On April 12, the British bomber Blenheim turned 90 years old.

On April 12, the British bomber Blenheim, developed by the Bristol Aeroplane Company, turned 90 years old. On that day in 1935, its first prototype, the experimental aircraft Type 142, took off from Filton Airfield in Southwest England.

At the time, the developer envisioned it as a high-speed passenger aircraft accommodating six passengers. During testing, the Type 142 reached a speed of 494 km/h, exceeding that of the best contemporary Royal Air Force (RAF) fighters. This achievement caught the attention of the Ministry of Aviation, which was very interested in acquiring a new-generation medium bomber: a fast, all-metal aircraft with a semi-monocoque fuselage. Consequently, the Type 142 never carried passengers but became a combat aircraft instead.

Mass production of the Blenheim began by the summer of 1936 and continued until mid-1943. Including license-built aircraft produced in Canada, Finland, and Yugoslavia, a total of 4,422 units were manufactured. There were seven known basic variants, among which, besides bombers, were reconnaissance planes and heavy fighters.

The Blenheim Mk.IV bomber was equipped with two air-cooled, 9-cylinder Bristol Mercury XV engines, each producing 920 horsepower. It measured 12.98 meters in length, had a wingspan of 17.17 meters, a take-off weight of 6,500 kg, a maximum speed of 428 km/h, and a flight range of up to 2,350 km. Defensive armament included up to five 7.7 mm machine guns. Its standard bomb load was 540 kg, though Finnish aircraft of the fourth series could carry up to 800 kg.

Besides the manufacturing countries, Blenheims were operated by Australia, Greece, New Zealand, South Africa, Romania, and Croatia. Some aircraft found their way into several other countries, primarily as captured trophies, notably in Germany and Italy.

By the start of World War II, the Blenheim was broadly comparable in main characteristics to its foreign counterparts, such as the German Do17 or the Soviet SB. In the war’s initial years, aircraft of this family were actively deployed on many fronts. However, by 1942, the Blenheims had become obsolete and were gradually reassigned to secondary roles. Nonetheless, they continued serving in the RAF until nearly the end of 1944, and in Finland, they served as target tugs until 1958.