The Vickers Vildebeest and the similar Vickers Vincent were two very large two- to three-seat single-engined British

biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...

s designed and built by

Vickers Vickers was a British engineering company that existed from 1828 until 1999. It was formed in Sheffield as a steel foundry by Edward Vickers and his father-in-law, and soon became famous for casting church bells. The company went public in 18 ...

and used as

light bomber A light bomber is a relatively small and fast type of military bomber aircraft that was primarily employed before the 1950s. Such aircraft would typically not carry more than one ton of ordnance. The earliest light bombers were intended to dro ...

torpedo bomber A torpedo bomber is a military aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with aerial torpedoes. Torpedo bombers came into existence just before the First World War almost as soon as aircraft were built that were capable of carrying the weight ...

s and in army cooperation roles. First flown in 1928, it remained in service at the start of the

Second World War 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 opposin ...

, with the last Vildebeests flying against Japanese forces over

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

and

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...

in 1942.

Design and development

Vildebeest

Designed against Air Ministry Specification 24/25 for 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) and ...

(RAF), for a land-based torpedo bomber to replace the

Hawker Horsley The Hawker Horsley was a British single-engined biplane bomber of the 1920s. It was the last all-wooden aircraft built by Hawker Aircraft, and served as a medium day bomber and torpedo bomber with Britain's Royal Air Force between 1926 and 1935 ...

, 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 The radial engine is a reciprocating type internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. It resembles a stylized star when viewed from the front, and is ca ...

.Mason 1994, p. 200. After initial evaluation, the Vildebeest was shortlisted for comparison with the

Blackburn Beagle The Blackburn B.T.1 Beagle was a British single-engine, two-seat biplane bomber/torpedo aircraft from 1928. Designed to Air Ministry specifications which led to no contracts for any manufacturer, only one Beagle was built. Development The B.T ...

and

Handley Page Hare __NOTOC__ The Handley Page HP.34 Hare was a British two-seat high-altitude day bomber designed and built at Cricklewood by Handley Page. It was designed by Harold Boultbee to meet the requirements of Air Ministry Specification 23/25 for a rep ...

. As the Jupiter VIII was prone to vibration, a second prototype, the Vickers Type 204Jarrett ''

Aeroplane Monthly ''Aeroplane'' (formerly ''Aeroplane Monthly'') is a British magazine devoted to aviation, with a focus on aviation history and preservation. __TOC__ ''The Aeroplane'' The weekly ''The Aeroplane'' launched in June 1911 under founding edito ...

'' February 1995, p. 18. was fitted with an

Armstrong Siddeley Panther The Armstrong Siddeley Panther was a 27-litre 14-cylinder twin-row air-cooled Radial engine, radial aero engine developed by Armstrong Siddeley. It was originally named the Jaguar Major.Lumsden 2003, p.72. Applications * Armstrong Whitworth A ...

IIA engine and after further testing, the Vickers design was confirmed as the winner of the contestMason 1994, pp. 200–201. but engine problems persisted until the type was tested with a new version of the Jupiter, which later became known as the Bristol Pegasus.Mason 1994, p. 201. 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 Mk III, of which 150 examples being built for the RAF. The Mark IV introduced the much more powerful 825 hp (615 kW)

Bristol Perseus The Bristol Perseus was a British nine-cylinder, single-row, air-cooled radial aircraft engine produced by the Bristol Engine Company starting in 1932. It was the first production sleeve valve aero engine. Design and development In late 192 ...

sleeve valve The sleeve valve is a type of valve mechanism for piston engines, distinct from the usual poppet valve. Sleeve valve engines saw use in a number of pre-World War II luxury cars and in the United States in the Willys-Knight car and light truck. ...

enclosed in a

NACA cowling The NACA cowling is a type of aerodynamic fairing used to streamline radial engines installed on airplanes. It was developed by Fred Weick of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) in 1927. It was a major advance in aerodynamic ...

which significantly improved performance, increasing maximum speed to 156 mph (251 km/h) and rate of climb to 840 ft/min (4.3 m/s).Andrews and Morgan 1988, p. 285. In this version, the Perseus had overheating problems and was deemed unsuitable for tropical serviceJarrett ''Aeroplane Monthly'' February 1995, pp. 19–20. with production limited to 18 aircraft, all of which served with the home based squadrons.Mason 1994, p. 202.

