The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia: Wellington, British
Medium Bomber ([original](http://pwencycl.kgbudge.com/W/e/Wellington%5FIII.htm)) ([raw](?raw))| 
The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia | |
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Vickers Wellington Mk.III
| Crew | 5 or 6 |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 86'2" by 60'10" by 17'5" 26.26m by 18.54m by 5.31m |
| Weight | 18,556-29,500 lbs 8417-13,400 kg |
| Maximum speed | 255 mph at 12,500 feet 410 km/h at 3800 meters |
| Climb rate | 16 feet per second 4.9 meters per second |
| Service ceiling | 19,000 feet 5800 meters |
| Power plant | 2 1500 hp (1118 kW) Bristol Hercules XI 14-cylinder radials driving three bladed propellers |
| Armament | 6 to 8 0.303 machine guns in nose and tail turrets and beam positions |
| Bomb load | 4500 lbs 2000 kg |
| Range | 2200 miles 3500 km |
| Production | 11,462 of all models: |
| 1 prototype | |
| 3055 MkI | |
| 1519 Mk.III | |
| 220 Mk.IV | |
| 64 Mk.VI | |
| 397 GR.VIII | |
| 3803 Mk.X | |
| 180 GR.XI | |
| 58 GR.XII | |
| 844 GR.XIII | |
| 841 GR.XIV | |
| 80 T.XVIII | |
| Variants | The GR. versions were for maritime patrol while the T.XVIII was a trainer. Most of the maritime variants had ASV radar and Leigh lights. |
The Wellington "Wimpey" was the main RAF bomber until the four-engine models came into production. Introduced in 1938, the aircraft was a significant step forward for the British in its day. Wellingtons contributed to the first 1000-plane raid (on Cologne) and saw service in India. They proved versatile, being adapted to a number of roles, including magnetic minesweeping using a 48' coil and antisubmarine patrol using Leigh lights and airborne radar.
The design used the geodetic construction of Barnes Wallis and the prototype flew on 15 June 1936. Production began in December 1937.
References
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