Armstrong Whitworth Atlas, Ajax and A.W.17 Aries
For a description of the format and data included in
Production Tables, see here
Produced Variants
Atlas Mk.I Two seat biplane army co-operation aircraft. One 400 h.p. Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar IVC powerplant. Initially
a private venture, featuring a wooden-structured
wing, production aircraft had a revised metal wing with increased sweepback and wingtip slats. Produced against Specifications 30/24, 33/26, 24/27 and 11/28 as indicated. Atlas
TM Advanced trainer version of Mk.I, to meet the requirements of Specification 12/28.
See note 5. Atlas Mk.II Redesigned structure. One 535 h.p. Armstrong Siddeley Panther
powerplant. EAF Atlas Lower cost derivative produced by the Phaliron Aircraft
Factory (Ergostasio Aeroplanwn Falhrou) for the Royal Hellenic Air Force. Ajax Two seat general purpose day bomber or fighter derivative
of the Atlas, to Specification 34/26, with the original Atlas wing. structure and geometry. One 385 h.p. Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar II powerplant.
A.W.17
Aries Improved Atlas Mk.I to Specification 20/25, featuring Warren-truss wing bracing
and quick detachable panels for ease of
maintenance.
One 460 h.p. Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar IV (later Jaguar VIC) powerplant.
Projected Variants
A.W.36 Two seat biplane army co-operation aircraft based on the Atlas II, with new body fairing and wheel spats.
One Armstrong
Siddeley
Tiger powerplant. See note 6.
Serial Range /
C/n
Type
Batch
Qty
Conv.
Canc'd
Notes
4 civil
aircraft built by Armstrong Whitworth, Whitley. G-EBLK 139 Prototype 1 Retained
by Armstrong Whitworth. First flew May 1925. G-ABDY 140 TM 1 See note 1. G-EBLM 141 Mk.I 1 Registered
June 1925. Armstrong Whitworth demonstrator. See note 2.
G-EBNI 142 1 Registered
January 1926. Armstrong Whitworth demonstrator. See note 2.
1 aircraft ordered to contract 735668/27 to meet Specification 30/24. J8675 278 Mk.I (1) G-EBLK
rebuilt wth metal wings in 1927. 37
aircraft ordered to contract 750052/27 dated June 1927, to meet Specification 33/26. J8777 - J8787 248-258 Mk.I 11 J8788 - J8789 297-298 2 Replacements
for c/n 259 and 260, diverted to Canada. J8790 - J8801 261-272 12 (1) J8792 (c/n 363) converted to TM prototype to Specification
12/28. J8798 (c/n 269) to RCAF as 406, Nov 1934. J8799 tested as a seaplane. J9039 - J9050 285-296 12 4 aircraft ordered to contract 783694/27 to meet Specification
24/27 for the RCAF. Delivered December 1927 and July 1928.
16 - 17 260, 259 Mk.I 2 Registrations
G-CYZB, 'ZA reserved, only used briefly. Renumbered 401, 402
18 - 19 279, 280 2 Renumbered
403, 404. 19 (c/n 280) fitted with floats for trials.
1 civil aircraft built by Armstrong Whitworth, Whitley, in 1928. G-EBYF 346 Mk.I 1 (1) Retained by Armstrong Whitworth. See note
3. 43 aircraft ordered to contract
837620/28 to meet Specification 12/28. J9435 - J9447 347-359 TM 13 J9448 - J9477 365-394 30 49 aircraft ordered to contract 837619/28 to meet Specification
11/28. J9516
- J9540 401-425 Mk.I 25 J9522 (c/n 407) to RCAF as 407, November 1934. J9541 - J9564 429-452 24 2 aircraft ordered from Armstrong Whitworth, Whitley
for the Royal Hellenic Air Force (Elliniki Vassiliki Aeroporia). Delivered in July 1929. ??? 360-361 Mk.I 2 2 aircraft ordered to contract 783694/27 to meet Specification
24/27 for the RCAF. Delivered between August and October 1929. See note 4. 111 426 TM 1 112 427 Mk.I 1 Renumbered 405 1
aircraft ordered from Armstrong Whitworth, Whitley and delivered to Japan. ??? 453 Mk.I 1 89 aircraft ordered to contract 933799/29, dated August
1929, to meet Specification 11/28. Delivered between June and October 1930. J9951 - J9999 461-509 Mk.I 49 J9951
to Egypt in 1939. J9998 tested with stainless steel floats and 560 h.p. A.S. Panther VI powerplant. K1000 510 1 K1001 - K1037 537
- 573 37 K1113 - K1114 574
- 575 2 26 aircraft ordered to contract 972069/29 to meet Specification
12/28. Delivered between April and June 1930. K1172 - K1197 511-536 TM 26 53 aircraft ordered to contract 34471/30 to meet Specification
12/28. Delivered between August 1930 and January 1931.
K1454 - K1481 576-603 TM 28 K1482 - K1506 616-640 25 96 aircraft ordered to contract 35536/30 to meet Specification
11/28. Delivered between November 1930 and August 1931.
