Robert Blackburn was born on 26 March 1885 in Kirkstall,
Leeds, Yorkshire, the son of George Blackburn, works manager for Thomas Green and Sons Ltd, Smithfield Iron Works. He attended
Leeds Modern School and graduated in engineering at the University of Leeds in 1906, whereupon he joined his father’s
drawing office.
Leaving Thomas Green, Blackburn traveled through Europe, eventually working with a firm of civil
engineering consultants in Rouen. The sight of Wilbur Wright flying at Issy in 1908 encouraged Robert Blackburn to leave the
company and to devote his life to aeronautics. He took a room in Paris and there designed his first aircraft. With the lay-out
complete, he returned to England with hopes of building the machine at the Green premises, but when this was denied and with
some financial support from his father, he set up a small workshop in Benson Street, Leeds. In this he was assisted by one
of Green’s apprentices, Harry Goodyear.
In April 1909, Blackburn began his trials along the wide stretch
of sand between Marske-by-the-Sea and Saltburn on the northeast Yorkshire coast. Painstaking taxying trials continued, but
the 35 hp Green gave insufficient power for sustained flight. This first machine was of the ‘Demoiselle’ type,
with such weighty items as engine, tanks and pilot, well below the mainplane in order to obtain a low C.G. position, but the
disadvantages of such an arrangement were not immediately obvious and on 24 May 1910, the aircraft side slipped, dug in the
port wing, writing off the machine.
At Benson Street work began on an entirely new design, this time of the Antoinette
type. After construction in Benson Street, it was moved to premises Blackburn rented by the coast at Filey. The machine was
first flown at Filey on 8 March 1911 in the hands of Bentfield C. Hucks, who was to become Blackburn’s first test pilot.
Following the success of the second machine, a larger two seat machine, the ‘Mercury’, was designed and
the works moved to larger premises in Balm Road, Leeds, which were the former Midland Railway stables. Blackburn, who by now
styled himself The Blackburn Aeroplane Company, had also formed the Blackburn Flying School at Filey, initially
with Hucks as instructor, eventually moving to Hendon in September 1912 under the management of Harold Blackburn (no relation).
Blackburn’s monoplanes gained a good reputation with the school and raised Blackburn’s reputation as one of the
eminent designers of the day.
In early 1914, Blackburn became a subcontractor for the manufacture of the B.E.2c and, with the need to move to larger premises, in June formed a limited company, The Blackburn Aeroplane and Motor
Co., Ltd., with capital of £20,000 to ‘acquire the business of an aeroplane designer and constructor
carried on by R. Blackburn as the Blackburn Aeroplane Co.’ The company moved into a disused roller-skating rink on Roundhay
Road, which became the Olympia Works. More government contracts followed for the Sopwith Cuckoo and Baby. Blackburn’s desire to develop his private venture seaplanes led to the acquisition of a site at Brough on the river
Humber, and the experimental department moved there in 1916. The same year, the somewhat eccentric designer Harris Booth moved to Blackburn from the Air Department of the Admiralty, where his first project was a heavily-revised version of his AD Scout, the Blackburn Triplane.
In January 1918,
the Admiralty issued specification N.1B. In response, Harris Booth designed the Blackburd, a large, three-bay biplane with
unswept, unstaggered wings and a slab-sided fuselage, whose simple lines were designed to facilitate rapid production. In
1920, Booth designed an ‘aerial lorry’ to take advantage of the Alula wing designed by the Commercial Aeroplane
Wing Syndicate, Ltd.
Meanwhile the air transport firm of North Sea Aerial Navigation Co Ltd. was formed on 23 April
1919 by Robert Blackburn and his brother, Captain Norman William George Blackburn (b. 25 May 1896 in Leeds, Yorkshire, d.
27 January 1966 in Bridlington, Yorks), as a subsidiary of the Blackburn Aeroplane and Motor Company with the objective of
providing scheduled services from Soldiers Field in Roundhay Park, Blackburn’s flying ground adjacent to the Olympia
Works. Although a few flights were operated using demobbed Kangaroos, Rounday proved to be unsuitable and services were moved
to Brough in 1920, with Soldiers Field reverting to its’ original use as a public park. The scheduled service proved
to be a fruitless endeavor, but the company tried to stay afloat in the lucrative business of joyriding. Even this, however,
eventually fell into a slump and, in order to keep the company going, made it responsible for all of Blackburn’s road
transport. This was reflected in the change of name to the North Sea Aerial and General Transport Co. Ltd. at the end of 1920.
