Bristol Beaufighter - Variants

Variants

Beaufighter Mk IF

Two-seat night fighter variant.

Beaufighter Mk IC

The "C" stood for Coastal Command variant; many were modified to carry bombs.

Beaufighter Mk II

However well the Beaufighter performed, the Short Stirling bomber programme by late 1941 had a higher priority for the Hercules engine and the Rolls-Royce Merlin XX-powered Mk II was the result.

Beaufighter Mk IIF

Production night fighter variant.

Beaufighter Mk III/IV

The Mark III and Mark IV were to be Hercules and Merlin powered Beaufighters with a new slimmer fuselage carrying an armament of six cannon and six machine guns which would give performance improvements. The necessary costs of making the changes to the production line led to the curtailing of the Marks.

Beaufighter Mk V

The Vs had a Boulton Paul turret with four 0.303 in (7.7 mm) machine guns mounted aft of the cockpit supplanting one pair of cannon and the wing-mounted machine guns. Only two (Merlin-engined) Mk Vs were built. R2274 when tested by the A&AEE was capable of 302 mph at 19,000 ft.

Beaufighter Mk VI

The Hercules returned with the next major version in 1942, the Mk VI, which was eventually built to over 1,000 examples.

Beaufighter Mk VIC

Torpedo-carrying variant dubbed the "Torbeau".

Beaufighter Mk VIF

This variant was equipped with AI Mark VIII radar. Changes included a dihedral tailplane.

Beaufighter Mk VI (ITF)

Interim torpedo fighter version.

Beaufighter Mk VII

Proposed Australian-built variant with Hercules 26 engines, not built.

Beaufighter Mk VIII

Proposed Australian-built variant with Hercules 17 engines, not built.

Beaufighter Mk IX

Proposed Australian-built variant with Hercules 17 engines, not built.

Beaufighter TF Mk X

Two-seat torpedo fighter aircraft. The last major version (2,231 built) was the Mk X, among the finest torpedo and strike aircraft of its day. The later production models featured a dorsal fin.

Beaufighter Mk XIC

Built without torpedo gear for Coastal Command use.

Beaufighter Mk XII

Proposed long-range variant of the Mk 11 with drop tanks, not built.

Beaufighter Mk 21

The Australian-made DAP Beaufighter. Changes included Hercules CVII engines, four 20 mm cannon in the nose, four Browning .50 in (12.7 mm) in the wings and the capacity to carry eight 5 in (130 mm) High Velocity Aircraft Rockets (HVAR), two 250 lb (110 kg) bombs, two 500 lb (230 kg) bombs and one Mk 13 torpedo.

Beaufighter TT Mk 10

After the war, many RAF Beaufighters were converted into target tug aircraft.

Beaufighter Australian Experimental classes

twin Merlin engines; 40mm Bofors gun fitted