K1507 - K1516 606-615 Mk.I 10 K1517 - K1526 641-650 10 K1527 - K1566 656-695 40 K1529,
K1531, K1540, K1545, K1550, K1556, K1561 & K1566 to RCAF as 408 - 415 in November 1934. K1567 - K1586 700-719 20 K1587 - K1602 723-728 16 3 civil aircraft built by Armstrong Whitworth, Whitley,
in 1931. G-ABHV,
G-ABHW, G-ABHX 653-655 TM 3 To the Armstrong Whitworth flying School,
Hamble (later Air Service Training) 3
civil aircraft built by Armstrong Whitworth, Whitley.
G-ABIV, G-ABKE 696, 697 Mk.II 2 Retained
by Armstrong Whitworth. See note 6. 1
civil aircraft built by Armstrong Whitworth, Whitley, in 1931. G-ABOO 739 TM 1 To
the Armstrong Whitworth flying School, Hamble (later Air Service Training) 53 aircraft ordered to contract 103834/31 to meet Specification 8/31. Delivered September
1931 and July 1932. K2514
- K2533 745-764 TM 20 K2534 - K2543 774-783 10 K2544 - K2553 787-796 10 K2554 - K2566 805-817 13 12 aircraft ordered from Armstrong Whitworth, Whitley,
by the Kwangsi Provincial Air Force, China. Delivered between June and August 1932. ??? 768-773 Mk.II 6 Alloted
ferry registrations G-ABRU - 'RZ respectively. ??? 799-804 6 Alloted
Hong Kong ferry registrations VR-HAV (7) ,
'HBA, 'HBE, 'HAX, 'HBD, 'HBG respectively 2 aircraft ordered from Armstrong Whitworth, Whitley, by the Kwangsi Provincial Air Force, China.
Delivered in July 1934. ??? 821-822 Mk.II 2 Alloted
Hong Kong ferry registrations VR-HCQ, 'CR. 1 civil aircraft rebuilt by Armstrong Whitworth, Whitley, in November
1932. G-ACAI 830 Mk.II (1) G-EBYF
brought up to full Mk.II standard. Retained by Armstrong Whitworth. See note 6.
Total Production
480
(4)
Serial Range
C/n
Type
Batch Qty
Conv.
Canc'd
Notes
10 aircraft ordered from Phaliron Aircraft Factory (Ergostasio Aeroplanwn
Falhrou) for the Royal Hellenic Air Force (Elliniki Vassiliki Aeroporia). Delivered in 1928.
Mk.I 10 Serials included M102, M104
Total Production
10
Serial Range
C/n
Batch Qty
Conv.
Canc'd
Notes
2 aircraft ordered from Armstrong Whitworth, Whitley,
to contract 743656/27. J8802
- J8803 273-274 2 1 aircraft ordered from Armstrong Whitworth, Whitley, to contract 807413/27. First flew
January 1928. J9128 141 (1) Originally
flown as Atlas G-EBLM (see note 2). Rebuilt as J9128.
1 aircraft ordered from Armstrong Whitworth, Whitley, to contract 821309/28. First flew (May?) 1928 J9129 142 (1) Originally flown as Atlas G-EBNI (see note
2). Rebuilt as J9129.
Total Production
2
(2)
Serial Range
C/n
Batch Qty
Conv.
Canc'd
Notes
1 aircraft ordered from Armstrong Whitworth, Whitley,
to contract 725892/26. First flew March 1930. J9037 454 1
Total Production
1
Type
Built New
Conv.
Canc'd
Total
Prototype
1
1
Atlas Mk.I
242
(1)
243
Atlas TM
181
(1)
182
Atlas Mk.I/II Hybrid (3)
(1)
1
Atlas Mk.II
16
(1)
17
EAF Atlas Mk.I
10
10
Ajax
2
(2)
4
A.W.17 Aries
1
1
453
(6)
0
Notes G-ABDY appeared during 1930.
Per Ray Williams [3], records indicate that this was c/n 140, which was intended to be a structural test specimen. Possibly
these tests were either not carried out, or at least not to destruction, and the airframe was completed as a dual control
trainer for use by the company. G-ABDY has also been identified by some sources (including G-INFO) as being c/n 536, but this
applied to K1197 and there is no indication that K1197 ever carried civil markings. It is unclear whether
G-EBLM, 'NI (c/n's 141 & 1420 were Atlas or Ajax. Tapper refers to them as the first two Ajax, but G-INFO gives them as
Atlas. Williams [3] also refers to G-EBNI as an Atlas, but makes no mention of G-EBLM. Rebuilt in 1931
with its original Mk.I fuselage, but featuring the wings and A.S. Panther powerplant of the Mk.II.
Walker [5] has 111 as Mk.I, 112 as TM. The trainer is variously refered to in publications as Atlas
TM or Atlas DC. The RAF Delivery Register refers to this variant as the 'Atlas Dual' or 'Atlas TM'.
G-ABIV (c/n 696) and G-ACAI (c/n 830) were both modified to virtually A.W.36 standard during the second half of 1934, with
an Armstrong Siddeley Tiger IV powerplant in a long chord cowling. Returned to Hong Kong for repair
in April 1933 and re-registered VR-HCD; returned to China October 1933.
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