Blackburn Botha
Blackburn Aircraft · United Kingdom · first flew 1938 · bomber
The Blackburn Botha was a British twin-engine torpedo-bomber and reconnaissance aircraft that entered RAF Coastal Command service in 1940. It was considered a failure almost immediately — underpowered, slow, and difficult to fly — and was quickly relegated to training duties.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, tapered |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 2 × piston, wing-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Wide fuselage with small Bristol Perseus sleeve-valve radials |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Twin-engine torpedo-reconnaissance bomber regarded as underpowered and poorly designed
- Wide fuselage with small Bristol Perseus sleeve-valve radials
- Cramped crew accommodation with poor visibility
A mid-wing twin-engine aircraft with a wide blunt fuselage housing four crew and a torpedo bay; the pair of small radial engines on a relatively large airframe gives it a underpowered appearance that matched its actual performance.
Specifications
- The Blackburn Botha has a length of 15.56 m (51 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 17.98 m (59 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 402 km/h (250 mph).
- Typical crew: 4.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Designed to specification M.15/35, the Botha was delayed by engine unavailability and when it did enter service its Bristol Perseus engines proved inadequate for the heavy airframe. Operational accidents were frequent and it was withdrawn from front-line service within months, spending the rest of the war as a trainer.
Variants
Only one production version existed, the Botha Mk.I; no significant variants were developed given the type's immediate unsuitability for operations.
Where you'll see it
Served exclusively with the RAF in the UK; never exported and never used in significant combat operations.
Related aircraft
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