Vincent

In 1931, Vickers designed as a private venture a General Purpose version of the Vildebeest to replace the RAF's

Westland Wapiti The Westland Wapiti was a British two-seat general-purpose military single-engined biplane of the 1920s. It was designed and built by Westland Aircraft Works to replace the Airco DH.9A in Royal Air Force service. First flying in 1927, the Wa ...

s and

Fairey III The Fairey Aviation Company Fairey III was a family of British reconnaissance biplanes that enjoyed a very long production and service history in both landplane and seaplane variants. First flying on 14 September 1917, examples were still in u ...

Fs, supporting the Army in the Middle East. Successful trials were conducted in the Middle East,

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

and East Africa with a converted Vildebeest I in the General Purpose role during 1932–1933, and Specification 16/34 was drawn up based on the three man Vildebeest, which was named the Vickers Vincent: differences from the Vildebeest were minimal (the first production Vincent was, converted from a Vildebeest MkII), principally removal of torpedo equipment, provision for an auxiliary fuel tank, message-pick-up and pyrotechnic signalling gear. Powered by a 660 hp (490 kW) Bristol Pegasus IIM3Mason 1994, pp. 256–257. the Vincent was unveiled to the general public for the first time at the 1935 RAF flying display at Hendon, but deliveries had already been made to No. 8 Squadron at Aden in late 1934. Between 1934 and 1936, 197 Vincents were built for or converted from Vildebeests for the RAF.Andrews and Morgan 1988, p. 289.

Operational history

United Kingdom

The Vildebeest was purchased in moderately large numbers by the

from 1931 and used as a torpedo bomber. It entered service with No. 100 Squadron at RAF Donibristle in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

in October 1932, replacing the Hawker Horsley.Thetford ''Aeroplane Monthly'' April 1995, p. 37. Four frontline torpedo-bomber squadrons were equipped with the Vildebeest, two at

(100 Squadron, which moved from the United Kingdom in 1933 and 36 Squadron, which replaced its Horsleys in 1935), and two more in the United Kingdom.Thetford ''Aeroplane Monthly'' April 1995, p. 42. The Vincent entered service with

No. 84 Squadron RAF No. 84 Squadron of the Royal Air Force is at present a Search and Rescue Squadron based at RAF Akrotiri, using the Bell Griffin HAR.2 helicopter. It is currently one of the two operational parts of the RAF Search and Rescue Force left in ser ...

Shaibah Shaibah ( ar, الشعيبة) is the name of a small village and a site of a military airfield near Az Zubayr, south west of Basrah in Iraq. The area was the site of a battle with Turkish Forces during the Mesopotamian campaign of the First World ...

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

in December 1934, re-equipping General Purpose squadrons throughout the Middle East and Africa.Thetford ''Aeroplane Monthly'' March 1995, p. 20. By 1937, it equipped six squadrons in Iraq,

Aden Aden ( ar, عدن ' Yemeni: ) is a city, and since 2015, the temporary capital of Yemen, near the eastern approach to the Red Sea (the Gulf of Aden), some east of the strait Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000 people. ...

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

, and

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

.Thetford ''Aeroplane Monthly'' March 1995, p. 22. At the outbreak of the Second World War, 101 Vildebeests were still in service with the RAF. The two British-based squadrons flew coastal patrol and

convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

escort missions until 1940 when their Vildebeests were replaced by the

Bristol Beaufort The Bristol Beaufort (manufacturer designation Type 152) is a British twin-engined torpedo bomber designed by the Bristol Aeroplane Company, and developed from experience gained designing and building the earlier Blenheim light bomber. At l ...

