History
The Avro Lincoln II is also referred to as Avro Lancaster V (the Lincoln I as Avro Lancaster IV). It was the last piston engine bomber operated by the RAF. The bomber was built by Avro, Armstrong-Whitworth and Vickers-Metropolitan
Its maiden flight was on 9 June 1944 but I became operational in August 1945. It was planned to play a role in the Pacific war against Japan but the war ended before the Lincoln bomber could participate.
Technical specifications
The Lincoln II had a crew of 7 or 8. There was a pilot, flight engineer/co-pilot, navigator, wireless operator, front gunner/bomb aimer, dorsal and rear gunners. It was 23,86 m long with a wingspan of 37 meters. It had a maximum speed of 500 km/h at 5,600 meter altitude. Its cruise speed was 346 km/h. It could reach a distance of 4500 kilometers with a 6400 kg bomb load at 320 km/h and a distance of 7160 kilometers with a 1400 kg bomb load at 320 km/h. Its maximum bomb load was 6400 kilograms or exceptionally one 10.000 kilograms Grand Slam bomb.
The Lincoln II Long-range bomber version for the RAF was powered by four Rolls-Royce Merlin 66, 68A and 300 inline piston engines. (the major difference between the Lincoln I and Lincoln II version is the engines type difference). Its armament was two 12,7 mm M2 Browning machine guns in the nose turret, two 20 mm Hispano MK.IV cannons or two Hispano MK.V in the dorsal turret and two 12,7 mm M2 Browning machine guns in the tail turret.
The Lincoln on display was delivered to the RAF on 13 September 1945 and had its last flight on 30 April 1963.
Boulton Paul Gun Turret type D
Along with Nash & Thompson, Boulton Paul was one of the two main innovators of gun turret designs for British aircraft. Both supplied a large number of different gun turrets for the RAF. Boulton Paul’s designs were based on the French company Société d’Applications des Machines Motrices. The turrets were electro-hydraulic in operation; electric motors located in the turret drove hydraulic pumps that powered hydraulic motors and rams. The first gun turrets (Mark II and Mark VIII) from the Boulton Paul company were placed in Boulton Paul Defiant and Blackburn ROC aircraft, or the VII Type with four guns were used dorsal in the Handley Page Halifax, Lockheed Ventura of Short C and G class flying boats.
The type D on the photos was a 2 barrel gun turret used in the tail from the Avro Lincoln. Some were fitted with Automatic Gun-Laying Turret radar equipment.
The two Browning 12,7 mm barrels had 1510 rounds each and were used from 1944 to 1963.
