#beaufighterprototype

Bristol Beaufighter Mk VIF X7579 night fighter prototype with centimetric AI radar

Two Beaufighter Mark IIFs were converted to Mark Vs by having one pair of cannons and the wing-mounted machine gun armament supplanted by a Boulton-Paul turret mounting four .303 machine guns. It was tested operationally by the Fighter Interception Unit and No. 406 Squadron RCAF, but the turret installation drastically reduced performance and further development was abandoned.

Bristol Beaufighter Mk II T3032 with extended dorsal fillet to improve stability

The fourth prototype, R2055, had its regular armament replaced by a pair of 40 mm guns for attacking ground targets, the two guns being a Vickers S gun mounted on the starboard fuselage and a Rolls-Royce BH gun mounted on the port fuselage; these trials led to the Vickers gun being installed on an anti-tank Hawker Hurricane IID. These guns were not fitted to production Beaufighters.

Two Beaufighter Mark IIFs were converted to Mark Vs by having one pair of cannons and the wing-mounted machine gun armament supplanted by a Boulton-Paul turret mounting four .303 machine guns. It was tested operationally by the Fighter Interception Unit and No. 406 Squadron RCAF, but the turret installation drastically reduced performance and further development was abandoned.