Associated with the venture was Capt. T. A. Gladstone, who had a distinguished war record and was a flying-boat pilot of outstanding
ability. In 1924, while on a tour of Central Africa, he was impressed with the possibilities of an air transport service along
the Nile between Khartoum and Kisumu, which is in the north-east corner of Victoria Nyanza. About this time Sir Alan Cobham's
firm became interested in the idea of an airline from Cairo to the Cape, and after sundry negotiations they joined forces
with the Blackburn group, with the result that Cobham-Blackburn Air Lines, Ltd., were registered. The Africa service was however
never to take place and towards the end of 1928 Cobham-Blackburn Air Lines, Ltd., entered into an agreement with Imperial
Airways, Ltd., with the result that the resources of the two enterprises were amalgamated and a company was formed known as
Imperial Airways (South Africa), Ltd., mainly to protect Imperial Airways' interests in South Africa.
The end of
hostilities brought for Blackburn, like most of the aviation industry, a sudden loss of work. Luckily the company had become
a major supplier of A.G.S. parts and this, along with production of bodies for cars and motor coaches (and even their own
Blackburn car) kept the company afloat. The loss of Soldiers Field also left Blackburn without a suitable flying ground in
Leeds, requiring all machines to be taken by road to Brough for final erection and test flying. This far from ideal situation
was to continue until 1925 when the decision was made to concentrate all of Blackburn’s activities at Brough, closing
down the Olympia works. This, however, proved to be a far from easy exercise, the move not being wholly complete until 1932.
Meanwhile, in 1920, Blackburn submitted a private venture submission for a naval torpedo bomber, designed by Major
F.A. Bumpus. Frank Arnold Bumpus was born on 20 March 1886 in Loughborough, Leicestershire and trained as a mechanical engineer,
gaining his B.Sc. from Imperial College, London in 1910. He received a Temporary Commission in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve
with the rank of Lieutenant in April 1915 and was posted as the resident Air Board representative at Leeds during the war.
Following the war he stayed on to become chief designer and, in 1919, was made joint managing director with Robert Blackburn.
Bumpus had as his assistant the very capable George Edward Petty, who himself became chief designer in 1937 with Bumpus assuming
the role of chief engineer.
Bumpus was responsible for all of Blackburn’s landplane designs up to the Nautilus
of 1929, after which Petty assumed that role. The one exception was the little Bluebird touring biplane. Jackson [1] gives
responsibility for this to A.C. Thornton but in a letter to Flight of 7 August 1931, Bumpus writes “The original design
of the Bluebird was actually the work of Mr. G. E. Petty, who not only produced the original layout, but was also responsible
for the whole of the aerodynamic design and the structural scheme and main stressing. At this stage the job was handed over
to Mr. Thornton for completion of detail design and installation work”.
Although producing successful landplanes,
Blackburn was also very interested in marine aircraft. To that end, in 1923 they secured the services of Major John Douglas
Rennie (b. 1879) as float and hull designer, a post he held until his resignation in April 1946. From 1915, Rennie had been
Chief Technical Officer to Cmdr. John Porte at Felixtowe, responsible for the engineering of the F-type flying boats. Under
Rennie’s leadership, Blackburn produced a series of flying boats from the Iris of 1924 to the unsuccessful B.20 of 1940,
his final project being the unbuilt Clydesman of 1945.
In 1924, Robert Blackburn was invited to take over the running
of the Greek National Aircraft Factory at Old Phaleron, receiving the first of three contracts for this on 1 July 1925. During
Blackburn’s thirteen year tenure, 12 Blackburn Velos, 24 Avro 504N and 10 Armstrong Whitworth Atlas aircraft were produced, alongside a considerable amount of reconditioning.
Also in 1924, the North Sea Aerial
and General Transport Co. Ltd. was to return to flying with the award of a contract to form an RAF Reserve training school,
which was eventually to become No. 4 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School (later No. 4 EFTS) in 1935. A subsidiary
company, Flying Training Ltd., was formed that same year to operate No. 5 E & RFTS at Hanworth.
In 1934, following
the successful application of the Cirrus Hermes powerplant in the Bluebird, the Cirrus Hermes Engineering Co. Ltd transferred
its works from Croydon to Brough, with Robert Blackburn becoming chairman. This, along with contracts to support the governments
rearmament programme, created a need for extra manufacturing space leading to both expansion at Brough and the reopening of
the Olympia works in Leeds. In order to support even larger contracts, Blackburn consolidated all their interests in a new
public company, Blackburn Aircraft Ltd., registered on 2 April 1936.
