Short Bomber

The Short Bomber was a British two-seat long-range reconnaissance, bombing and torpedo-carrying aircraft designed by Short Brothers as a land-based development of the Short Type 184 seaplane. It was a three-bay wooden biplane with fabric covering, a box section fuselage from the 184 and wings developed from the Type 166, a four-wheeled undercarriage under the nose and a Rolls-Royce Eagle or Sunbeam engine in the nose. The prototype could not carry the required six 112 lb bombs, so the wingspan was increased by 12 feet and then the fuselage lengthened by 4 feet 5 inches to cure instability. The first flew in 1915 and more than 80 were built, 36 by Shorts and the rest by Mann Egerton, Sunbeam, Parnall and Phoenix. It entered service with No. 7 Squadron RNAS in late 1916, flew its first raid on 15 November that year, was underpowered and left service in April 1917 as the Handley Page Type O/100 arrived.