Bristol Beaufort

The Bristol Beaufort, manufacturer designation Type 152, was a British twin-engined torpedo bomber developed from the experience of the Blenheim light bomber. It answered Air Ministry specifications M.15/35 and G.24/35 and was named after the Duke of Beaufort, whose home was in Gloucestershire. It first flew on 15 October 1938, but engine overheating delayed production until late 1939. At least 1,180 were built by Bristol and other British makers, and Australia built more than 700 as the DAP Beaufort for the Royal Australian Air Force. Beauforts served with RAF Coastal Command and the Fleet Air Arm from 1940, mostly as medium day bombers, then as trainers; the last RAF aircraft was retired in 1946. The Beaufighter was adapted from it.