Vickers Vildebeest

Vildebeest / Vincent
Vickers Vildebeest
Role	Torpedo Bomber / Army Co-operation
Manufacturer	Vickers
First flight	1928
Introduction	1933
Retired	1942
Primary users	Royal Air Force Royal New Zealand Air Force Spain
Number built	209 (Vildebeest) 197 (Vincent)

The Vickers Vildebeest and the similar Vickers Vincent were two very large two- to three-seat single-engined British biplanes designed and built by Vickers and used as light bombers, torpedo bombers and in army cooperation roles. While first flown in 1928, it remained in service at the start of the Second World War, with the last Vildebeests flying against Japanese forces over Singapore and Java in 1942.

Designed against Air Ministry Specification 24/25 for the RAF, for a land-based torpedo bomber to replace the Hawker Horsley, the prototype Vildebeest, an all-metal fuselage aircraft with single-bay unstaggered fabric-covered wings and tail, was first flown in April 1928 as the Vickers Type 132, powered by a Bristol Jupiter VIII radial engine.

After initial evaluation, the Vildebeest was shortlisted for evaluation with the Blackburn Beagle and Handley Page Hare. As the Jupiter VIII was prone to vibration, a second prototype, the Vickers Type 204 was fitted with an Armstrong Siddeley Panther IIA engine, and after further testing, the Vickers design was confirmed as the winner of the contest but engine problems persisted until the type was tested with a new version of the Jupiter, which later became known as the Bristol Pegasus. An initial production order was placed in 1931 for nine aircraft, with the first production aircraft flying in September 1932.

Further production ensued, with an improved version fitted with a 635 hp (474 kW) Pegasus IIM3 entering service but after only 30 examples had been produced the Air Ministry requested a modification (Specification 15/34) which added a third crew position, thus creating the Vildebeest MkIII, of which 150 examples being built for the RAF.

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