In a move to support further
expansion, Blackburn entered into an agreement with the Scottish shipbuilding firm of William Denny and Bros Ltd of Dumbarton
to establish a new factory at Dumbarton on land owned by Denny, which was completed in 1937. This new enterprise was put under
the leadership of Major Bumpus, with H.J. Steiger, late of General Aircraft, being taken on to assist him. The same year also
saw the complete absorption of Cirrus Hermes Engineering into Blackburn, their product from then on being known as Blackburn
Cirrus.
The years leading up to the Second World War were predominantly occupied with production of the Shark and
development of the Skua and Botha. By the beginning of hostilities, though, the Shark was somewhat outdated and the others
were perhaps less successful than hoped for. However, Blackburn did build many other aircraft under subcontract; Brough produced
some 635 Fairey Barracuda, 250 Short Sunderland were built at Dumbarton and in 1940 a new factory was built at Sherburn-in-Elmet which produced 1700 Fairey Swordfish under the management of Norman Blackburn. Norman, a Blackburn director since 1920, was put in full charge of all Blackburn
factories in Yorkshire from 1944.
In the immediate post war years, as with the end of World War one, an immediate
reduction in military orders ensued. Production of the Firebrand was under way at both Brough and Olympia, and from 1948 Blackburn
resources were also used for building 125 Percival Prentice trainers for the RAF. However, none of this could keep the existing facilities busy. Olympia and Sherburn were both closed.
Brough undertook a variety of non-aviation related fabrication, while Dumbarton, reconstituted as Blackburn (Dumbarton) Ltd.,
was kept busy building prefabricated houses. Meanwhile, further south, the General Aircraft Co. Ltd was facing problems of a different nature. GAL were in the process of building the prototype GAL.60 tactical transport. If
it were to go into production, not only would larger facilities be required, but GAL’s airfield at Hanworh, being only
a grass strip, was ill suited for such a large machine.
As a result, the two companies merged to form Blackburn
and General Aircraft Ltd., the company registered on 23 February 1949, GAL’s intellectual property having been
transferred to the new company as of 1 January. H.V. Gort, managing director of General Aircraft, Ltd., and Capt. Norman Blackburn
became joint managing directors in place of Robert Blackburn and Major Bumpus, with Major Bumpus remaining as managing director
of Blackburn Aircraft (Dumbarton), Ltd. F.F. Crocombe, chief designer at GAL was appointed to the same position in the amalgamated
company. None of these appointments were to last long, however. H.V. Gort and Norman Blackburn ceased as joint managing directors
in August of 1950, being replaced by Major Bumpus as acting managing director, himself replaced by Eric Turner in May of 1951.
Crocombe left to join Boulton Paul in 1952, to be replaced as chief designer by Barry P. Laight.
In mid-1953, under doctor’s orders, Robert
Blackburn went into semi-retirement in Devonshire, where he died on 10 September 1955. Major Bumpus too had retired, and settled
in Helensburgh, Dunbartonshire, where he died on 6 April 1980.
The next few years saw significant changes in the
company, which by 1958 had reverted to being called Blackburn Aircraft Limited again. The lean times of the
1950s were also coming to an end with design of the highly advanced B.103, later to become the Buccaneer, well established.
As part of the governments push to rationalise the aircraft industry, in the beginning of 1960 the Hawker Siddeley Group made a successful takeover bid for Blackburn and in May 1963 the company’s name was change to Hawker Siddeley
Aviation, Hawker Blackburn Division. This unwieldy name was not to last and from 12 July 1963 the Blackburn name was lost
altogether and Brough was just another facility in the Hawker Siddeley Group.
Company References
Blackburn Aircraft
since 1909, A.J. Jackson (Putnam, 1989)
The Alphabetic Sequence As with most early pioneers of flight, Robert Blackburn unsurprisingly gave
no thought to an organized Type Designation system for his early prototypes. By the introduction of the Mercury monoplanes
an Alphabetic sequence was in use, the first known application being the Type B for the 1911 Mercury II. This sequence continued
up to the Type L of 1914, although only seven of the possible 12 alphabetic identities have been positively identified. From
1914 to 1918 the various Blackburn designs appear to have received no form of Type Designation.
