The Bristol Beaufighter was designed as a two-seat long-range fighter. To speed up
production many parts of the older Bristol Beaufort were used. The tail, landing gear and
wings of the Beaufort were transplanted to the Beaufighter and most units were equipped
with airborne radar located in the nose for night-fighting. The Mk. IF was the initial
production and fitted with four 20 mm cannons in the nose along with six 7.7 mm machine
guns in the wings. The Beaufighter TF Mk.X was the last major version with 2,231 built.

No 254 Squadron was formed in May 1918 and disbanded on February 22, 1919. No. 254
was reformed on October 30, 1939 at Stradishall flying Blenheims to protect shipping. In
1940 the squadron was transferred from Fighter to Coastal Command and began
reconnaissance missions as well as defensive tasks. In June 1942 the squadron converted
to the Bristol Beaufighter and joined the strike wing at North Coates for the duration. On
October 1st, 1946 the 254 was renumbered 42 Squadron. Aircraft QM-F RD351 was one of
500 manufactured at Old Mixon Shadow Factory, Weston-super-Mare, Somerset.

Specifications: Bristol Beaufighter T.F.X

Dimensions
Wing span - 57 ft. 10 in. (17.64 m)
Length - 41 ft. 4 in. (12.59 m)
Height - 15 ft. 10 in. (4.84 m)

Weight
Empty - 15,592 lb (7,072 kg)
Maximum - 25,400 lb. (11,521 kg)
Disposable Load - 9,808 lb. (4,448 kg)

Performance
Powerplant – 2 x Bristol Hercules XVII fourteen-cylinder two-row sleeve-valve radial engines
rated @ 1,725 hp (1,286 kw) @ 2,900 rpm for take-off
rated @ 1,395 hp (1,040 kw) @ 2,400 rpm at 1,500 ft. (457 m)
Maximum Speed - @ sea-level - 320 mph (514 km/h)
Service Ceiling - 19,000 ft. (5,791 m) (without torpedo)
Range
with torpedo and normal fuel - 1,400 miles (2,253 km)
with torpedo and long-range tanks - 1,750 miles (2,816 km)

Armament
4 x 20-mm. Hispano cannon in the fuselage nose
6 x 0.303-in. machine-guns in the wings
1 x 0.303-in Vickers "K" or 1 x Browning gun in the dorsal position
1 x 18-in. torpedo under fuselage
8 x rocket projectiles instead of wing guns.

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