The Avro Lancaster is a British four-engined Second World War heavy bomber designed and built by Avro for the Royal Air Force (RAF).

• Role: Heavy bomber
• Manufacturer: Avro
• First flight: 9 January 1941
• Introduction: February 1942
• Retired: 1963 (Canada)
• Status: Retired
• Number built: 7,377

Operators

• Argentina
• Australia
• Canada
• Egypt
• France
• Poland
• Soviet Union
• Sweden
• United Kingdom

Specifications (Lancaster B.1)

General characteristics

• Crew: 7: pilot, flight engineer, navigator, bomb aimer/nose gunner, wireless operator, mid-upper and rear gunners
• Length: 69 ft 4 in (21.11 m)
• Wingspan: 102 ft 0 in (31.09 m)
• Height: 20 ft 6 in (6.25 m)
• Wing area: 1,297 sq ft (120.5 m²)
• Empty weight: 36,457 lb (16,571 kg)
• Loaded weight: 68,000 lb (30,909 kg)
• Max. takeoff weight: 72,000 lb (32,727 kg) with 22,000 lb (10,000 kg) bomb
• Powerplant: 4 × Rolls-Royce Merlin XX liquid-cooled V12 engines, 1,280 hp (954 kW) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 282 mph (246 knots, 454 km/h) at 63,000 lb (29,000 kg) and 13,000 lb (5,900 kg) altitude
• Cruise speed: 200 mph (174 knots, 322 km/h)
• Range: 2,530 mi (2,200 nmi, 4,073 km)
• Service ceiling: 21,400 ft (6,500 m) at 63,000 lb (29,000 kg)
• Rate of climb: 720 ft/min (3.7 m/s) at 63,000 lb (29,000 kg) and 9,200 ft (2,800 m) altitude

Armament

• Guns: 2 Browning .303 Mark II machine guns in nose turret, 2 Browning .303 Mark II machine guns in upper turret, and 4 Browning .303 Mark II machine guns in the rear turret.
• Bombs: Maximum normal bomb load of 14,000 lb (6,350 kg) or 22,000 lb (9,979 kg) Grand Slam with modifications to bomb bay.