Blackburn Ripon

Blackburn Aircraft · United Kingdom · first flew 1926 · bomber

The Blackburn Ripon was a British carrier-borne torpedo and reconnaissance biplane of the late 1920s and early 1930s, which served as the primary torpedo bomber of the Fleet Air Arm between 1929 and 1934. It was also licence-built and operated by Finland.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	High-mounted, straight
E — Engines	1 × piston, nose-mounted
F — Fuselage	Designed to carry torpedo under fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

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Spot it by:

Fleet Air Arm torpedo biplane of the late 1920s
Single radial engine with large frontal area
Designed to carry torpedo under fuselage

Standard-configuration torpedo biplane with equal-span wings, a large radial engine and provision for a torpedo or bombs under the fuselage; similar in layout to contemporary Dart and Baffin but distinguished by its broader chord wings.

Specifications

The Blackburn Ripon has a length of 11.2 m (37 ft).
It has a wingspan of 13.67 m (45 ft).
Its maximum speed is 220 km/h (137 mph).
Typical crew: 2.

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

History

Developed to replace the Blackburn Dart in Fleet Air Arm service, the Ripon entered service in 1929 aboard carriers including HMS Furious and HMS Glorious. Finland adopted the type and manufactured it locally as the Ripon IIF, operating it into the Winter War of 1939–40, making the Finnish examples by far the longest-serving of all Ripons.

Variants

The Ripon IIA was the standard Fleet Air Arm version; the Finnish Ripon IIF was a locally produced variant with a different engine.

Where you'll see it

Served with the UK Fleet Air Arm until replaced by the Baffin in 1934; Finnish Ripons served until 1940, seeing combat in the Winter War against the Soviet Union.

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