Avro Manchester

Avro 679 Manchester - přehled verzí

Použité prameny:
Bob Kirby, The Avro Manchester, The legend behid the Lancaster, UK, Manchester, Midland Publishing, 2015. ISBN: 1-85780-028-1.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_Manchester
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Avro 679 Manchester[/heading]

the Conditions of

This bomber was created on the basis of the directives of the B.13/36, which drew up the british Ministry of aviation in may 1936. Great Britain withdrew from the principles adopted by the geneva disarmament conference, in force since 1932. At this conference was adopted the condition that the bomber cannot be held higher bomb load than 2 725 kg. These requirements even at the beginning of its development should fulfil the older british bombers Armstrong Whitworth And.W.38 Whitley, Handley Page Hampden and Vickers Wellington. Tension in Europe was on, and Germany began openly arming, therefore the United Kingdom formulated in the directive.B.13/36 your requirements for a modern twin-engine medium bomber (at that time it was classified as a heavy). The first was in these specifications required a higher tonnage of bombs than the mentioned 2 725 kg, but already the dimensions of the aeroplane, the required engines, or takeoff weight allowed for this so far, the limiting parameter is slightly changed. There was already the end of the year 1936, when it was clear that the geneva restrictions no longer apply. The desired bomber should have a take-off weight of 45 000 pounds, the maximum desired bomb load was 8 000 lb (3 630 kg) or had to carry two osmnáctipalcová (457 mm) air torpedoes, bombs should be able to throw in a raid with a descent at an angle of 30° and pick up messages from ground units using the hook from the rope taut between the two sticks!!! With the maximum suicide cargo had to fly at a distance of 2,000 miles, with half the load the required distance of 3 000 miles. In the specifications it was required suspension up to twelve tisícilibrových pum, but at the cost of considerable congestion. Achieve the desired maximum speed of 275 mph (445 km/h) should ensure the pair has just developed engine, which was the expected performance of the 2 000 hp (1 491 kW) for each. In the account so the coming of these power units:
1. the osmnáctiválec Bristol Centaurus with a sliding feeder measures out the divorce
2. čtyřiadvacetiválec Rolls-Royce Vulture with the cylinders arranged in the shape of the letter X
3. čtyřiadvacetiválec Napier Sabre with the cylinders arranged in the shape of ležatého H.
Altogether they were a completely new high-performance power unit, which stood at the very beginning of their development, all three types of engines were not at that time even tried and by far the neodladěné, certainly not in a state of allowing the installation to serial aircraft.
Very interesting was the requirement for katapultovaný take-off and landing, using a braking lan. No, this bomber had to operate from the decks of aircraft carriers, the Ministry of aviation wanted in this way to solve the insufficient number of airfields with a sufficiently long and compacted flat. The catapult was, besides RAE, installed only on the air base Harwell, then the project was canceled and its use is probably only got the second prototype Manchester and it's in the RAE at the airport in Farnborough. It was probably fortunate that the ministry officials and old officers in the ranks of the RAF have left from the nonsensical to the requirements of good aircraft from the beginning of the first world. Remained so the requirement limiting a wingspan of 100 ft (this was the dimension of the hangar doors) and the requirement for two engines.
Six members of the crew should be protected by a triple gun turrets, each of these towers should carry a machine-gun twin or čtyřče, machine guns should caliber 0.303 in (7.7 mm).

Projects

The listed specifications have responded these manufacturers aviation technology: the company And. In. Roe and Company (Avro) in Manchester proposed by your project Avro 679, which we will further address.
The other companies was Handley Page Ltd., whose chief designer George R. Volker started working on the project two-engined aeroplane factory labeled HP.56. In September 1937, however, for difficulties with the engines of the Vulture, a fundamental change of this project and constantly opožďované and especially problematic engines Vulture were replaced by four reliable Merlin engines, a successful HP.57 Halifax.
The third participant was the largest weapons arsenal Vickers Armstrongs Limited your project Warwick, the first prototype took off with the engines, the Vulture, the next prototypes were waiting for other types of engines, unfortunately, in vain. Production has been delayed and in the end, the aircraft was powered by american engines Pratt & Whitney Double Wasp R-2800-S1A4-G or the more powerful Centaurus, but it no longer as a bomber, its geodesic design has become obsolete, has served but at the Coastal Command as rescue, reconnaissance and anti-submarine, the Transport Command then he flew as transport aircraft.
Other bidders were companies Boulton Paul Aircraft Ltd., Bristol Aeroplane Co., Ltd., Fairey Aviation Co., Ltd. and Short & Harland Ltd., but there remain only unrealized projects.

