The Avro Lancaster is a British four-engine

heavy bomber Heavy bombers are bomber aircraft capable of delivering the largest payload of air-to-ground weaponry (usually bombs) and longest range (takeoff to landing) of their era. Archetypal heavy bombers have therefore usually been among the larges ...

used by the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

and other Commonwealth air forces during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. Of the 7,377 aircraft built, 3,736 were lost during the War (3,249 in action and 487 in ground accidents). Today 17 remain in complete form: two are airworthy, and two others are in taxiable condition with working engines. Of the surviving airframes, eight are in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. Only four of the surviving 17 – KB839, KB882, R5868, and W4783 – flew operational sorties over Continental Europe during the War.

Surviving aircraft

Surviving aircraft by manufacturer

Surviving aircraft

Known wrecks

In addition to the 17 complete surviving planes, there are a small number of known complete or near-complete Lancaster wrecks.

References

;Notes ;Bibliography *

External Links

Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre update page
for the restoration of NX611 ''Just Jane''
Bomber Command Museum of Canada Museum walk-through
with Avro Lancaster FM159 {{Avro Lancaster family Avro Lancaster Survivors