Handley Page Hendon

The Handley Page Hendon was a British torpedo bomber of the 1920s. A two-seat development of Handley Page's earlier single-seat Hanley, the Hendon was a single-engine biplane. While six aircraft were purchased by the British Air Ministry for evaluation and trials purposes, no further production ensued and the Hendon did not enter squadron service.

Hendon
Role Torpedo bomber
National origin United Kingdom
Manufacturer Handley Page
First flight 1924
Retired 1927
Status Prototypes
Number built 6
Developed from Handley Page Hanley

Development and design

While the single-seat Handley Page Hanley had lost to the similar Blackburn Dart in fulfilling the requirements for a carrier-based torpedo bomber to equip Britain's Fleet Air Arm, it was recognised by both Handley Page and the Air Ministry that a two-seat aircraft would be more useful both for operational purposes and for experimental work. An order was therefore placed on 27 November 1923 for six two-seat derivatives of the Hanley III, designated the Type Ta (later known as the H.P.25) or Handley Page Hendon to meet the requirements of Air Ministry Specification 25/23 for an interim torpedo bomber.[1]

The first of the six aircraft to fly, (serial N9724) flew on 7 July 1924, with the remaining five flying by September. It had a longer fuselage to accommodate the observer, who was provided with a .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis Gun on a Scarff ring mounting, but initially, was similar to the Hanley III. Tests showed that it was tailheavy when carrying a torpedo, the outer wings being swept back by six degrees to avoid this.[2]

Operational history

The six Hendons were used for extensive trials to investigate various configurations of leading edge slots/slats. These allowed one aircraft to successfully land on HMS Furious while carrying a torpedo and without using arrestor gear.[3] No further production occurred, the development of automatic slots in October 1927 making the Hendon obsolete.

Variants
Hendon I
Initial configuration. Leading edge slots as Hanley III. Six built.
Hendon II
Improved slot gear. Three converted.
Hendon III
Slotted Flaps. One converted from Hendon II.

Specifications (Hendon)

Data from Handley Page Aircraft since 1907.[4]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 2
  • Length: 36 ft 6 in (11.13 m)
  • Wingspan: 46 ft 0 in (14.02 m)
  • Height: 13 ft 8 in (4.17 m)
  • Wing area: 562 sq ft (52.2 m2)
  • Empty weight: 4,350 lb (1,973 kg) [5]
  • Gross weight: 6,970 lb (3,162 kg)
  • Powerplant: 2 × Napier Lion IIB W-12 water-cooled piston engine, 450 hp (340 kW) each
  • Propellers: 2-bladed fixed-pitch propeller

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 110 mph (180 km/h, 96 kn)
  • Stall speed: 55 mph (89 km/h, 48 kn)
  • Service ceiling: 9,500 ft (2,900 m)
  • Wing loading: 12.4 lb/sq ft (61 kg/m2)
  • Power/mass: 0.065 hp/lb (0.107 kW/kg)

Armament

  • Guns: 1 × .303 in (7.7 mm) forward firing Vickers machine gun and 1 × .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis gun in rear cockpit
  • Bombs: 1 × 18 in (457 mm) torpedo or 2 × 230 lb (105 kg) bombs

See also

Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

References

Notes
  1. Barnes 1976, p.223, 225.
  2. Barnes 1976, p.225.
  3. Mason 1994, p.158.
  4. Barnes 1976, p.229.
  5. Lewis 1980, p.420-421.

Bibliography
  • Barnes, C.H. Handley Page Aircraft since 1907. London:Putnam, 1976. ISBN 0-370-00030-7.
  • Mason, Francis K. The British Bomber since 1914. London:Putnam, 1994. ISBN 0-85177-861-5.
  • Lewis, Peter. The British Bomber since 1914. London:Putnam, Third edition, 1980. ISBN 0-370-30265-6.
  • "The Handley Page “Hendon”". Flight. 29 July 1926. Page 459–461.
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