The Mission
Designation System From 1918, probably inspired by the Sopwith system, a Mission Designation System was instigated,
beginning with the Type R.T.1 Kangaroo and ending with the R.B.3A Perth of 1931. Surprisingly, neither the Blackburd nor the
Sidecar, both of which were later designs than the Kangaroo, used this system. A full list of the Mission Designations, along
with the designs to which they applied, is given in the table below. The Chronology Index Number is given to enable a cross
reference between this table and the (approximately) chronologically listed project table given later.
Type No
Name
Year
CIN*
Type No
Name
Year
CIN*
Type No
Name
Year
CIN*
Class B.T.
Bomber-Torpedo
Class
C.Bo.
Civil Boat
Class T
Torpedo
B.T.1
Beagle
1926
42
C.Bo.1
1923
14
T.1
Swift I
1920
2
Class C.A.
Commercial
C.Bo.2
1923
15
T.1A
Swift II, Swift F
1922
5
C.A.0
1923
8
C.Bo.3
1924
24
T.1B
Swift III
1923
18
C.A.01
1923
9
C.Bo.4
1924
25
T.??
Swift IV
1923
7
C.A.02
Unknown
1923
10
Class
D.B.
Dive Bomber
T.O.1
1923
16
C.A.03
1923
11
D.B.1
Skua
1935
111
T.2
Dart
1921
3
C.A.04
1924
27
Class F
Fighter
T.3
Velos
1925
36
C.A.05
1924
28
F.1
Turcock
1926
41
T.4
Cubaroo
1923
21
C.A.1
1923
12
2F.1
Nautilus
1928
55
T.4A
Cubaroo
1927
49
C.A.2
1923
13
F.2
Lincock I
1928
65
T.4B
Cubaroo
1927
50
C.A.3
1924
29
F.2A
Lincock II
1929
69
T.4C
Cubaroo
1927
51
C.A.4
1924
30
F.2B
Lincock II
1929
70
T.5
Ripon
1925
37
C.A.5
1924
31
F.2C
Lincock II
1929
71
T.5A
Ripon II
1928
59
C.A.6
1924
32
F.2D
Lincock III
1930
85
T.5B
Ripon IIA & IIC
1929
75
C.A.7
1924
33
F.2E
Lincock
1931
90
T.5C
Ripon
1928
62
C.A.8
1924
34
F.3
1932
98
T.5D
Ripon IIF
1928
63
C.A.9
1928
56
Class L
Light Aeroplane
T.5E
Ripon III
1928
64
C.A.10
1928
66
L.1
Bluebird
1924
26
T.5F
Ripon
1929
77
C.A.11
1928
67
L.1A
Bluebird II
1926
39
T.5G
Ripon
1930
87
C.A.11A
1930
82
L.1B
Bluebird III
1927
53
T.5H
Ripon
1931
88
C.A.12
1928
68
L.1C
Bluebird IV
1928
58
T.5J
Ripon
1932
96
C.A.13
1929
72
Class M
Mailplane
T.6
1927
46
C.A.14
1929
73
M.1
Night Mailplane
1923
17
T.7
1927
48
C.A.15A
1929
78
Class R
Reconnaissance
T.7A
1928
60
C.A.15B
1929
79
R.1
Blackburn I
1921
4
T.7B
3MR4
1928
61
C.A.15C
1929
80
R.1A
Blackburn II
1924
23
T.8
Baffin
1932
97
C.A.15D
1932
100
R.2
Airedale
1923
22
T.9
Shark I
1933
107
C.A.16
1930
83
R.3A
Airedale
1926
40
T.9A
Shark II
1935
110
C.A.17
1930
84
Class R.B.
Reconnaissance Boat
T.9B
Shark III
1936
112
C.A.18
Segrave I
1931
92
R.B.1
Iris I
1924
35
Class T.C.
Troop Carrier
C.A.18/1
Segrave Ambulance
1931
93
R.B.1A
Iris II
1926
43
T.C.1
1929
74
C.A.18A
Segrave High Tourer
1931
94
R.B.1B
Iris III
1927
52
Class T.R.
Trainer
C.A.19
Segrave III
1933
102
R.B.1C
Iris IV
1926
44
T.R.1
Sprat
1925
38
C.A.19/1
H.S.T.8
1933
103
R.B.1D
Iris V
1931
89
Unclassified
C.A.20
Segrave II
1933
104
R.B.2
Sydney
1927
45
Chilean Type A
1923
6
C.A.20A
Segrave II
1933
105
R.B.2A
1929
81
10-Seater
1923
19
C.A.21
1933
106
R.B.3
Iris VI
1932
99
Pellet
1923
20
C.A.21A
H.S.T.10
1933
108
R.B.3A
Perth
1932
101
Torpedo bomber (M.5/28)
1928
57
C.A.21B
H.S.B.T.10
1934
109
Class R.T.
