For a description of the format and data included
in Production Tables, see here.
Produced Variants
R.B.1 Iris I
Five-seat biplane long-range reconnaissance flying boat to meet the requirements of Specification R.14/24. Three
650 h.p. Rolls-Royce Condor III powerplants.
R.B.1A Iris II
As
Iris I with a new, all metal hull and three 675 h.p. Rolls-Royce Condor IIIA powerplants.
R.B.1B Iris III
Similar
to the Iris II but with fabric covered metal wings to meet the requirements of Specification R.31/27. Three 675 h.p. Rolls-Royce
Condor IIIB powerplants.
R.B.1C Iris IV
Conversion of the Iris II with three 800 h.p. Armstrong Siddeley Leopard III powerplants.
R.B.1D Iris V
Conversion of the Iris Mk IIIs with three 825 h.p. Rolls-Royce Buzzard IIMS powerplants.
R.B.3 Iris V
Iris V featuring a bow mounted 37mm C.O.W. quick firing cannon.
R.B.3 Iris VI
See
Note 3.
R.B.3A
Perth
Developed from the Iris Mk. V to meet the requirements of Specification 20/32 and having an enclosed cockpit
for the pilots. Three 825 h.p. Rolls-Royce Buzzard II MS powerplants.
Projected
Variants
C.B.1
14-28 passenger commercial flying boat project based on the Iris IV.
3 aircraft
ordered from The Blackburn Aeroplane and Motor Co. Ltd, Brough, Yorkshire, to
contract 199604/32. Delivered between October 1933 and January 1934.
K3580 - K3582
4970/1, 4970/2, 5220/1
3
1 aircraft
ordered from The Blackburn Aeroplane and Motor Co. Ltd, Brough, Yorkshire, to
contract 265687/33. Delivered in March 1934.
All Aircraft By Type and Mark
All Aircraft By Type
Type
Built New
Conv.
Canc'd
Total
Type
Built New
Conv.
R.B.1 Iris I
1
1
R.B.1 Iris
5
R.B.1A Iris II
(1)
1
R.B.3 Iris VI
(1)
R.B.1B Iris III
4
4
R.B.3A Perth
4
R.B.1C Iris IV
(1)
1
9
(1)
R.B.1D Iris V
(2)
2
R.B.3 Iris VI
(1)
1
R.B.3A Perth
4
4
8
(4)
0
Notes
Initially, aircraft were built at
the Olympia Works, Leeds, but erected and flown from Brough Aerodrome, East Yorkshire. However, by 1932, all manufacture had
moved to Brough.
The final Iris V, S1593, differed from its predecessors in being fitted with a bow mounted
37mm C.O.W. quick firing cannon. It was sometimes referred to as the Iris VI. This aircraft was also converted under contract
354295/34 as a flying test bed for the 720 h.p. Napier Culverin Series I (licence-built Junkers Jumo IVC).
Production References
Blackburn Aircraft
Since 1909, A.J. Jackson (Putnam, 1989)
Fleet Air Arm Aircraft, Units and Ships, 1920 to 1939,
Ray Sturtivant with Dick Cronin (Air Britain Publications, 1998)
The K File, The Royal Air Force of the 1930s,
J.J. Halley (Air-Britain Publications, 1995)
