Bristol Beaufighter

Night fighter · Bristol Aeroplane Company · United Kingdom

Typical crew	2
Engines	2 × Bristol Hercules
First flight	1939
Number built	5,928

Photographs

Aircraft of the Royal Air Force 1939-1945- Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter. MH4560 — Aircraft of the Royal Air Force 1939-1945- Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter. The first production Beaufighter Mark IIF night fighter, R2270, fitted with dihedral tailplanes and equipped with AI Mark IV radar, in flight. This aircraft served with No. 406 Squadron RCAF.

ⓘ licence & credit
Royal Air Force Official Photographer. / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aircraft_of_the_Royal_Air_Force_1939-1945-_Bristol_Type_156_Beaufighter._MH4560.jpgView source & full licence →

Aircraft of the Royal Air Force 1939-1945- Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter. CH9757 — Aircraft of the Royal Air Force 1939-1945- Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter. Beaufighter Mark VIC (ITF), interim torpedo fighter, JL832 'A' of No. 144 Squadron RAF based at Tain, Ross-shire, in flight

ⓘ licence & credit
Hennser H (Flying Officer), Royal Air Force official photographer / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aircraft_of_the_Royal_Air_Force_1939-1945-_Bristol_Type_156_Beaufighter._CH9757.jpgView source & full licence →

Aircraft of the Royal Air Force 1939-1945- Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter. CH3149 — Aircraft of the Royal Air Force 1939-1945- Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter. Beaufighter Mark IF, R2198 'PN-B', of No. 252 Squadron RAF based at Chivenor, Devon, in flight over the snow-covered West Country.

ⓘ licence & credit
Daventry B J H (Mr), Royal Air Force official photographer / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aircraft_of_the_Royal_Air_Force_1939-1945-_Bristol_Type_156_Beaufighter._CH3149.jpgView source & full licence →

Aircraft of the Royal Air Force 1939-1945- Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter. CH15213 — Aircraft of the Royal Air Force 1939-1945- Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter. Beaufighter Mark VIF, V8380 'K', of No. 89 Squadron RAF, running up its engines at Castel Benito, Libya. This aircraft is equipped with AI Mark IV air-interception radar

ⓘ licence & credit
Royal Air Force official photographer / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aircraft_of_the_Royal_Air_Force_1939-1945-_Bristol_Type_156_Beaufighter._CH15213.jpgView source & full licence →

Aircraft of the Royal Air Force 1939-1945- Bristol Beaufighter. CH2739 — Aircraft of the Royal Air Force 1939-1945- Bristol Beaufighter. Beaufighter Mark IF, R2198 'PN-B', of No. 252 Squadron RAF based at Chivenor, Devon, in flight off the coast.

ⓘ licence & credit
Daventry B J H (Mr), Royal Air Force official photographer / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aircraft_of_the_Royal_Air_Force_1939-1945-_Bristol_Beaufighter._CH2739.jpgView source & full licence →

Aircraft of the Royal Air Force 1939-1945- Bristol Beaufighter. CH2736 — Aircraft of the Royal Air Force 1939-1945- Bristol Beaufighter. Beaufighter Mark IF, R2153 'PN-W', of No. 252 Squadron RAF preparing to taxy at Chivenor, Devon.

ⓘ licence & credit
Daventry B J H (Mr), Royal Air Force official photographer / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aircraft_of_the_Royal_Air_Force_1939-1945-_Bristol_Beaufighter._CH2736.jpgView source & full licence →

Air Vice Marshal Sir Hugh Lloyd, Air Officer Commanding Mediterranean Allied Coastal Air Forces, in Britain, 18 March 1944 TR1594 — Air Vice Marshal Sir Hugh Lloyd, Air Officer Commanding Mediterranean Allied Coastal Air Forces, in Britain, 18 March 1944 Air Vice Marshal Sir Hugh Lloyd, KBE, CB, MC, DFC, AOC Mediterranean Allied Coastal Air Forces, stands beside the Bristol Beaufighter in which he flew to Britain.