Reconnaissance Torpedo
Oceanic
1929
76
Class C.B.
Commercial Boat
R.T.1
Kangaroo
1917
1
Mailplane (21/28)
1931
91
C.B.1
1931
95
Class S
Survey
C.B.2
1927
54
S.1
1927
47
C.B.2F
Nile
1930
86
*CIN = Chronology Index Number. Note this is not a Blackburn numbering
but just an indexing used by this site for convenience.
The B Series In 1930, the system of Class B Registrations
was introduced to enable test flying before the award of a Certificate of Airworthiness. This consisted of a single letter
to identify the company, followed by a number. Blackburn were awarded, logically, the letter B and used Class B Registrations
B-1 (the C.A.18 Segrave) through B-10 (an engine test bed version of the Bluebird). Thereafter this was adopted as the official
Blackburn Type designation System and continued up until the B.130 of 1962. By then the company was part of the Hawker Siddeley
Group and, in keeping with the rest of the Groups subsidiaries, changed the prefix from B to P, starting with the P.131. This
system was to last beyond the demise of Blackburn as an individual entity and the sequence was retained by the Hawker
Siddeley and British Aerospace Brough design offices.
The SBAC System In 1945 the Society
of British Aircraft Constructors introduced a universal designation system and Blackburn adopted this, although erratically
and in parallel with its B series rather than replacing it. The company appears to have dropped use of this system by 1958.
Project Data
The Alphabetic Sequence
Project
No
Type No
Name
Alternative
Name(s)
Year
Spec
Status
Qty
Description
References
1909 Monoplane
Heavy Type Monoplane
1909
Pro(n)
1
1S, 1E tractor monoplane
1,2,3,392
1911 Monoplane
Light Type Monoplane
1911
Proto
1
1S, 1E tractor monoplane
1,2,3,301,395
Mercury I
1911
Proto
1
2S, 1E tractor monoplane
1,2,,3,393
A
Unknown
(Possibly one of the Mercury aircraft)
B
Mercury II
1911
Proto
2
1S, 1E tractor monoplane
1,2,3,394
Mercury III
(Mercury Passenger Type)
1911
Prdn
6
2S, 1E tractor monoplane
1,2,3
C
Unknown
(Possibly one of the Mercury aircraft)
D
1913
??
??
1S, 1E monoplane
(1)
E
1912
Proto
2
1/2S, 1E tractor monoplane
1,2,3
Military Type E
1912
Proj
0
Projected military dev. of the Type E
2-seater
1,2,3
1912 Monoplane
1912
Proto
1
1S, 1E tractor monoplane
1,2,3
F
1913
Proj
0
2S, 1E Hydro-biplane
(1)
G
1913
??
??
1E monoplane
(1)
H
Unknown
I
1913
Prdn
2
2S, 1E tractor monoplane
1,2,3,396
1913
Hydro-Biplane
1913
Proj
0
2S, 1E Hydro-biplane
1,2
Improved Type I
1914
Proto
1
2S, 1E tractor monoplane
1,2,3
1914 Seaplane
1914
Proj
0
2S, 1E tractor seaplane derivative of Type I
(1)
J
Unknown
(Possibly one of the Type I variants)
K
Unknown
(Possibly one of the Type I variants)
L
1914
Proto
1
2S, 1E Hydro-biplane
1,2,3,8,397
1914
Hydro-Biplane
1914
Proj
0
2S, 1E Hydro-biplane - an enlarged Type L
(1),2
T.B.
Twin Backburn
1914
Prdn
9
2S, 2E seaplane Zeppelin killer
1,7,8,15,43
Land Sea Monoplane
1915
Proto
(1)
2S, 1E tractor monoplane; optional
wheel/float uc
1,2,8
White Falcon
1915
Proto
1
1S, 1E tractor monoplane
1,8
G.P.
1916
Proto
1
3S, 2E General Purpose seaplane
1,7,8,15,59
S.P.
