Blackburn Dart

Blackburn Aircraft · United Kingdom · first flew 1921 · transport aircraft

The Blackburn Dart was a single-seat carrier-borne torpedo bomber biplane that served with the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm through the 1920s and into the 1930s.

Recognition (WEFT)

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Spot it by:

• 1920s Royal Navy single-seat torpedo bomber biplane
• Folding wings for carrier stowage
• Napier Lion or Rolls-Royce Eagle powered floatplane or landplane

Single-bay biplane with folding wings, a large radial or inline engine, and provision for a torpedo under the fuselage; the single open cockpit and folding wing hinges distinguish it from two-seat contemporaries.

Specifications

• The Blackburn Dart has a length of 10.782 m (35 ft).
• It has a wingspan of 13.862 m (45 ft).
• Its maximum speed is 166 km/h (103 mph).
• Typical crew: 1.

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

History

Designed to meet a Fleet Air Arm requirement for a torpedo bomber to replace the Sopwith Cuckoo, the Dart first flew in 1921 and entered service in 1923. It remained the primary Royal Navy torpedo aircraft for most of the decade, serving aboard carriers including HMS Hermes, Furious, and Courageous.

Variants

Produced in landplane and floatplane configurations; the Ripon was its direct successor from Blackburn.

Where you'll see it

Served with the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm from 1923 until replaced by the Blackburn Ripon in the late 1920s; a significant aircraft in British carrier aviation development.

Related aircraft

• Blackburn Kangaroo
• Blackburn R.2 Airedale
• Blackburn Velos
• Blackburn Ripon
• Avro Bison
• Avro Bison Mk I
• Burnelli RB-1
• Douglas Cloudster

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