The Blackburn R.B.2 Sydney (serial N241) was a long-range maritime patrol flying boat developed for the Royal Air Force in 1930, in response to Air Ministry Specification R.5/27. It was a parasol-winged braced monoplane of typical flying boat arrangement with triple tailfins and its three engines arranged on the wing's leading edge. After evaluation, it was not ordered into production and no further examples were built.

Sydney
General information
TypePatrol flying boat
ManufacturerBlackburn
Designer
John Douglas Rennie[1]
StatusPrototype
Number built1
History
First flight18 July 1930

With development of the Sydney abandoned, construction of a cargo-carrying variant powered by radial engines, the C.B.2 Nile was also ended.

Specifications (Sydney)

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Blackburn Nile 3-view drawing from L'Aéronautique August,1929

Data from British Flying Boats [2]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 5
  • Length: 65 ft 7 in (19.99 m)
  • Wingspan: 100 ft (30 m)
  • Height: 20 ft 4 in (6.20 m)
  • Wing area: 1,500 sq ft (140 m2)
  • Empty weight: 17,065 lb (7,741 kg)
  • Gross weight: 23,350 lb (10,591 kg)
  • Powerplant: 3 × Rolls-Royce F.XII MS V-12 liquid-cooled piston engines, 525 hp (391 kW) each
  • Propellers: 2-bladed fixed-pitch propellers

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 123 mph (198 km/h, 107 kn)
  • Cruise speed: 100 mph (160 km/h, 87 kn)
  • Endurance: 7 hours 30 minutes
  • Service ceiling: 16,300 ft (5,000 m)
  • Rate of climb: 390 ft/min (2.0 m/s)

Armament

  • Guns: 3 × trainable .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis Gun in open bow, dorsal and ventral positions
  • Bombs: 1,102 lb (500 kg) of bombs or 2 × torpedoes

See also

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Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

References

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Notes
  1. ^ "Blackburn" (PDF). Flight: 7. 21 November 1930. Retrieved 15 February 2017. Major Rennie is responsible for the seaplane types.
  2. ^ London 2003, pp.260–261.
  3. ^ "Blackburn: Sydney". Grace's Guide. 2 August 1929. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
Bibliography
  • London, Peter (2003). British Flying Boats. Stroud, UK: Sutton Publishing. ISBN 0-7509-2695-3.
  • Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. p. 158.
  • Blackburn Sydney – British Aircraft Directory
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