1916
Proto
1
3S, 2E General Purpose seaplane
1,7,8
Triplane
1916
Proto
1
1S, 1E pusher triplane scout
1,5,8,13,46
N.1B
1917
N.1(b)
Pro(n)
1
1S, 1E pusher biplane flying boat
1,5,6,8,13
Blackburd
1918
Proto
3
1S, 1E shipborne torpedo carrier
1,7,8,15,306,307
Sidecar
1918
Proto
1
2S, 1E light aircraft
1,41,43
Mission Symbol Type Designations
CIN*
Type No
Name
Alternative Name(s)
Year
Spec
Status
Qty
Description
References
1
R.T.1
Kangaroo
1917
Prdn
23
3S, 2E reconnaissance bomber
1,7,8,9,11,15,30,36,59,303,354,398,820
2
T.1
Swift I
1920
Prdn
8
1S, 1E carrier based torpedo bomber
1,7,9,15
3
T.2
Dart
1921
3/20 (DoR Type 8)
Prdn
120
1S, 1E carrier based torpedo bomber
1,7,9,10,15,340,376,400
4
R.1
Blackburn
1921
3/21 (DoR Type 7A)
Prdn
62
3S, 1E deck-landing reconnaissance biplane
1,10
5
T.1A
Swift II, Swift F
1922
See T.1 Swift I
6
Chilean Type A
1923
Proj
0
2E flying boat
(1)
7
??
Swift IV
1923
Proj
0
3S, 1E fleet spotter
1
8
C.A.0
BN-8
1923
Proj
0
1E, 8 passenger transport
(1)
9
C.A.01
BN-10
1923
Proj
0
1E, 10 passenger transport
(1)
10
C.A.02
1923
Proj
0
3E Cubaroo transport derivative
(1)
11
C.A.03
1923
Proj
0
3S, 1E land or seaplane transport
(1)
12
C.A.1
Unknown
13
C.A.2
1923
Proj
0
3E, 8 passenger commercial biplane
(1)
14
C.Bo.1
B.L.6
1923
Proj
0
1E, medium range 6 passenger flying boat
(1)
15
C.Bo.2
B.R.5
1923
Proj
0
1E, medium range 5 passenger flying boat
(1)
16
T.O.1
1923
Proj
0
3S, 1E carrier based torpedo bomber for
Sweden
1
17
M.1
Night Mailplane
Swift M.1
1923
Proj
0
1S, 1E mailplane based on the Swift IV
(1)
18
T.1B
Swift III
1923
Proj
0
1S, 1E amphibious torpedo bomber
1
19
10-Seater
1923
Proj
0
1E, 10 passenger airliner based on the Swift
IV
1
20
Pellet
1923
Proto
1
1S, 1E racing seaplane
1,45,377
21
T.4
Cubaroo I
1923
16/22 (DoR Type 9)
Proto
2
4S, 1E coastal defence aircraft
1,7,15
22
R.2
Airedale
1923
37/22
Proto
2
3S, 1E deck landing reconnaissance monoplane
1
23
R.1A
Blackburn
1924
11/23
See R.1 Blackburn I
24
C.Bo.3
1924
Proj
0
1E, 6 passenger flying boat
(1)
25
C.Bo.4
1924
Proj
0
3E biplane flying boat
(1)
26
L.1
Bluebird
1924
Prdn
79
2S, 1E touring and training biplane
1,9,29,41,318,321,399,403
27
C.A.04
1924
Proj
0
3E transport studies with 8 to 24 passengers
(1)
28
C.A.05
1924
Proj
0
4S, 1E touring land or seaplane
(1)
29
C.A.3
1924
Proj
0
3E, 14 passenger commercial biplane
(1)
30
C.A.4
1924
Proj
0
3E, 14 long range version of C.A.3
(1)
31
C.A.5
1924
Proj
0
3E, 14 long range version of C.A.3
(1)
32
C.A.6
1924
Proj
0
3E, 8 passenger commercial biplane
(1)
33
C.A.7
1924
Proj
0
1E, 4 passenger biplane
(1)
34
C.A.8
1924
Proj
0
1E, 4 passenger monoplane
(1)
35
R.B.1
Iris I
1924
R.14/24
Prdn
5
5S, 3E reconnaissance flying boat
1,6,11,327
36
T.3
Velos
1925
Prdn
21
2S, 1E torpedo bomber and trainer for Greece
1,7,9,15,40,369
37
T.5
Ripon
1925
21/23
Proto
97
2S, 1E torpedo reconnaissance bomber
1,7,10,15,64,328,334
38
T.R.1
Sprat
1925
5/24
Proto
1
2S, 1E deck landing trainer
