3D model
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A procedural model built in Blender from published dimensions, drawings and photographs, painted as A16-199, the RAF Museum’s Lockheed Hudson Mk IIIA, built at Burbank, California as 41-36975 and allotted to the RAF as FH174 under Lend-Lease but delivered to Australia in 1942, flown by Nos. 13 and 2 Squadrons RAAF in northern Australia, a civil survey aircraft as VH-SMM and VH-AGJ from 1947, brought to Britain for the Strathallan Collection in 1973 as G-BEOX and displayed at Hendon since 1981: a twin-engined maritime reconnaissance bomber of 65 ft 6 in span developed from the Lockheed 14 Super Electra airliner, with two Wright Cyclone radials, a glazed nose for the navigator and bomb-aimer, a bomb bay under the cabin floor, Fowler flaps and twin fins and rudders, shown standing tail-down as it is displayed there, still in its survey configuration with no dorsal turret: RAAF Foliage Green and Earth Brown above a scalloped line, Sky Blue beneath, blue and white roundels, light grey ‘SF-R’ codes and a black ‘A16-199’ on the rear fuselage, white and blue fin flashes, a yellow kangaroo either side of the nose, the bomb doors and port cabin door open and natural-metal three-blade propellers with yellow tips. Drag to orbit, scroll or pinch to zoom · download .glb (1.4 MB)
Data plate
Specification
- First flight10 December 1938
- Built2,941
- Top speed246 mph
- Engine2 × Wright R-1820 Cyclone nine-cylinder radials, 1,200 hp each
- Crew4–5
- Wingspan19.96 m
- Length13.51 m
- Height3.62 m
- In service1939–1946
- RoleMaritime reconnaissance bomber
- MakerLockheed, United States
- UK collections1
First flight, number built and top speed are for the whole family (); engine, crew and dimensions are for the Hudson Mk IIIA modelled here.
History
The Hudson
In April 1938 the British Purchasing Commission visited Lockheed at Burbank, California, looking for an American aircraft to supplement the Avro Anson in Coastal Command. In a few days Lockheed turned its Model 14 Super Electra, a ten-passenger airliner that had first flown in July 1937, into a mock-up of a reconnaissance bomber, with a glazed nose for a navigator and bomb-aimer, a bomb bay under the cabin floor and a gun turret on top. In June 1938 the Air Ministry ordered 200, then the largest order Lockheed had ever won. The first Hudson flew on 10 December 1938, and the aircraft were shipped across the Atlantic and fitted in Britain with a Boulton Paul two-gun dorsal turret.
No. 224 Squadron at Leuchars received the first Hudsons in the summer of 1939. On 8 October 1939 three of its Hudsons shot down a Dornier Do 18 flying boat over the North Sea, the first enemy aircraft destroyed by an RAF aircraft based in Britain. Hudsons found the German prison ship Altmark in a Norwegian fjord in February 1940, covered the Dunkirk evacuation and flew convoy escort and anti-submarine patrols out of Britain, Iceland and Gibraltar. On 27 August 1941 a Hudson of No. 269 Squadron depth-charged U-570 south of Iceland, and its crew surrendered to the circling aircraft; the submarine was towed in and commissioned into the Royal Navy as HMS Graph. Later Hudsons dropped airborne lifeboats to ditched crews and flew agents into occupied France with No. 161 Squadron.
From 1941 Hudsons came to Britain under Lend-Lease. The Mk IIIA was the American A-29, with Wright Cyclone engines, bought for the RAF with American money and given RAF serials, though many went to Australia, New Zealand and Canada instead. The Royal Australian Air Force flew about 250 Hudsons. On 8 December 1941 No. 1 Squadron RAAF attacked the Japanese invasion fleet off Kota Bharu in Malaya, and Australian Hudsons went on to fight over Malaya, the Netherlands East Indies, Timor and New Guinea. Lockheed built 2,941 Hudsons in all before production ended in 1943, and the type set the company on the road to the Ventura, the Lodestar and its later bombers and airliners.
This airframe
Hudson Mk IIIA “A16-199”
A16-199 was built at Burbank as a Wright Cyclone-engined Mk IIIA, with the American serial 41-36975 and the RAF serial FH174, but it went to Australia instead. It arrived at No. 1 Aircraft Depot, Laverton, in April 1942, became A16-199 and served with Nos. 13 and 2 Squadrons RAAF in northern Australia, and later with No. 3 Communications Unit, until it was put into store in November 1945. Sold in 1947, it became VH-SMM and flew for several civil operators as a survey aircraft, re-registered VH-AGJ in 1966, mostly with Adastra Aerial Surveys. In 1973 it came to Britain for the Strathallan Collection in Scotland and was registered G-BEOX in 1977. The RAF Museum bought it at the Strathallan auction in July 1981, and it is displayed at Hendon, still in its survey configuration with non-standard nose glazing and no gun turret. The model shows it as it is displayed: RAAF Foliage Green and Earth Brown above a scalloped line, Sky Blue beneath, blue and white roundels, light grey “SF-R” codes and a black “A16-199” on the rear fuselage, white and blue fin flashes, a yellow kangaroo either side of the nose, bomb doors and the port cabin door open, and natural-metal propellers with yellow tips. The Boulton Paul turret displayed on a stand beside it is left out, and the camouflage pattern on the upper surfaces follows the standard scheme rather than this airframe, which no photograph shows whole.
Where to see one
In the gazetteer
The gazetteer records the Hudson in one UK collection. The airframe modelled here is marked.