.Thetford ''Aeroplane Monthly'' April 1995, p. 38. The two Singapore-based squadrons were still waiting for their Beauforts when Japan invaded Malaya in December 1941 and the obsolete biplanes had to be deployed against the Japanese attackers, making an abortive torpedo attack on a Japanese cruiser off

Kota Bharu Kota Bharu, colloquially referred to as KB, is a town in Malaysia that serves as the state capital and royal seat of Kelantan. It is situated in the northeastern part of Peninsular Malaysia and lies near the mouth of the Kelantan River. The ...

on 8 December.Richards and Saunders 1954, p. 20. The Vildebeests continued to attack the Japanese as their forces advanced down Malaya, sustaining heavy losses from Japanese fighters, particularly when no fighter cover could be provided. On 26 January 1942, the Japanese landed at

Endau Endau is a small town in Mersing District, Johor, Malaysia. It lies on the northern tip of east Johor, on the border with Pahang. Name The town was named ''Endau'' after a peranakan Indian who resided in the area. In the 19th century it was known ...

, 250 miles from Singapore, and 12 Vildebeests of 100 and 36 Squadrons were sent to attack the landings. Despite an escort of

Brewster Buffalo The Brewster F2A Buffalo is an American fighter aircraft which saw service early in World War II. Designed and built by the Brewster Aeronautical Corporation, it was one of the first U.S. monoplanes with an arrestor hook and other modifications ...

and

Hawker Hurricane The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s–40s which was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was overshadowed in the public consciousness by ...

fighters, five Vildebeests were lost. The attack was repeated later that day by eight Vildebeests of 36 Squadron and three

Fairey Albacore The Fairey Albacore is a single-engine biplane torpedo bomber designed and produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Fairey Aviation. It was primarily operated by the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm (FAA) and was heavily used during the Second ...

s, resulting in six more Vildebeests and two Albacores being shot down.Richards and Saunders 1954, p. 37. Vickers Vildebeest ExCC

The surviving Vildebeests were withdrawn to

on 31 January and attacked another Japanese landing force off

Rembang Rembang Regency ( id, Kabupaten Rembang) is a regency ( id, kabupaten) on the extreme northeast coast of Central Java Province, on the island of Java (bordering on the Java Sea) in Indonesia. The regency covers an area of 1,035.70 km2 on Java ...

, claiming eight ships sunk but sustaining further losses. The final two Vildebeests of 36 Squadron attempted to escape to

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

on 6 March but were lost over

Sumatra Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...

. The last Vildebeests in RAF service, operated by 273 Squadron at

Ceylon Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

were retired in March 1942.Thetford ''Aeroplane Monthly'' April 1995, pp. 38–39. While the Vincent had started to be replaced by more modern aircraft such as the

Vickers Wellesley The Vickers Wellesley was a medium bomber that was designed and produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Vickers-Armstrongs at Brooklands near Weybridge, Surrey. It was one of two aircraft to be named after Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of We ...

and

Bristol Blenheim The Bristol Blenheim is a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company (Bristol) which was used extensively in the first two years of the Second World War, with examples still being used as trainers until ...

bombers, 84 remained in service with the RAF on the outbreak of the Second World War. Vincents were used for bombing missions against Italian forces in the East African Campaign and for coastal patrols from Aden, one attacking the Italian submarine ''Galileo Galilei''. Other Vincents bombed Iraqi forces during the

Anglo-Iraqi War The Anglo-Iraqi War was a British-led Allied military campaign during the Second World War against the Kingdom of Iraq under Rashid Gaylani, who had seized power in the 1941 Iraqi coup d'état, with assistance from Germany and Italy. The ca ...

of 1941.Mason 1994, p. 257. The last frontline Vincents retired in January 1943, with the type continuing in second line service (which included pesticide spraying against

locust Locusts (derived from the Vulgar Latin ''locusta'', meaning grasshopper) are various species of short-horned grasshoppers in the family Acrididae that have a swarming phase. These insects are usually solitary, but under certain circumstanc ...

s in Iran) until 1944.