Avro 679

Let's go back to the factory And.In. Roe and Company, where at the beginning of may 1397 on project Avro 679 began working chief designer Roy Chadwick CBE, with his design team, in just eight weeks shall be submitted to the Ministry of aviation your project for approval. It's an admirable performance, especially if we realize that it was the first all-metal construction Chadwickova team. For the drive have been selected engines of the Vulture, probably because they were available first. Motoráři from Rolls-Royce on these engines have worked since the year 1935, the engine of the Vulture was created by combining the two forked dvanáctiválců Rolls-Royce Peregrine. Kinds of engine was rotated by 180° the cylinder down, the crankshaft was common, so was the čtyřiadvacetiválec and cylinders were arranged in the shape of the letter X. Unfortunately, neither the engine Peregrine wasn't very good, true his "liter" performance was decent, but the reliability wasn't at the highest level. Motoráři from the union of two engines, the promised performance at least at the rate of 1 760 hp (1 310 kW), the actual performance, however, was lower and ranged is somewhere around 1 to 480 hp (1 100 kW). The ministerial committee assessed the project and agreed to, and on the basis of this assessment, the agreed order for the construction of two prototypes (L7246 and L7247). Work on the construction of the prototype have been started very early and it 8. September 1936.

Prototypes

The first prototype was completed in July 1939, it was quite a massive středoplošník with dvounosníkovým wing and double vertical tail surfaces. The aircraft could boast a good passive protection of space for the crew and also a large pumovnicí, thanks to the fact that all the fuel was carried in six fuel tanks in the wings. The chassis was robust and showed a considerable strength reserve. Shooting the towers were not on the first prototype installed. The first takeoff was performed 25. July at the airport in Ringway, the aircraft from the very beginning was directionally unstable, but the biggest problems causing the power unit. The second prototype was completed in may 1940, zalétnut was 26. may of the same year, in Woodfordu, unlike the first prototype has already bore shooting towers, which were installed according to specifications, i.e., on the bow, stern, and retractable turret under the fuselage. Before zalétáním the first prototype was 1. July 1939, the agreed order No. 648770/37 / C4 (c) for the supply of 200 bomber Manchesters, was on the order of "from the drawing board". The flight characteristics of the two prototypes, however, were not good, next to the inadequate performance of engines and their poor reliability there were problems with setting the angle of attack of the blades (which is for a propeller with a constant rate of speed the fundamental problem), the aircraft suffered considerable vibration especially at higher flight weight and directional instability I mentioned.
Both prototypes are returned to the parent factory to have made the necessary adjustments. The instability could be eliminated at a reasonable rate larger wingspan (at 27 460 mm) and installation of the third vertical surface, the other vices, however, were not removed, the performances of the power units was insufficient to Manchester filled all the requirements of the specifications, the weak was especially operating altitude with full suicide the cargo, it is Manchester only very reluctantly climbed above 10 000 feet (3 048 m)! Chief designer Roy Chadwick dealt with possible modifications of the project, both project opponents use engines, the Napier Sabre, Bristol Centaurus, the following projects have been identified as the Manchester Mk.II and Mk.IIA, but none of them did not get beyond the drawing board. A little later, but still before production, began Roy Chadwick to work on the project, which would be for the drive used four engines, the Merlin or Hercules. His next study will undertake the composition of defensive armament, in one case it was considered the installation of four čtyřicetimilimetrových cannons in four turrets above and below fuselage.

Mass production

Meanwhile, there were frantic preparations for the start of serial production, was established a special production group of the Manchester Production Group and the production of the new bomber should ensure a factory Avro Manchester and the smaller factory Metropolitan-Vickers Ltd., called the Metrovick, the production plants also in Manchester. In November 1940 they launched a mass production, for now only in the manufacturing factory Avro, but the supplies have been launched. The first twenty of the machines produced was identified as the Avro Manchester B.Mk.Also, these machines should be the span of the horizontal tail surfaces 8 530 mm, triple vertical tail fin and the bottom also slide-out gun turret FN-21A, or FN-64. From the twenty-first serially produced machines were to enlarge the span of the tail surfaces on the 10 050 mm and from the beginning of the year 1941 was the bottom of the tower replaced by a spire top type FN-7 that was fitted with a pair of Browning machine guns Mk.II. RAF this adjustment accepted sheepishly, and again showed higher instability of the aeroplane and it is also true that the German fighters often attack the unprotected belly of the british bombers. The crew of serial bombers has grown by another member, then on the seven men. From the middle of the year was introduced by another change, which involved the caudal portion of the aeroplane – were enlarged vertical tail surfaces and it was possible to remove the intermediate SOP and the stability is again improved. The aircraft was known as the Manchester B. Mk.IA. The adjustment worked well, and all previously manufactured aircraft were modified into the form of this version. The ministry of letectvé in the meantime, ordered the production of a total of 1 500 Manchesters!

