Avro 683 Lancaster
The Avro Lancaster was Britain's primary heavy bomber of the Second World War, carrying a larger single bomb load than any other Allied bomber, including the specially developed 'Grand Slam' bomb weighing over ten tonnes. Its unobstructed bomb bay, running almost the full length of the fuselage, let it carry unusually large single weapons that smaller-bay American bombers couldn't accommodate. It carried out the famous 1943 'Dambusters' raid, using specially designed bouncing bombs to breach German dams. Only two Lancasters remain airworthy today, one in Britain and one in Canada, making any flight a rare public event.
Did you know?
The Lancaster's unobstructed bomb bay let it carry the war's largest single bombs, including the ten-tonne 'Grand Slam'.
Specifications
| Length | 21.2 m (69 ft) |
|---|---|
| Wingspan | 31.1 m (102 ft) |
| Height | 6 m (20 ft) |
| Persons on board | 7 |
| Crew | 7 |
| Maximum take-off weight | 30.8 t |
| Range | 1,660 NM (3,074 km) |
| Maximum speed | 240 kt (444 km/h) |
| Service ceiling | 21,400 ft (6,523 m) |
| Optimum ceiling | 24,000 ft (7,315 m) |
| Rate of climb | 720 ft/min (3.7 m/s) |
| Engines | 4x Rolls-Royce Merlin |
| Units built | 7,377 |
Curated by CatchFlights from manufacturer documents, ICAO Doc 8643 and reference works; values are left out where no source could confirm them. Sources are listed on our credits page.
In CatchFlights
In CatchFlights the Avro 683 Lancaster starts as a Legendary catch. The tier is an editorial judgement of how special a sighting of this type is. The more often you catch it, the closer it moves to Common for you. The first catch of a legendary type pays a bonus of its own.
A catch counts for the manufacturer Avro, the 683 Lancaster family and the model in your collection, and the daily Type Rating quiz asks about the types of each family.
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