Spain

The Vildebeest was ordered by the

Spanish Republic The Spanish Republic (), commonly known as the Second Spanish Republic (), was the form of government in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931, after the deposition of King Alfonso XIII, and was dissolved on 1 A ...

in 1932 and licence production of 25 Vildebeest for the

Spanish Republican Navy The Spanish Republican Navy was the naval arm of the Armed Forces of the Second Spanish Republic, the legally established government of Spain between 1931 and 1939. History In the same manner as the other two branches of the Spanish Republi ...

was undertaken in Spain by CASA most receiving the

Hispano-Suiza Hispano-Suiza () is a Spanish automotive–engineering company. It was founded in 1904 by Marc Birkigt and Damian Mateu as an automobile manufacturer and eventually had several factories in Spain and France that produced luxury cars, aircraft en ...

HS 600 inline engine, though some other engines were also used. Around 20 survived to fight with the Spanish Republican Air Force on the Republican side of the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...

, some equipped with floats. A Vildebeest was the first victim of

Francoist Francoist Spain ( es, España franquista), or the Francoist dictatorship (), was the period of Spanish history between 1939 and 1975, when Francisco Franco ruled Spain after the Spanish Civil War with the title . After his death in 1975, Spai ...

ace Joaquin Garcia-Morato.

New Zealand

12 Vildebeests were purchased by the

Royal New Zealand Air Force The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) ( mi, Te Tauaarangi o Aotearoa, "The Warriors of the Sky of New Zealand"; previously ', "War Party of the Blue") is the aerial service branch of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed from New Zeala ...

in 1935 for coastal defence, with a further 27 acquired from RAF stocks in 1940–41. In addition, 60 or 62 of these machines, (depending on source), were passed on to the RNZAF. New Zealand Vildebeests were also used for photo mapping. A few were used for

maritime patrol {{Unreferenced, date=March 2008 Maritime patrol is the task of monitoring areas of water. Generally conducted by military and law enforcement agencies, maritime patrol is usually aimed at identifying human activities. Maritime patrol refers to ac ...

s against German surface raiders, and Japanese submarines, (a handful were based in

Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...

in December 1941), but the main wartime role of the New Zealand aircraft was as particularly unwieldy pilot trainers, until replaced by

North American Harvard The North American Aviation T-6 Texan is an American single-engined advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), United States Navy, Royal Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force and other air forces ...

s in 1942.

Variants

;Type 132 :Prototype built at Weybridge with a Jupiter VII engine. ;Type 192 :Prototype modified as a Series II with a Jupiter XF engine. ;Type 194 :Prototype modified as a Series III with a Jupiter XIF engine. ;Type 204 :Second private venture prototype as Series IV later to Air Ministry ;Type 209 :Prototype modified as a Series V with a Jupiter XIF engine. ;Type 214 :Prototype modified as a Series VI with a Jupiter XFBM engine. ;Type 216 :Prototype Series VII modified with an Hispano-Suiza 12Lbr engine and flown with floats. ;Type 217 :Second prototype to have been modified to Series VII but not converted. ;Vildebeest Mark I :Type 244 – Initial production version, a two-seat torpedo-bomber powered by a 600 hp (448 kW) Bristol Pegasus IM3 engine.Jarrett ''Aeroplane Monthly'' February 2005, p. 19. 22 built for the

RAF 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) and ...

between 1922 and 1933.Andrews and Morgan 1988, pp. 516–517. ;Vildebeest Mark II :Type 258 – Variant with more powerful (635 hp (474 kW)) Pegasus IIM3 engine. 30 built for RAF and delivered 1933.Andrews and Morgan 1988, p. 517. ;Vildebeest Mark III :Type 267 – Three seat torpedo-bomber. 150 built for RAF, delivered 1935–36. 15 ex-RAF aircraft (including one converted Mark II) diverted to RNZAF later. :Type 277 – Twelve aircraft with

folding wing A folding wing is a wing configuration design feature of aircraft to save space and is typical of carrier-based aircraft that operate from the limited deck space of aircraft carriers. The folding allows the aircraft to occupy less space in a con ...

s and the ability to carry

drop tank In aviation, a drop tank (external tank, wing tank or belly tank) is used to describe auxiliary fuel tanks externally carried by aircraft. A drop tank is expendable and often capable of being jettisoned. External tanks are commonplace on modern ...

