Lockheed Hudson
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Image:Lockheed Hudson V.jpg The Lockheed Hudson was a light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built initially for the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of World War II. The Hudson was the first significant aircraft construction contract for the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation—the initial RAF order for 200 Hudsons far surpassed any previous order the company had received. The Hudson served throughout the war, mainly with Coastal Command but also in transport and training roles as well as delivering agents into occupied France. The Hudson was also operated by the USAAF, US Navy, RAAF, RCAF and RNZAF. Plus the Brazilian Air Force, Ireland, China, the Netherlands and Portugal, South Africa.
In 1938 the British sought an American maritime patrol aircraft to support the Avro Anson. On December 10, 1938, Lockheed demonstrated a modified version of the Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra commercial airliner as the Hudson Mk I which swiftly went in to production. By February of 1939 Hudsons began to be delivered, initially equipping No. 224 Squadron RAF at Leuchars, Scotland in May 1939. By the start of the war in September, 78 Hudsons were in service.
A total of 350 Mk I and 20 Mk II Hudsons were supplied (the Mk II had different propellers). These had two fixed Browning machine guns in the nose and two more in a Boulton Paul dorsal turret. The Hudson Mk III added one ventral and two beam machine guns and replaced the 1,100 hp Wright Cyclone 9-cylinder radials with 1,200 hp versions (428 produced).
The Hudson Mk V (309 produced) and Mk VI (450 produced) were powered by the 1,200 hp Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp 14-cylinder two-row radial. The RAF also obtained 380 Mk IIIA and 30 Mk IV Hudsons under the Lend-Lease programme.
In 1941 the USAAF began operating the Hudson; the Twin Wasp-powered variant was designated the A-28 (82 produced) and the Cyclone-powered variant was designated the A-29 (418 produced). The US Navy operated 20 A-28s, redesignated the PBO-1. A further 300 were built as air-crew trainers, designated the AT-18.
The Hudson achieved some significant feats during the war. On 8 October, 1939, over Jutland, a Hudson became the first RAF aircraft to shoot down a German aircraft. (The accolade of the first British aircraft to shoot down a German plane went to the Blackburn Skua of the Fleet Air Arm on 26 September, 1939.) They operated as fighters during the Battle of Dunkirk. A PBO-1 Hudson of USN squadron VP-82 became the first US aircraft to destroy a German submarine when it sank U-656 southwest of Newfoundland on 1 March 1942. Hudsons were operated by RAF Special Duties squadrons for clandestine operations; No. 161 Squadron in Europe and No. 357 Squadron in Burma. They were used as patrol bombers in the Pacific war by the USN and also the RNZAF and RAAF. They also became the first plane to fire a shot in Pacific Campaign by sinking japanese transport ship IJN Awajisan Maru just off the coast of Kota Bharu, an hour before Pearl Harbour.
A total of 2,584 Hudsons were built. They began to be withdrawn from frontline service in 1944.
The type formed the basis for development of the Lockheed Ventura.
Survivors
Image:Hudson bomber passenger variant DSC02062.JPGFormer Royal New Zealand Air Force Hudsons which saw World War II service in the South Pacific are on display at the Royal New Zealand Air Force Museum and Ferrymead Heritage Park in Christchurch and the Museum of Transport and Technology in Auckland. A Hudson in Royal Australian Air Force colours is preserved in the Royal Air Force Museum at Hendon. RAAF Hudsons can be found at the Temora aviation collection, the Australian War Memorial, and the RAAF Museum. Other ex RNZAF and RAAF machines are in private hands. One complete and several partial Hudsons also exist in Canada. One aircraft, in Australia, was converted for passenger use and flown by East West Airlines.
Specifications (Hudson Mk I)
{{airtemp |plane or copter?=plane |jet or prop?=prop |crew=6 |length main=44 ft 4 in |length alt=13.51 m |span main=65 ft 6 in |span alt=19.96 m |height main=11 ft 10 in |height alt=3.62 m |area main=551 ft² |area alt=51.2 m² |empty weight main=12,000 lb |empty weight alt=5,400 kg |loaded weight main=17,500 lb |loaded weight alt=7,930 kg |useful load main= |useful load alt= |max takeoff weight main=18,500 lb |max takeoff weight alt=8,390 kg |engine (prop)=Wright Cyclone |type of prop=9-cylinder radial engines |number of props=2 |power main=1,100 hp |power alt=820 kW |max speed main=218 kt |max speed alt=246 mph, 397 km/h |cruise speed main= |cruise speed alt= |stall speed main= |stall speed alt= |never exceed speed main= |never exceed speed alt= |range main=1,700 nm |range alt=1,960 mi, 3,150 km |ceiling main=24,500 ft |ceiling alt=7,470 m |climb rate main=1,200 ft/min |climb rate alt=6.2 m/s |loading main= lb/ft² |loading alt= kg/m² |power/mass main= hp/lb |power/mass alt= kW/kg
|armament=
- Guns: 4× .303 in (7.7 mm) Browning machine guns
- 2× in nose
- 2× in dorsal turret
- Bombs: 750 lb (340 kg) of bombs or depth charges
}}