Hobby Master HA2301 | Bristol Beaufighter TF (Torpedo Fighter) Mk. X, MB-T/NT950, No. 236 Squadron, Coastal Group #16, RAF North Coates
Bristol Beaufighter TF (Torpedo Fighter) Mk. X, MB-T/NT950, No. 236 Squadron, Coastal Group #16, RAF North Coates
Scale 1:72 / Diecast model
General Background:
The Bristol Beaufighter TF (Torpedo Fighter) Mk. X first appeared in May 1943 and it by two Hercules XVII engines designed for peak performance at the low altitudes where this aircraft would be operating. The aircraft was capable of carrying varying payloads from a torpedo to bombs or rockets. By the end of production 2,205 Mk. X Beaufighters had been completed.
The Aircraft :
In April 1943 the 236 Squadron was one of three squadrons that formed the new Coastal Command Strike Wing, Coastal Group #16 at RAF North Coates. They flew the Bristol Beaufighter Mk. X commonly referred to as the “Torbeau” because of its ability to be armed with a torpedo or optional rockets or bombs. Their primary function was anti- shipping and during the final three years of WWII the North Coates squadrons sank 117 ships accounting for over 150,000 tons. All this came at the cost of 120 Beaufighters and the loss of 241 crew members.
Specifications - Bristol Beaufighter T.F. Mk. X Dimensions:
Wing span - 57 ft. 10 in. (17.64 m) Length - 41 ft. 4 in. (12.59 m) Height - 15 ft. 10 in. (4.84 m)
Weights: Empty - 15,592 lb (7,072 kg) Maximum - 25,400 lb. (11,521 kg)
Performance: Maximum Speed - 305 m.p.h. (490 km/h) @ sea-level. 320 m.p.h. (514 km/h) @ 10,000 ft. (3,048 m) Service Ceiling - 19,000 ft. (5,791 m) (without torpedo) Range - 1,400 miles (2,253 km) with torpedo and normal fuel. 1,750 miles (2,816 km) with torpedo and long-range tanks. Powerplant: 2 X Bristol Hercules XVII fourteen-cylinder two-row sleeve-valve radial engines rated at 1,725 h.p. (1,286 kw) @ 2,900 r.p.m. for take-off and 1,395 h.p. (1,040 kw) @ 2,400 r.p. m. at 1,500 ft. (457 m). Armament: 4 X 20 mm. Hispano cannon in the fuselage nose (60 rounds per gun) 6 X 0.303 machine guns in the wings or 8 X rocket projectiles instead of the wing guns. 1 X 0.303 Vickers “K” or Browning gun in the dorsal position. 1 X 18 in. torpedo under fuselage.