s for

RNZAF The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) ( mi, Te Tauaarangi o Aotearoa, "The Warriors of the Sky of New Zealand"; previously ', "War Party of the Blue") is the aerial service branch of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed from New Zeal ...

delivered in 1935. ;Vildebeest Mark IV :Type 286 – Two seat version powered by 825 hp (615 kW)

engine. Eighteen built for RAF, 12 of which were sold to New Zealand. ;Type 245 Vildebeest :Series IX, Torpedo bomber for

Spanish Navy The Spanish Navy or officially, the Armada, is the maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces and one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Spanish Navy was responsible for a number of major historic achievements in navigation, ...

, powered by 600 hp (448 kW) Hispano-Suiza 12L water cooled V-12 engine. First prototype Vildebeest modified to this standard and flew in this form in June 1930, with 26 licence built in addition to the prototype.Andrews and Morgan 1988, pp. 279, 517–518. ;Type 263 :One Vildebest I modified with a Pegasus 1M3 engine. ;Vincent :Type 266 – Three-seat General Purpose version for RAF. Pegasus IIIM3 engine.Jarrett ''Aeroplane Monthly'' February 2005, pp. 20–21. 197 built new or converted.

Operators

; *

Royal Iraqi Air Force The Iraqi Air Force (IQAF or IrAF) ( ar, القوات الجوية العراقية, Al Quwwat al Jawwiyah al Iraqiyyah}) is the aerial warfare service branch of the Iraqi Armed Forces. It is responsible for the defense of Iraqi airspace as well ...

– six Vickers Vincents donated in 1940. Due to their poor condition, only five were ever operated. **No. 2 Squadron RIrAF ; *

No. 1 Squadron RNZAF No. 1 Squadron RNZAF was a New Zealand reconnaissance and patrol bomber squadron operating in the Pacific War, Pacific Theatre during World War II. After the war the squadron served in the transport and VIP role. History It was formed as the New ...

No. 2 Squadron RNZAF No. 2 Squadron RNZAF was a squadron of the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF). It was formed in 1930 as part of the Territorial Air Force with the main headquarters at Wellington and shadow flights at New Plymouth and Wanganui. Squadron pers ...

No. 3 Squadron RNZAF No. 3 Squadron RNZAF is a unit of the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF). It currently operates NHIndustries NH90 and Agusta A109 helicopters. The squadron was initially formed as a territorial unit of the New Zealand Permanent Air Force in C ...

** No. 4 Squadron RNZAF ** No. 5 Squadron RNZAF ** No. 6 Squadron RNZAF ** No. 7 Squadron RNZAF ** No. 8 Squadron RNZAF ** No. 22 Squadron RNZAF **

No. 30 Squadron RNZAF No. 30 Squadron RNZAF was a New Zealand light bomber squadron which saw service against the Japanese in the Pacific Theatre during the last two years of the Second World War. History No.30 Squadron formed on 28 May 1943, being stood up at RNZAF ...

No. 42 Squadron RNZAF No. 42 Squadron is an active transport squadron of the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF). It was formed at Rongotai Airport (Wellington) in December 1943 to provide a communications service around New Zealand, initially using impressed civili ...

; *

No. 5 Squadron RAF Number 5 (Army Co-operation) Squadron (although His Majesty the King awarded No. V (Army Cooperation) Squadron) was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It most recently operated the Raytheon Sentinel R1 Airborne STand-Off Radar (ASTOR) aircraf ...

– Vincent **

No. 7 Squadron RAF No. 7 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Boeing Chinook HC6 from RAF Odiham, Hampshire. History Formation and early years No. 7 Squadron was formed at Farnborough Airfield on 1 May 1914 as the last squadron of the Royal Flying Corp ...

– Vildebeests used for trials ** No. 8 Squadron RAF – Vincent **

No. 22 Squadron RAF Number 22 Squadron of the Royal Air Force is an operational testing and evaluation squadron for all the Joint Helicopter Command helicopter types including Chinook, Puma HC2, Merlin HC4, Apache and Wildcat AH1. Formerly the Rotary Wing Op ...