1,357,401,816
39
L.1A
Bluebird II
1926
See L.1 Bluebird
40
R.3A
Airedale
1926
Proj
0
3S, 1E deck landing reconnaissance biplane
1
41
F.1
Turcock
Blackcock
1926
F.9/26, N.21/26
Proto
1
1S, 1E fighter
1,5,9,13
42
B.T.1
Beagle
1926
23/25, 24/25
Proto
1
2S, 1E day bomber, recce/torpedo bomber
1,7,15
43
R.B.1A
Iris II
1926
See R.B.1 Iris I
44
R.B.1C
Iris IV
1926
See R.B.1 Iris I
45
R.B.2
Sydney
1927
R.5/27
Proto
1
5S, 3E maritime reconnaissance flying boat
1,6,808
46
T.6
3MR4
1927
Proj
0
Enlarged Ripon for Japan
(1),7,15
47
S.1
1927
Proj
0
1E survey biplane
(1)
48
T.7
1927
Proj
0
Enlarged Ripon for Japan
(1)
49
T.4A
Cubaroo II
1927
See T.4 Cubaroo
50
T.4B
Cubaroo III
1927
See T.4 Cubaroo
51
T.4C
Cubaroo IV
1927
See T.4 Cubaroo
52
R.B.1B
Iris III
1927
R.31/27
See R.B.1 Iris I
53
L.1B
Bluebird III
1927
See L.1 Bluebird
54
C.B.2
Nile
1927
Pro(n)
3E, 14 passenger flying boat
1,30,402,808
55
2F.1
Nautilus
1928
O.22/26
Proto
1
2S, 1E, fleet spotter / interceptor
1,5,13,312
56
C.A.9
1928
Proj
0
1E, 8 passenger commercial biplane
(1)
57
1928
M.5/28
Proj
0
2S, 1E torpedo reconnaissance bomber
(1)
58
L.1C
Bluebird IV
1928
See L.1 Bluebird
59
T.5A
Ripon II
1928
3/28
See T.5 Ripon
60
T.7A
1928
Proj
0
T.7 variant for Spain
(1)
61
T.7B
3MR4
1928
Proto
1
3S, 1E carrier attack bombe
1
62
T.5C
Ripon
1928
See T.5 Ripon
63
T.5D
Ripon IIF
1928
See T.5 Ripon
64
T.5E
Ripon III
1928
See T.5 Ripon
65
F.2
Lincock
1928
Proto
7
1S, 1E light fighter
1,5,9,13,382
66
C.A.10
1928
Proj
0
3E commecial landplane
(1)
67
C.A.11
1928
Proj
0
1E, 4 passenger land or sea monoplane
(1)
68
C.A.12
1928
Proj
0
4E, 23-38 passenger monoplane transport
(1)
69
F.2A
Lincock
1929
See F.2 Lincock
70
F.2B
Lincock
1929
See F.2 Lincock
71
F.2C
Lincock
1929
See F.2 Lincock
72
C.A.13
1929
Proj
0
3E, 10-12 passenger monoplane transport
(1)
73
C.A.14
1929
Proj
0
4E, 17 passenger monoplane transport
(1)
74
T.C.1
1929
C.16/28
Proj
0
3E high wing troop carrier
(1)
75
T.5B
Ripon IIA & IIC
1929
2/29 & 13/31
See T.5 Ripon
76
Oceanic
1929
20/28
Proj
0
6E civil flying boat
386,404,819
77
T.5F
Ripon
1929
See T.5 Ripon
78
C.A.15A
1929
Proj
0
3E, 11 passenger monoplane or biplane
transport
1
79
C.A.15B
1929
Proj
0
3E, 9 passenger monoplane or biplane
transport
1
80
C.A.15C
1929
6/29
Proto
2
2E, 10 passenger biplane or monoplane
airliner
1,30,405
81
R.B.2A
1929
Proj
0
Projected development of R.B.2 Sydney
(1)
82
C.A.11A
1930
Proj
0
6/7 seat variant of C.A.11
(1),807
83
C.A.16
1930
Proj
0
3E, 12 passenger biplane transport
(1)
84
C.A.17
1930
Proj
0
3E, 9 passenger biplane transport
(1)
85
F.2D
Lincock III
1930
See F.2 Lincock
86
C.B.2F
Nile
1930
Proj
0
3E, 14 passenger flying boat
1
87
T.5G
Ripon
1930
See T.5 Ripon
88
T.5H
Ripon
1931
See T.5 Ripon
89
R.B.1D
Iris V
1931
See R.B.1 Iris I
90
F.2E
Lincock III
1931
See F.2 Lincock
91
1931
21/28
Proj
0
2S, 1E mailplane
1
92
C.A.18
Segrave I
1931
See B.1
Segrave
93
C.A.18/1
Segrave Ambulance
1931
Proj
