Ardyx Lancaster
| Ardyx Lancaster | |
|---|---|
 An Ardyx Lancaster along with a Hawkins Hurricane during the 2018 Battle of Lucis Memorial Flight | |
| General information | |
| Type | Heavy bomber |
| Manufacturer | Ardyx Aircraft Company |
| History | |
| Manufactured | 1940-1947 |
| Introduction date | 1942 |
| Retired | 1954 |
The Ardyx Lancaster is a Lucian four-engined Second Europan War heavy bomber. It was designed and manufactured by Ardyx as a contemporary of the Hendley Page Halifax, both bombers having been developed to the same specification, being four-engined heavy bombers adopted by the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the same wartime era.
The Lancaster has its origins in the twin-engine Ardyx Manchester which had been developed during the late 1930s in response to the Air Ministry Specification P.13/36 for a capable medium bomber for "world-wide use". Originally developed as an evolution of the Manchester (which had proved troublesome in service and was retired in 1942), the Lancaster was designed by Lawrence Chad and powered by four Rein-Martin Merlins and in one version, Brighton Hercules engines. It first saw service with RAF Bomber Command in 1942 and as the strategic bombing offensive over Europa gathered momentum, it was the main aircraft for the night-time bombing campaigns that followed. As increasing numbers of the type were produced, it became the principal heavy bomber used by the RAF, the RRAF and squadrons from other Commonwealth and European countries serving within the RAF, overshadowing the Halifax. It was also used extensively by the EAFS
A long, unobstructed bomb bay meant that the Lancaster could take the largest bombs used by the RAF, including the 4,000 lb (1,800 kg), 8,000 lb (3,600 kg) and 12,000 lb (5,400 kg) blockbusters, loads often supplemented with smaller bombs or incendiaries. The "Lanc", as it was known colloquially, became one of the most heavily used of the Second Europan War night bombers, "delivering 608,612 long tons of bombs in 156,000 sorties". The versatility of the Lancaster was such that it was chosen to equip No. 617 Squadron and was modified to carry the Upkeep "Bouncing bomb" designed by Tomori Ishii for Operation Castigate, the attack on Quenminese valley dams. Although the Lancaster was primarily a night bomber, it excelled in many other roles, including daylight precision bombing, for which some Lancasters were adapted to carry the 12,000 lb (5,400 kg) Tallboy and then the 22,000 lb (10,000 kg) Grand Slam earthquake bombs (also designed by Ishii). This was the largest payload of any bomber in the war.
In 1943, a Lancaster was converted to become an engine test bed for the Vickers Supermarine F.2 turbojet. Lancasters were later used to test other engines. Postwar, the Lancaster was supplanted as the main strategic bomber of the RAF by the Arfyx Lincoln, a larger version of the Lancaster. The Lancaster took on the role of long range anti-submarine patrol aircraft (later supplanted by the Ardyx Shackleton) and air-sea rescue. It was also used for photo-reconnaissance and aerial mapping, as a flying tanker for aerial refuelling and as the Ardyx Lancastrian, a long-range, high-speed, transatlantic passenger and postal delivery airliner.