Handley Page V 1500
The Handley Page V/1500 was an uprated design from the O/400 with the intention of bombing Berlin from England. It was colloquially known within the fledgling RAF as the "Super Handley".
It had four of the Rolls-Royce Eagle VIII engines used in the O/400, but in only two nacelles, so two engines were pulling in the conventional manner and two pushing. A forward-looking design feature was the gunner's position at the extreme rear of the fuselage, between the four fins.
Three were delivered to No. 166 Squadron at Bircham Newton (Norfolk) during October 1918. The squadron commander did not get clear orders for his mission until November 8 due to debate at high level. A mission was scheduled for that night (bomb Berlin, fly on to Prague as the Austro-Hungarian forces had surrendered by then, refuel, re-arm, bomb Dusseldorf on the way back). No mission was flown - a technical expert insisted that all the engines on one aircraft be changed. The same happened the following day (but with a different aircraft). The three aircraft were about to taxi out after the second set of engine changes when an excited ground crew member ran out to stop them - the Armistice had just been declared.
Three more aircraft were delivered by the end of the year, and final production totalled sixty aircraft altogether. They were eventually replaced in service by the Vickers Vimy.
Specifications
General Characteristics
- Crew: seven
- Length: 64 ft 9 in (19.51 m)
- Wingspan: 126 ft 0 in (31.40 m)
- Height: 23 ft 0 in (7.01 m)
- Wing area: 3,000 ft² (278 m²)
- Empty: 17,600 lb (7,983 kg)
- Loaded: lb ( kg)
- Maximum takeoff: 30,000 lb (13,608 kg)
- Powerplant: 4x Lewis guns in nose
- 1x or 2x trainable .303 Lewis guns in dorsal position
- 2x trainable .303 Lewis guns in ventral position
- 1x or 2x trainable .303 Lewis guns in tail
- Up to 7,500 lb (3,402 kg) of bombs carried internally or on two underfuselage hardpoints
Related content
Related development:
Handley Page Type O
Comparable aircraft:
Designation sequence:
