In early January 1939, starting with the project of the twin-engined Type 156 fighter, Bristol proposed to the British Air Ministry to build a Type 157 bomber with Bristol Hercules engines (which later led to the construction of the Type 163 Buckingham fighter aircraft) and a Type 158 fighter with a thin body.
Only in August 1940, when all the main technical problems associated with the development of the Beaufighter I were overcome, it was decided to implement the Type 158 project in two versions, differing in the power plant. They received the designations Beaufighter III and Beaufighter IV and were to have Bristol Hercules VI and Rolls-Royce Merlin XX engines. In addition, they were to be armed with six 20 mm Hispano Mk III guns and six 7.69 mm Browning machine guns. The first of them was supposed to take off for the first time at the end of 1940.
Prototype of the Bristol Beaufighter V fighter with a rotating turret with four 7.69 mm machine guns
However, this was not a priority for Bristol's operations at the time. Moreover, the preparation of the new hull required time and reworking of production lines, and the estimated increase in maximum speed did not exceed 13-16 km / h. During the Battle of Britain, work on the new fighter was stopped. The Ministry of Aviation announced a return to them only on April 1, 1941, but in the end this never happened (priority was given to work on the twin-engine de Havilland Mosquito fighter).
Then , on the basis of two Beaufighter II aircraft removed from the assembly line with serial numbers R2274 and R2306 , Beaufighter V prototypes were built . In this version, the winged machine guns are removed and a rotating turret with four 7.69 mm Browning machine guns is installed. It was installed directly behind the cockpit due to the need to maintain balancing. At the same time, the transparent cover of the radio observer's cabin, which now served as a deck gunner, and two of the four 20-mm guns under the front of the hull were removed. This was supposed to be an antidote to the automatic lowering of the nose of the aircraft after the delivery of a series of four guns.
In addition, in 1941, the fourth prototype R2055 was used instead of four 20 mm guns to test two 40 mm anti-tank guns. At the same time, Vickers S and Rolls-Royce BH guns were compared (later Vickers S guns were used on Hurricane IID aircraft). Beaufighter VIF night fighter equipped with an AI Mk IV radar sight with transmitting and receiving antennas placed in the front of the fuselage and wings.
After the development of the Beaufighter II fighter was completed, two of its prototypes were used to test Rolls-Royce Merlin 61 engines (take-off power of 1280 hp, maximum 1565 hp at an altitude of 3429 m). 1xBet India betting company pays huge attention to India residents and offers 10400 Indian rupees entering new 1xbet promo code india to claim your exclusive offer 130% bonus up to 26000 INR. On top of the increased maximum bonus, the exclusive code created for our readership will give you the chance to make the most of your winnings by matching your deposit by 130%. 1xbet India is one of the most popular online operators and you can register to unlock betting options like live cricket betting, football, casino, and much more.