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Vickers Virginia
The Vickers Virginia was a biplane heavy bomber of the British Royal Air Force, developed from the Vickers Vimy, and was the mainstay of the interwar RAF heavy night bombing force.
The Vickers Virginia was designed to meet the requirements of Air Ministry specifications 1/21 for a long-range heavy bomber intended to replace the Vickers Vimy.
Two prototypes were ordered on 13 January 1921, with an additional two prototypes ordered in September 1922. The Virginia resembled the Vimy but notably had a lowered front gunner's position, providing the pilot with a greater field of view, 20 ft (6 m) greater wingspan and a 9 ft (3 m) longer fuselage. It was powered by two Napier Lion engines and flew for the first time on 24 November 1922.
The Virginia prototype underwent type trials at the Aircraft Experimental Establishment at RAF Martlesham Heath at the end of 1922. One of the first modifications was the replacement of the original two-bladed propellers by four-bladed propellers. An unusual set of "fighting top" turrets was added to the upper wings, but these were later deleted from production aircraft.
Vickers Virginia Marks I–VI had straight wings and retained the wooden framed wings and fuselages covered in canvas derived from the earlier Vickers Vimy. Starting with the Mark III, the Virginia had a rear fuselage gunner. Early Virginias had an internal bomb bay for eight 112 lb bombs (51 kg), or could be fitted with under-wing racks for two heavier 550 lb bombs (249 kg).
In 1926, the Vickers Virginia Mk VII became the principal production version of the type. This version introduced 6-degree swept-back metal-framed outer wings while retaining the wooden fuselage, and the rear gunner was moved into a tail turret. They were powered by two 500 hp Napier Lion V engines. Eleven were newly built aircraft, and thirty-eight were converted from earlier marks.
The final major development of the Vickers Virginia series was the Mark X, introduced in 1929. This version adopted an all-metal airframe constructed from duralumin and steel, with covering panels of fabric, aluminium, and wood. They could carry a 3,000 lb bomb load (1,360 kg), and had top speed of 108 mph (174 km/h) at 5,000 ft (1,500 m), with a range of 985 miles (1,585 km). Defensive armament consisted of one Lewis gun in the nose and a twin Lewis gun in the tail. 50 newly constructed Mark X aircraft and 53 surviving earlier models were converted or remanufactured to the Mark X standard.
A total of 126 Virginias were built across all variants, including 2 prototypes (Mark I & Mark II), 6 Mark III, 2 Mark IV, 22 Mark V, 25 Mark VI, 11 Mark VII, 8 Mark IX, and 50 Mark X. These figures are for newly built airframes, with earlier marks also being upgraded.
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Vickers Virginia
The Vickers Virginia was a biplane heavy bomber of the British Royal Air Force, developed from the Vickers Vimy, and was the mainstay of the interwar RAF heavy night bombing force.
The Vickers Virginia was designed to meet the requirements of Air Ministry specifications 1/21 for a long-range heavy bomber intended to replace the Vickers Vimy.
Two prototypes were ordered on 13 January 1921, with an additional two prototypes ordered in September 1922. The Virginia resembled the Vimy but notably had a lowered front gunner's position, providing the pilot with a greater field of view, 20 ft (6 m) greater wingspan and a 9 ft (3 m) longer fuselage. It was powered by two Napier Lion engines and flew for the first time on 24 November 1922.
The Virginia prototype underwent type trials at the Aircraft Experimental Establishment at RAF Martlesham Heath at the end of 1922. One of the first modifications was the replacement of the original two-bladed propellers by four-bladed propellers. An unusual set of "fighting top" turrets was added to the upper wings, but these were later deleted from production aircraft.
Vickers Virginia Marks I–VI had straight wings and retained the wooden framed wings and fuselages covered in canvas derived from the earlier Vickers Vimy. Starting with the Mark III, the Virginia had a rear fuselage gunner. Early Virginias had an internal bomb bay for eight 112 lb bombs (51 kg), or could be fitted with under-wing racks for two heavier 550 lb bombs (249 kg).
In 1926, the Vickers Virginia Mk VII became the principal production version of the type. This version introduced 6-degree swept-back metal-framed outer wings while retaining the wooden fuselage, and the rear gunner was moved into a tail turret. They were powered by two 500 hp Napier Lion V engines. Eleven were newly built aircraft, and thirty-eight were converted from earlier marks.
The final major development of the Vickers Virginia series was the Mark X, introduced in 1929. This version adopted an all-metal airframe constructed from duralumin and steel, with covering panels of fabric, aluminium, and wood. They could carry a 3,000 lb bomb load (1,360 kg), and had top speed of 108 mph (174 km/h) at 5,000 ft (1,500 m), with a range of 985 miles (1,585 km). Defensive armament consisted of one Lewis gun in the nose and a twin Lewis gun in the tail. 50 newly constructed Mark X aircraft and 53 surviving earlier models were converted or remanufactured to the Mark X standard.
A total of 126 Virginias were built across all variants, including 2 prototypes (Mark I & Mark II), 6 Mark III, 2 Mark IV, 22 Mark V, 25 Mark VI, 11 Mark VII, 8 Mark IX, and 50 Mark X. These figures are for newly built airframes, with earlier marks also being upgraded.