ⓘ licence & credit
British official photographer / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Air_Vice_Marshal_Sir_Hugh_Lloyd,_Air_Officer_Commanding_Mediterranean_Allied_Coastal_Air_Forces,_in_Britain,_18_March_1944_TR1594.jpgView source & full licence →

Air Ministry Second World War Official Collection C4869 — Air Ministry Second World War Official Collection

ⓘ licence & credit
Royal Air Force official photographer / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Air_Ministry_Second_World_War_Official_Collection_C4869.jpgView source & full licence →

272 Squadron RAF Beaufighters strafing Reggio di Calabria airfield WWII IWM CM 1298 — IWM caption : A line of Macchi MC200 fighters on Reggio di Calabria airfield under attack by cannon fire from two Bristol Beaufighter Mark ICs of No. 272 Squadron RAF Detachment flying from Luqa, Malta.

ⓘ licence & credit
No. 272 Squadron RAF / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:272_Squadron_RAF_Beaufighters_strafing_Reggio_di_Calabria_airfield_WWII_IWM_CM_1298.jpgView source & full licence →

272 Squadron RAF Beaufighter Idku WWII IWM CM 1129 — IWM caption : Beaufighter Mark IC, T3316 M, of No. 272 Squadron RAF, on the ground at Idku, Egypt.

ⓘ licence & credit
Hensser H (Mr) / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:272_Squadron_RAF_Beaufighter_Idku_WWII_IWM_CM_1129.jpgView source & full licence →

248 Squadron RAF Beaufighter IWM HU 91923 — IWM caption : Bristol Beaufighter Mark VIC, JL447 'G', of No. 248 Squadron RAF based at Predannack, Cornwall, flying past offshore islands in Western Approaches, at the start of a long-range fighter patrol ('Instep') in the Bay of Biscay with two other aircraft of the Squadron. Shortly after 11.30 am, they intercepted four Junkers Ju 88s of 14/KG 40 over the Bay and in the ensuing dogfight, JL447, flown by Sergeants J Bell (pilot) and A W Parnell, and another Beaufighter (EL321 'M') were lost with their crews, as were two Ju 88s.

ⓘ licence & credit
Weaver T R (Flt/Sgt): No. 248 Squadron RAF / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:248_Squadron_RAF_Beaufighter_IWM_HU_91923.jpgView source & full licence →

235 Squadron RAF Beaufighter IWM COL 187 — IWM caption : Beaufighter Mark IC, T4916 'LA-T', of No.235 Squadron RAF, preparing to taxy at a Coastal Command airfield.

ⓘ licence & credit
not stated / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:235_Squadron_RAF_Beaufighter_IWM_COL_187.jpgView source & full licence →

Bristol Beaufighters attack a ship,

ⓘ licence & credit
unknown RAF photographer / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:-Beausattack1024.jpgView source & full licence →

About

The Bristol Beaufighter was a heavy, hard-hitting twin born of expediency: Bristol adapted the wings, tail and engines of its Beaufort torpedo bomber to a new, compact fuselage, producing a powerful cannon-armed fighter that first flew in July 1939. Its size, which would have been a liability in a day fighter, became an asset — it could carry the bulky early airborne-interception radar with little loss of performance.

That made the “Beau” the RAF’s first effective radar night fighter: on the night of 19/20 November 1940 a radar-equipped Beaufighter scored the type’s first night kill, and through the Blitz it hunted the bombers the Bristol Blenheim could not catch. Armed with four 20 mm cannon and six machine guns, it later excelled as a rocket- and torpedo-carrying strike aircraft with Coastal Command, savaging Axis shipping. More than 5,500 were built across many variants.

Sources: This page was compiled from publicly available historical sources, including Bristol Beaufighter TFX — RAF Museum and Bristol Beaufighter — Wikipedia. The text is original and has been written from factual source material; no source text has been copied unless specifically quoted and attributed.

Engines

Bristol Hercules — 14-cylinder two-row air-cooled sleeve-valve radial, 38.7 litres