Blackburn B-26 Botha

The Blackburn B.26 Botha was a British four seat reconnaissance and torpedo bomber.

It was built by Blackburn Aircraft at its factories at Brough and Dumbarton, as a competitor to the Bristol Beaufort, entering service with the RAF in 1939.

The design was underpowered and it was quickly withdrawn from operations.

Variants

Botha Mk I 

Four-seat reconnaissance, torpedo bomber aircraft.

Botha TT Mk I 

Target tug aircraft.

Specifications

Crew

4

Length

51 ft 0.5 in (15.558 m)

Wingspan

59 ft 0 in (17.98 m)

Height

14 ft 7.5 in (4.458 m)

Wing area

518 sq ft (48.1 m2)

Empty weight

12,036 lb (5,459 kg)

Gross weight

18,450 lb (8,369 kg)

Fuel capacity

435.75 imp gal (523 US gal; 1,981 l) normal fuel in 3 wing tanks and a distributor/collector tank, with 565.75 imp gal (679 US gal; 2,572 l) available for special operations.

Powerplant

2 × Bristol Perseus XA 9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engines, 930 hp (690 kW) each

Propellers

3-bladed de Havilland Hydromatic Type 5/11 constant-speed propellers

Performance

Maximum speed

209 mph (336 km/h, 182 kn) at sea level

220 mph (191 kn; 354 km/h) at 15,000 ft (4,572 m)

Cruise speed

212 mph (341 km/h, 184 kn)

Stall speed

75 mph (121 km/h, 65 kn) with flaps and undercarriage down

Range

1,270 mi (2,040 km, 1,100 nmi)

Service ceiling

18,400 ft (5,600 m)

Absolute ceiling

19,700 ft (6,005 m)

Rate of climb

985 ft/min (5.00 m/s) initial

355 ft/min (1.80 m/s) at 15,000 ft (4,572 m)

Armament

Guns

3 × 0.303 in (7.7 mm) machine guns

(One fixed forward-firing, two in dorsal turret)

Bombs

Internal torpedo, depth charges

Or

bombs up to 2,000 lb (907 kg).