Armstrong Whitworth A.W.23

Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft · United Kingdom · first flew 1935 · bomber

The Armstrong Whitworth A.W.23 was a prototype bomber/transport built to Air Ministry specification C.26/31. It was a low-wing twin-engine monoplane designed by John Lloyd.

Recognition (WEFT)

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

• Low-wing monoplane with two Armstrong Siddeley Tiger radial engines
• Large cabin in a fabric-covered braced steel fuselage
• Retractable undercarriage

Look for a low-wing twin-engined monoplane with a deep, thick-section wing and a retractable undercarriage. The two radial engines are the Armstrong Siddeley Tigers.

Specifications

• The Armstrong Whitworth A.W.23 has a length of 24.61 m (81 ft).
• It has a wingspan of 26.82 m (88 ft).
• Its maximum speed is 260.7 km/h (162 mph).
• Typical crew: 4.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

The prototype, K3585, first flew on 4 June 1935. Its wing structure, a massive light alloy box-spar braced internally with steel tubes, was patented by Armstrong Whitworth and re-used in the Whitley bomber.

Variants

Only one was built, as a single prototype.

Where you'll see it

Unreliable Tiger engines delayed delivery to the RAF and the Bristol Bombay won the specification. The prototype later served Flight Refuelling Ltd for in-flight refuelling trials, including night refuelling experiments in February 1940, and was destroyed in a German bombing raid in June 1940.

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