Lockheed Hudson
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The Lockheed Hudson was a light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built initially for the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of World War II. The Hudson was the first significant aircraft construction contract for the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation—the initial RAF order for 200 Hudsons far surpassed any previous order they company had received. The Hudson served throughout the war, mainly with Coastal Command but also in transport and training roles as well as delivering agents into occupied France. The Hudson was also operated by the USAAF, US Navy, RAAF, RCAF and RNZAF.
In 1938 the British sought an American maritime patrol aircraft to support the Avro Anson. On December 10, 1938, Lockheed demonstrated a modified version of the Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra commercial airliner as the Hudson Mk I which swiftly went in to production. By February of 1939 Hudsons began to be delivered, initially equipping No. 224 Squadron RAF at Leuchars, Scotland in May 1939. By the start of the war in September, 78 Hudsons were in service.
A total of 350 Mk I and 20 Mk II Hudsons were supplied (the Mk II had different propellers). These had two fixed Browning machine guns in the nose and two more in a Boulton Paul dorsal turret. The Hudson Mk III added one ventral and two beam machine guns and replaced the 1,100 hp Wright Cyclone 9-cylinder radials with 1,200 hp versions (428 produced).
The Hudson Mk V (309 produced) and Mk VI (450 produced) were powered by the 1,200 hp Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp 14-cylinder two-row radial. The RAF also obtained 380 Mk IIIA and 30 Mk IV Hudsons under the Lend-Lease programme.
In 1941 the USAAF began operating the Hudson; the Twin Wasp-powered variant was designated the A-28 (82 produced) and the Cyclone-powered variant was designated the A-29 (418 produced). The US Navy operated 20 A-28s, redesignated the PBO-1. A further 300 were built as air-crew trainers, designated the AT-18.
The Hudson achieved some significant feats during the war. On 8 October, 1939, over Jutland, a Hudson became the first RAF aircraft to shoot down a German aircraft. (The accolade of the first British aircraft to shoot down a German plane went to the Blackburn Skua of the Fleet Air Arm on 26 September, 1939.) They operated as fighters during the Battle of Dunkirk. A PBO-1 Hudson of USN squadron VP-82 became the first US aircraft to sink a German submarine when it sank U-656 southwest of Newfoundland on 1 March, 1942. Hudsons were operated by RAF Special Duties squadrons for clandestine operations; No. 161 Squadron in Europe and No. 357 Squadron in Burma.
A total of 2,584 Hudsons were built. They began to be withdrawn from frontline service in 1944.
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Specifications (Mk I)
General Characteristics
- Crew: six
- Length: 44 ft 4 in (13.51 m)
- Wingspan: 65 ft 6 in (19.96 m)
- Height: 11 ft 10 in (3.62 m)
- Wing area: 551 ft² (51.2 m²)
- Empty: 12,000 lb (5,443 kg)
- Loaded: 17,500 lb (7,930 kg)
- Maximum takeoff: 18,500 lb (8,393 kg)
- Powerplant: 2 x Wright Cyclone 9-cylinder radial engines, 1,100 hp (820 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 246 mph (397 km/h)
- Range: 1,960 miles (3,150 km)
- Service ceiling: 24,500 ft (7,468 m)
- Rate of climb: 1,200 ft/min (366 m/min)
- Wing loading: lb/ft² ( kg/m²)
- Power/Mass:
Armament
- 4 x .303 in (7.7 mm) Browning machine guns, (2 in nose, 2 in dorsal turret)
- 750 lb (341 kg) of bombs or depth charges
Related content
Related development: Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra
Comparable aircraft: Avro Anson
Designation sequence: A-28 - A-29
See also
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