High Gallery
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Military Aircraft Lockheed HUDSON Mk IIIA Photo By Cool B. Thouanel |
| In 1938 the British discovered an urgent need for a coastal reconnaissance bomber, and accepted the proposal from a military version of the Model 14 Super Electra transport with a bomb bay, a glazed nose, an a dorsal turret. The first such Hudson Mk I flew in December 1938, and 350 aircraft were delivered to the Royal Air Force. Hudson series production lasted to May 1943, And covered 2,934 aircraft. Despite its civil origins, the Hudson clocked up a number of "first" in the Second World War, including the first aerial victory by an American plane in October 1939, and the first capture of a U boat by a plane in August 1941. |
TECHNICAL DATA
| Description | Specifications |
| Manufacturer: Lockheed | Length: 44 ft. 4 in. |
| First Flight: December 1938 | Height: 11 ft 11 in. |
| Model: A | Wing Span: 65 ft. 6 in. |
| Crew: Four. | Wing Area: 551.0 sq. ft. |
| Nickname: Hudson | Empty Weight: 12,825 lb. |
| Basic Role: Coastal reconnaissance bomber. | Max. Weight: 21,000 lb. |
| Other
Versions: Mk I initial model.
Hudson Mk III with 1,200-hp GR-1820-G205As. Hudson Mk IIIA with R-1820-87 engines, Known to the Americans as the A-29 and including A-29A transport. Hudson Mk IV with 1,050-hp Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp S3c-Gs. Hudson Mk IVA Australian A-28s. Hudson Mk V a Mk III version with 1,200-hp Twin Wasp S3C4-G radials. Hudson Mk VI British A-28As. At-18 an A-28A trainer. AT-18A no turret AT-18s. |
Armament: Five 0.303-in 7.7-mm machine guns and up to 1,600 lb. of bombs. |
| Principal User: Australia, Canada, Great Britain, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and USA. |
Propulsion |
|
Performance |
Power Plant: Wright R-1820-87 radial piston engines. |
| Range: 2,800 miles | Horsepower: 1,200-hp. |
| Max. Speed: 253 mph. | No. Of Engines: Two |
| Ceiling: 26,500 ft. | |
| Climb Rate: 10,000 ft in 6 minutes 18 seconds |