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Avro Anson

The Avro Anson is a British twin-engined, multi-role aircraft.

Large numbers of the type served in a variety of roles for the Royal Air Force, Fleet Air Arm, Royal Canadian Air Force and numerous other air forces before, during, and after the Second World War.

Variants

Mk I 

6,688 Mk Is were built.

Powered by two 350 hp (261 kW) Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah IX or 395 hp (295 kW) XIX engines.

Mk II 

1,401 Mk IIs were built in Canada; powered by two 330 hp (246 kW) Jacobs L-6MB R-915 engines and fitted with hydraulic landing gear retraction rather than the manual system used on the Anson I.

Mk III 

432 Mk I aircraft converted in Canada to two 330 hp (250 kW) L-6MB R-915 engines.

Mk IV 

One aircraft converted from a Mk I in Canada to two Wright Whirlwind engines.

Mk V 

1,069 Mk Vs were built in Canada for navigator training; powered by two 450 hp (340 kW) Pratt & Whitney Wasp Junior R-985 engines and given a new wood monocoque fuselage developed in the USA.

Mk VI 

One aircraft was built in Canada for bombing and gunnery training; it was powered by two 450 hp (340 kW) Wasp Junior engines.

Mk X 

104 Anson Mk Is were converted into Mk Xs.

Mk XI 

90 Anson Mk Is were converted into Mk XIs.

Mk XII 

20 Anson Mk Is were converted into Mk XIIs, plus 221 new Mk XII aircraft built.

C 19 

264 were built for the RAF; used as communications and transport aircraft.

T 20 

Navigation trainer for the RAF, a variant of the Mk XIX to meet Air Ministry Specification T.24/46 for an overseas navigation trainer, one pilot two wireless operators and five navigator positions.

Used for bombing and navigation training in Southern Rhodesia, 60 built.

T 21 

Navigation trainers for the RAF, a variant of the Mk XIX to meet Air Ministry Specification T.25/46 for a home navigation trainer, one pilot two wireless operators and five navigator positions.

A prototype was flown in May 1948, 252 were built.

C.21 

Modification of T.21s for communications and transport duties.

T 22 

Radio trainers for the RAF, a variant of the Mk XIX to meet Air Ministry Specification T.26/46, one pilot and four wireless operator stations, a prototype was flown in June 1948, 54 built.

Anson 18 

Developed from the Avro Nineteen; 12 aircraft were sold to the Royal Afghan Air Force for use as communications, police patrol and aerial survey aircraft.

Anson 18C 

13 aircraft were built for the Indian government; used for training civil aircrews.

Avro Nineteen

Civil transport version; 56 aircraft were built in two series.

AT-20

United States military designation for Canadian-built Anson IIs used by the United States Army Air Forces, 50 built.

Specifications

Crew

3–4

Length

42 ft 3 in (12.88 m)

Wingspan

56 ft 6 in (17.22 m)

Height

13 ft 1 in (3.99 m)

Wing area

463 sq ft (43.0 m2)

Empty weight

5,375 lb (2,438 kg)

Max take-off weight

8,000 lb (3,629 kg)

Powerplant

2 × Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah IX 7-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engines,

335 hp (250 kW) each

Propellers

2-bladed fixed-pitch propellers

Performance

Maximum speed

188 mph (303 km/h, 163 kn) at 7,000 ft (2,134 m)

Cruise speed

158 mph (254 km/h, 137 kn)

Range

660 mi (1,060 km, 570 nmi)

Service ceiling

19,000 ft (5,800 m)

Rate of climb

960 ft/min (4.9 m/s)

Armament

Guns

1 × .303 in (7.7 mm) machine gun in front fuselage

1 × .303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers K machine gun in dorsal turret

Bombs

360 lb (160 kg) of bombs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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