0
Ambulance version of C.A.18
(1)
94
C.A.18A
Segrave High Tourer
1931
Proj
0
High performance version of C.A.18
(1)
95
C.B.1
1931
Proj
0
14-28 pass. flying boat based on the Iris IV
(1)
96
T.5J
Ripon
1932
See T.5 Ripon
97
T.8
Baffin
1932
4/33,
17/34
Prdn
29 (64)
2S, 1E torpedo reconnaissance bomber
1,7,10,15,44,328
98
F.3
1932
F.7/30 (OR.1)
Pro(n)
1
1S, 1E biplane fighter
1,5,13,43,383
99
R.B.3
Iris VI
1932
Proto
(1)
Iris V with 37mm C.O.W. cannon
1
100
C.A.15D
1932
Proj
0
2E, 10 passenger monoplane airliner
143,900
101
R.B.3A
Perth
1932
20/32
Prdn
4
5S, 3E reconnaissance flying boat
1,6,11,327
102
C.A.19
Segrave III
1933
Proj
0
2E, 8 or 12 passenger monoplane transport
1
103
C.A.19/1
H.S.T.8
1933
Proj
0
2E passenger monoplane transport
(1)
104
C.A.20
Segrave II
B.1
1933
See B.1
Segrave
105
C.A.20A
Segrave II
1933
Proj
0
Re-engined version of C.A.20
(1)
106
C.A.21
1933
Proj
0
2/4E, 8 passenger transport/survey monoplane
(1)
107
T.9
Shark I
B.6
1933
S.15/33
See B.6
Shark
108
C.A.21A
H.S.T.10
B.9
1933
See B.9
HST.10
109
C.A.21B
H.S.B.T.10
1934
Proj
0
2E coastal reconnaissance bomber
(1)
110
T.9A
Shark II
B.6
1935
13/35
See B.6
Shark
111
D.B.1
Skua
B.24
1935
O.27/34
See B.24
Skua
112
T.9B
Shark III
B.6
1936
19/36
See B.6
Shark
The 'B' Series Type Designations
Project
No
Type No (1)
Name
Alternative Name(s)
Year
Spec
Status
Qty
Description
References
B.1
Segrave
C.A.18, C.A.20
1930
Prdn
3
4S, 2E touring monoplane
1,9,29,30,351,406
B.2
Bluebird V
1931
Prdn
43
2S, 1E trainer
1,9,29
B.3
1931
M.1/30
Proto
2
2S, 1E torpedo reconnaissance bomber
1,7,15
B.4
Ripon V
T.5J
1932
See T.5
Ripon
B.5
Ripon V
T.5J
1932
See T.5
Ripon
B.6
Shark
T.9
1933
S.15/33, S.12/34
Prdn
253
3S, 1E torpedo reconnaissance bomber
1,7,10,12,15,40,49,54,325,366,367,374,384,408
B.7
1931
G.4/31 (OR.2)
Proto
1
2/3S, 1E general purpose biplane
1,7,15,332,409
B.8
1934
Proj
0
2S light aircraft
(1)
1933
R.2/33 (OR.8)
Proj
0
4E long range flying boat
(1)
B.9
H.S.T.10
C.A.21A
1933
Pro(n)
1
2E, 12 passenger transport
1,30,387,407
1933
Proj
0
4E High Speed Transport & Air Survey
variant of the
H.S.T.10
'B' or 'P' prefix: some sources
show all projects following the B.103 as being prefixed 'P'. Both Boot [4] Buttler [8] states that the change from B to P
occurred with the integration of Blackburn into Hawker Siddeley. This occurred 1962, although the Blackburn name was retained
until they became fully integrated into Hawker Siddeley in July 1963.
Select the button to go to the appropriate listings page.
Note: In the Production Summary, conversions are only listed where
they result in a change from one Type to another. Changes to sub-type or Mark Number are not shown in the summary. For details
of these, see the individual listings.
Blackburn Works Orders
Blackburn
used a series of Works Order Numbers to identify individual airframes. For consistency across this site, the term 'C/n' is
used in the following linked production details.