de Havilland Mosquito PR Mk XVI
de Havilland · GB · first flew 1943 · reconnaissance aircraft
The PR Mk XVI was the primary high-altitude photo-reconnaissance Mosquito, featuring a pressurised cockpit for high-altitude operations and unarmed configuration relying entirely on speed for survival.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, tapered |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 2 × piston, wing-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Camera ports visible on lower fuselage sides and oblique in the nose bay glazing |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Pressurised cockpit with bulged canopy blister on the port side — the most visible external sign of pressurisation
- No armament: clean, unbroken nose without cannon ports or machine-gun barrels
- Camera ports visible on lower fuselage sides and oblique in the nose bay glazing
The pressurised-cockpit bulge on the port side of the canopy frame is the key cue over non-pressurised PR Mosquitos. No guns anywhere on the airframe. The camera ports in the lower fuselage are visible at close range. Merlin 72/73/76/77 two-stage engines give a slightly different exhaust arrangement from Merlin 21/25 FB variants.
Specifications
- The de Havilland Mosquito PR Mk XVI has a length of 12.43 m (41 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 16.51 m (54 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 668 km/h (415 mph).
- Typical crew: 2.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
432 built, entering service in late 1943. Used extensively for pre- and post-strike photography over Germany and German-occupied Europe, often at altitudes above 10,000 m where interception was almost impossible.
Variants
Most carried oblique and vertical cameras in various combinations. American USAAF units received the F-8 designation for their PR XVIs.
Where you'll see it
RAF, USAAF (as F-8), used from UK and the Mediterranean. Several survive in museums including the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum (Hamilton, Ontario) which operates an airworthy example.
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- de Havilland Mosquito FB.VI
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