Bristol „Beaufighter“ Mk. VIF – the British heavy fighter

Bristol "Beaufighter" - two-seat heavy fighter, night fighter, also used as a light bomber, torpedo bomber. The Bristol "Beaufighter" was not designed for a specific task, it was to some extent an adventurous enterprise of the “Bristol” company, which, at its peril and risk, developed a multi-functional, well-armed aircraft, which, in its opinion, was needed by the British Air Force. Fortunately, he made a proper impression on the leadership of the British RAF, especially liked his firepower. It became clear, that this aircraft was capable of occupying the niche of a long-range heavy fighter, that was empty at that time. Parts of the Bristol "Beaufort" torpedo bomber, already in production at that time, were widely used in the design of this machine. This greatly accelerated the appearance of "Beaufighter" in the RAF squadrons. The aircraft entered combat in the midst of the Battle of Britain, namely in 1940, only 13 months after the flight of the first prototype. The “Beaufighter” was a very advanced aircraft for its time, one of its variants being the world's first night fighter, specifically designed for this role. At the time of its baptism of fire, the “Beaufighter” was armed with four 20 mm cannons and six 7.7 mm machine guns, which at that time was the most powerful aircraft in the world. However, from September 1940, most of the “Beaufighters”, supplied to the RAF, were armed only with cannons, because machine guns were mainly used by the “Spitfire” and “Hurricane”, which the RAF badly needed. However, by the end of the year, everything fell into place, in addition, a radar was installed on the “Beaufighter”, which made it possible to dramatically increase the effectiveness of this aircraft in night battles. This aircraft took part in the battles in Africa and Malta. The Coast Guard command also made very effective use of the “Beaufighters” it had in service, especially in the Bay of Biscay area against the German Junkers Ju 88s. Later light bomber and torpedo bomber variants were developed. The “Beaufighter” was in service in the Far East until 1950, and served as a target tug until 1960.

Not a very complicated, interesting model without a cockpit interior. Recommended for modelers of any experience, only advanced beginners and modelers with little experience are advised to work under the supervision of a more experienced colleague - this will not only be easier, but also more fun. For inexperienced, we recommend making a retracted landing gear - the aircraft is in the flight phase. Antiquarian edition.