Avro Lancaster

E29504

World War II aircraft heavy bomber military aircraft

The Avro Lancaster was a British four‑engined heavy bomber of World War II, renowned for its night bombing raids and precision attacks such as the famous "Dambusters" mission.

Aliases (6)

Statements (50)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	World War II aircraft → heavy bomber → military aircraft →
armament	.303 in Browning machine guns → 12,000 lb Tallboy bomb → 22,000 lb Grand Slam bomb → 4,000 lb “Cookie” blast bomb → conventional bombs → defensive gun turrets →
bombloadCapacity	up to 14,000 kg → up to 22,000 lb →
countryOfOrigin	United Kingdom →
crew	7 →
derivedFrom	Avro Manchester →
designedBy	Roy Chadwick →
engineCount	4 →
engineType	Rolls-Royce Merlin V12 piston engine →
fameReason	effectiveness in night bombing campaigns over Germany → precision attacks on strategic targets →
firstFlight	1941-01-09 →
introducedBy	Royal Air Force Bomber Command →
landingGear	retractable tailwheel landing gear →
manufacturer	A.V. Roe and Company →
maximumSpeed	about 287 mph at 15,000 ft →
nickname	Lanc →
notableMission	Dambusters raid on Ruhr dams →
notableOperation	Operation Chastise →
notablePreservedAircraft	FM213 (Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum) → PA474 (RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight) →
numberBuilt	over 7,300 →
operator	Argentine Air Force → Free French Air Forces → Polish Air Forces in exile → Royal Air Force → Royal Australian Air Force → Royal Canadian Air Force → Royal Egyptian Air Force → Royal New Zealand Air Force →
preservedExamples	several museum aircraft worldwide →
primaryRole	night bombing → strategic bombing →
productionPeriod	1941–1946 →
range	about 2,530 miles →
roleInDambustersRaid	carried specially modified bouncing bombs →
serviceCeiling	about 24,500 ft →
serviceEntry	1942 →
successor	Avro Lincoln →
unitInvolved	No. 617 Squadron RAF →
usedInConflict	Second World War →
wingConfiguration	mid-wing monoplane →

Referenced by (23)

Subject (surface form when different)	Predicate
Battle of Berlin (air campaign) → Operation Chastise → Operation Hydra →	aircraftUsed
Avro Lancaster ("Avro Lancaster B.I") → Avro Lancaster ("Avro Lancaster B.III") → Avro Lancaster ("Avro Lancaster B.X") →	variant
Avro Manchester → Vickers Wellington →	successor
Avro Manchester ("Avro Manchester/Lancaster family") →	aircraftFamily
Guy Gibson →	aircraftFlown
No. 617 Squadron RAF →	aircraftOperated
Royal Air Force Bomber Command →	aircraftType
RAF Scampton →	basedAircraftType
Upkeep bouncing bomb →	deliveryPlatform
Avro Manchester →	developedInto
Rolls-Royce Merlin →	notableAircraftPowered
Allied strategic bombers →	notableAircraftType
Big Week →	notableAircraftUsed
RAF Coastal Command ("Avro Lancaster (maritime variants)") →	operatedAircraft
Avro Manchester →	replacedBy
Upkeep bouncing bomb ("Avro Lancaster B Mark III Special") →	specificDeliveryPlatform
Gee navigation system →	usedByAircraftType
H2S radar →	usedOnAircraft