Operational deployment

The combat squadrons were new bombing planes expected and not surprisingly, they achieve higher performances were improved passive protection, and greater armament, also the bomb load was greater. Manchestery began to come in November 1940 to the first unit, that was 207. squadron 4. bomber group. The staff of this unit soon to know that with this bomber too didn't help. However, they were also after half a year of service her Manchestery supplemented older Hapdeny, i.e. the aeroplanes, which had Manchestery in service replace replace. Rearming continued, and the RAF had finally eight squadrons armed with this type. Aircraft Manchester were the staff dislikes. To blame were the engines, propellers, vibration and lack of performance. Eg. according to the instructions should be Manchester able to fly on one engine, but in practice it almost failed, flameout of one engine would lead to a gradual loss of height and constantly threatened of seizing or fire a second engine. Motoráři fy Rolls-Royce have not had time to motor Vulture examine, and dragged it to the applicable state, they had to deliver much more in demand Merliny and when it was finally decided that the engines of the Vulture and Peregrine will withdraw from production and the factory of Rolls-Royce's completely focused on the production and further development of the Merlin engine and Griffon. This measure thus reciprocally led to the cancellation of the production of the Manchesters and the completion of other projects of aircraft that these units use, later added to it and the lack of spare parts for those engines. The measure that was logical, and was secured by a sufficient number of Merlin engines.
Manchestery 207. the squadron have been dispatched to the first combat action in the night from 24. 25. February 1941, when the aircraft has taken off to attack the German heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen anchored in the Brest. Deployed all six! machines, which this unit had. Manchestery were very often grounded due to defects, so for example on 7. November 1941, the RAF tried to make over the Berlin sent as far as possible aircraft, eventually to the air raid took off more than 400 bombers, but of this amount it was only 15 Manchesters. Other operating activity was rather sporadic until the night of the 30. 31. in may 1942, when the RAF conducted its air raid by a thousand bombers on Cologne. The RAF then put all available bombers and even from school units and there was the deployment of šestačtyřiceti Manchesters. The last combat action was again an air raid by a thousand bombers, the goal of this time were Bremen and it happened in the night of the 24. 25. June 1942. After this date, were Manchestery downloaded to nebojovým units and from there were gradually scrapped, they have proved themselves in training the crews of the Lancasters. In 1943 they were taken out completely. Production was terminated in December 1942, and in total he made 201 aircraft of this type and of this number, the RAF took over the 193 aircraft.
In the service was replaced by a more modern, more reliable and more powerful sibling – the Avro Lancaster, this new aircraft had with our Manchester lot in common, it was virtually the prototype of the aeroplane oznašeného as the Manchester Mk.III, which was a modified Manchester with a wing of greater span and in this larger wings were after made the necessary adjustments to the installed four Merlin engines X, the performances of the new machine were very good, but this is already another chapter.

Manchestery during his deployment carried out a total of 983 martial air raids, which dropped on enemy objectives 1 657 tons of bombs, and to further implement the 221 sorties for the purpose of laying minefields. Their total losses were considerable, have reached a level of 60,2%, when the fighting was lost a total of 78 bombers, 19 aircraft were lost in accidents and 24 aircraft were lost in training.

Used springs:
Francis To. Mason, The British Bomber since 1914. London, Putnam Aeronautical Books, 1994, ISBN 0-85177-861-5.
Bob Kirby, The Avro Manchester, The legend behid the Lancaster, UK, Manchester, Midland Publishing, 2015. ISBN: 1-85780-028-1.
Chaz Bowyer, Aircraft Profile No. 260, Avro Manchester. Windsor, UK, Profile Publications, Leatherhead, 1974.
Philip J. R. Moyes, Profile Well. 11, The Handley Page Halifax B.III. VI, VII. Windsor, UK, Profile Publications, Leatherhead, 1965
Brain Goulding and M. Garbett, Profile Well. 65, Avro Lancaster Mk.Also. Windsor, UK, Profile Publications, Leatherhead, 1966
Bruce Robertson, Profile Well. 235, Avro Lancaster Mk.II. Windsor, UK: Profile Publications, Leatherhead,1972.
Bill Gunston, Combat aircraft II. world war. Prague, Svojtka & Co., 2006. ISBN 80-7237-203-3
Jaroslav Schmid, Fighter and bomber aircraft of Great Britain 1939-45, Plzeň, Czech republic, Fraus, 1995. ISBN 80-85784-37-8..
www.flightglobal.com
http://www.lancaster-archive.com/manc_hist.htm
www.militaryfactory.com
www.aviastar.org
http://www.airwar.ru/enc/bww2/manch.html
www.historyofwar.org
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