85 years of the Avro Lancaster heavy bomber

January 9 marked the 85th anniversary of the Avro Lancaster heavy bomber, rightly considered one of the best aircraft of its class during World War II. On that day in 1940, its first prototype took to the skies.

The aircraft was created by the famous British company Avro Aircraft based on the twin-engine Manchester medium bomber. When testing of the Lancaster began, Great Britain already had two aircraft of a similar class, the Short Stirling and the Handley Page Halifax. The new aircraft had certain advantages over them, especially over the Stirling. Mass production began in October 1941.

Production of the Lancaster ended in 1946, with 7,377 units built in Great Britain and Canada. There were 13 basic variants of the aircraft and numerous modifications, including bombers and aircraft for other purposes, such as maritime rescue, transport, and even passenger aircraft.

Among the most advanced bombers was the Lancaster Mk.III with four liquid-cooled Packard Merlin 224 engines, each with a power of 1,640 hp. It had a length of 21.18 m, a wingspan of 31.09 m, a maximum take-off weight of almost 32,700 kg, a maximum speed of 462 km/h, and a practical range of over 4,300 km with 3,200 kg of bombs. Its defensive armament consisted of eight 7.7 mm machine guns. The aircraft could carry a wide range of bombs weighing from 114 to 1,816 kg, with a total weight of 8,200 kg. Specially modified Lancasters were designed to carry heavy bombs weighing 4,200 kg and 5,500 kg.

The Royal Air Force (RAF) began using Lancasters in early 1942. They mainly carried out massive night raids on Germany and targets in occupied Europe. Among others, there were unique operations, such as the strike on the dams in the Ruhr Valley in May 1943 or the attacks on the battleship Tirpitz in September-November 1944. Even the enemy recognized the high quality of the Lancaster. Adolf Galland, commander of the Luftwaffe fighter force, called it the best night bomber of the war.

In addition to Great Britain, Lancasters were also used by Australia, Argentina, Canada, and France. A few examples ended up in several other countries, including the USSR. The aircraft continued to be used in the post-war period. The RAF used bomber versions until the end of 1953, and the French Navy used Lancasters as maritime reconnaissance aircraft until the middle of the following decade. Today, there are at least two aircraft from this family capable of flying in the UK and Canada.