– Vildebeest ** No. 27 Squadron RAF – Vincent ** No. 28 Squadron RAF – Vincent ** No. 31 Squadron RAF – Vincent ** No. 36 Squadron RAF – Vildebeest **

No. 42 Squadron RAF Number 42 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It served during the First World War as an army co-operation squadron and during the Second World War in various roles. Between 1992 and 2010, it was the Operational Conversion Unit (OC ...

– Vildebeest **

No. 45 Squadron RAF Number 45 Squadron is a flying squadron of the Royal Air Force. The squadron, which was established on 1 March 1916 as part of the Royal Flying Corps, currently provides flying training using Embraer Phenom T1s and operates under the command ...

– Vincent ** No. 47 Squadron RAF – Vincent **

No. 55 Squadron RAF No. 55 Squadron Royal Air Force, commonly abbreviated 55 Sqn RAF, is a formerly active flying squadron of the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was formed on , as a unit of the Royal Flying Corps (RFC). No. 55 Squadron was the last RAF squadron to o ...

– Vincent **

– Vincent. Vildebeests used for tropical trials **

No. 100 Squadron RAF Number 100 Squadron is a former Royal Air Force squadron. It last operated the British Aerospace Hawk T1, providing 'aggressor' aircraft for air combat training from RAF Leeming in North Yorkshire, UK. History First World War No. 100 was est ...

– Vildebeest ** No. 207 Squadron RAF – Vincent ** No. 223 Squadron RAF – Vincent ** No. 244 Squadron RAF – Vincent ** No. 273 Squadron RAF – Vildebeest ** No. 1430 Flight RAF

Surviving aircraft

A Vildebeest/Vincent composite airframe is being restored by the

Air Force Museum of New Zealand The Air Force Museum of New Zealand, formerly called The Royal New Zealand Air Force Museum, is located at Wigram, the RNZAF's first operational base, in Christchurch, in the South Island of New Zealand. It opened on 1 April 1987 as part of th ...

Wigram Aerodrome Wigram Aerodrome is located in the Christchurch suburb of Sockburn, later to be split-suburb of Wigram and now split again as Wigram Skies. It was gifted by Sir Henry Wigram for the Canterbury (NZ) Aviation Company on 20 September 1916 and ...

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

, from the substantially complete remains of Vildebeest Mark III NZ102, incorporating parts from Vildebeest NZ105 and Vincents NZ355 and 357. A Vincent (NZ311) has nearly completed restoration to static display by the Subritzky family near

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

, New Zealand. A Spanish Vildebeest is rumoured to have survived.

Specifications (Vildebeest III)

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* Andrews, C. F. and E. B. Morgan. ''Vickers Aircraft since 1908.'' London: Putnam, 1988. . * Jarrett, Philip. "By Day and By Night: Vildebeest and Vincent". ''Aeroplane Monthly'' Volume 23, No. 2, Issue 262, February 1995, pp. 16–22. . * * * * * Mason, Francis K. ''The British Bomber since 1914.'' London: Putnam Aeronautical Books, 1994. . * Mondey, David. ''Hamlyn Concise Guide to the British Aircraft of World War II''. Chancellor, 1982. * "No. 100 Squadron"
''Flight,'' 28 October 1955, pp. 673–676, 678.
* Richards, Denis and Hilary St. G. Saunders. ''Royal Air Force 1939–1945: Volume II The Fight Avails.'' London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1954. * * Thetford, Owen. "By Day and By Night: Vincents in Service". ''Aeroplane Monthly'', Volume 23, No. 3, Issue 263, March 1995, pp. 18–22. . * Thetford, Owen. "By Day and By Night: Vildebeests in Service". ''Aeroplane Monthly'', Volume 23, No. 4, Issue 264, April 1995, pp. 36–42. .

External links

RCAFNew Zealand Military Aircraft Serial Numbers Vickers Vildebeest Mk III,IV
{{Vickers aircraft 1920s British bomber aircraft Vildebeest Single-engined tractor aircraft Biplanes Aircraft first flown in 1928