarmed tail position Operators Edit United KingdomRoyal Air ForceSpecifications Vickers Windsor Type 447 EditData from Vickers Aircraft since 1908 5 General characteristicsCrew six to seven 6 Length 76 ft 10 in 23 42 m Wingspan 117 ft 2 in 35 71 m Height 23 ft 0 in 7 01 m Wing area 1 248 sq ft 115 9 m2 Empty weight 38 606 lb 17 511 kg Gross weight 54 000 lb 24 494 kg Powerplant 4 Rolls Royce Merlin 65 liquid cooled V12 enginePerformance Maximum speed 317 mph 510 km h 275 kn at 23 000 ft 7 000 m Range 2 890 mi 4 650 km 2 510 nmi with 8 000 lb 3 600 kg bombload Service ceiling 27 250 ft 8 310 m Rate of climb 1 250 ft min 6 4 m s Armament Guns 4 20 mm cannon in remote controlled barbettes firing to rear 6 Bombs about 15 000 lb 6 800 kg of bombs 6 See also EditAircraft of comparable role configuration and era Avro Lancaster Avro Lincoln Handley Page Halifax Heinkel He 177B Junkers Ju 488References EditNotes Edit Buttler p116 117 Andrews and Morgan 1988 pp 387 388 https www icevirtuallibrary com wikipedialibrary idm oclc org doi full 10 1680 jec1951 45125 0019 The Development and Design of Aeroplane Structures A G Pugsley p 216 https royalsocietypublishing org doi epdf 10 1098 rsbm 1981 0024 Barnes Neville Wallis by Sir Alfred Pugsley and N E Rowe pp 612 614 615 Andrews and Morgan 1988 p 394 a b c Mason 1994 p 353 Bibliography Edit Andrews C F and E B Morgan Vickers Aircraft since 1908 London Putnam Aeronautical Books 1988 ISBN 0 85177 815 1 Bridgman Leonard ed Jane s All The World s Aircraft 1945 1946 London Samson Low Marston amp Company Ltd 1946 Buttler Tony British Secret Projects Fighters amp Bombers 1935 1950 Hinckley Midland Publishing 2004 ISBN 1 85780 179 2 Goulding James and Philip Moyes RAF Bomber Command and its Aircraft 1941 1945 Shepperton Surrey UK Ian Allan Ltd 1978 ISBN 0 7110 0788 8 Mason Francis K The British Bomber since 1914 London Putnam Aeronautical Books 1994 ISBN 0 85177 861 5 Murray Dr Iain Bouncing Bomb Man The Science of Sir Barnes Wallis Haynes ISBN 978 1 84425 588 7 Swanborough Gordon British Aircraft at War 1939 1945 Saint Leonards on Sea East Sussex UK HPC Publishing 1997 ISBN 0 9531421 0 8 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vickers Windsor Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Vickers Windsor amp oldid 1130068788, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
