HANDLEY PAGE HEREFORD

The Handley Page Hereford was a British medium-wing bomber in the interwar and WWII period. The prototype flight took place in 1937. The drive was provided by two Napier Dagger VIII engines. The length of the aircraft was 16.32 meters with a wingspan of 21.09 meters. The deck armament consisted of 4-6 7.7 mm machine guns. The machine could also carry a load of bombs weighing up to 1,814 kilograms. The Hereford model was created as a development of the Hampden aircraft. The main change between the two aircraft concerned the use of different propulsion units. In the Hereford plane they were Napier Dagger VIII engines, in the Hampden model - Bristol Pegasus XVIII engines. This change was introduced at the Short Brothers factory in Northern Ireland, which undertook the license production of the Hampden model. However, fearing the irregular deliveries of Bristol engines, it was decided to change the power unit. However, it was not a successful idea, and as a result the machine's performance decreased. For this reason, the resulting Handley Page Hereford aircraft were relatively quickly rebuilt to the Hampden Mk. And either directed them to RAF training units.