Manufacturer: Bristol Aeroplane Company.
Designed by: Frank Barnwell.
Role: Night Fighter.
Produced: 1937 - 1944
Number Built: 4,422 in various forms, around 2,000 were night fighters.
Crew: 3
Length: 42 ft 7 in [12.98 m]
Wingspan: 56 ft 4 in [17.17 m]
Height: 9 ft 10 in [3 m]
Loaded weight: 14,400 lb [6,545 kg]
Powerplant: 2 × Bristol Mercury XV radial engines, 920 hp [690 kW] each
Maximum speed: 266 mph [428 km/h]
Range: 1,460 mi [2,351 km]
Service ceiling: 27,620 ft [8,310 m]
Rate of climb 1,500 ft/min [7.6m/s m]
1 x 0.303 in [7.7 mm] Browning machine gun in port wing
1 or 2 0.303 [7.7 mm] Browning machine gun/s in rear-firing under nose blister or Nash & Thompson FN.54 turret.
4 x 250 lb [113kg] bombs [internal] or
2 x 500 lb [227 kg] bombs [internal] and 8 x 40 lb [18kg] bombs [externally]
The Bristol Blenheim was a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company that was used extensively in the early days of the Second World War. It was adapted as an interim long-range and night fighter, pending the availability of the Beaufighter. It was one of the first British aircraft to have all-metal stressed-skin construction, to utilise retractable landing gear, flaps, powered gun turret and variable pitch propellers. A Canadian-built variant named the Bolingbroke was used as an anti-submarine and training aircraft.
The Blenheim Mk I outshone most biplane fighters in the late 1930s but stood little chance against the German Messerschmitt Bf 109 during daylight operations, though it proved successful as a night fighter. The Mark IV variant was equally unsuccessful, suffering major losses in the early stages of the war.
In the German night bombing raid on London, 18 June 1940, Blenheims accounted for five German bombers thus proving they were better suited to a nocturnal role. In July, No. 600 Squadron, by then based at RAF Manston, had some of its Mk IFs equipped with AI Mk III radar. With this radar equipment, a Blenheim from the Fighter Interception Unit (FIU) at RAF Ford achieved the first success on the night of 2–3 July 1940, accounting for a Dornier Do 17 bomber. More successes came and, before long, the Blenheim proved itself invaluable in the night fighter role. Gradually, with the introduction of the Bristol Beaufighter in 1940-1941, the Blenheim was supplanted by its faster, better armed progeny.
