Origin:
Handley Page Ltd.

Type:
Long range heavy bomber with crew of seven.

Engines:
Four 1,390 hp Rolls-Royce Merlin XX vee-12 liquid cooled

Dimensions:
Span 98ft 10in (30.12m); length 70ft 1in (21.36m); height 20ft 9in (6.32m).

Weight:
Empty 35,270lb (16,000kg); loaded 60,000lb (27,216kg)

Performance:
Maximum speed: 270mph (435km/h); initial climb: 750ft (229m/min); service ceiling: 22,800ft (6,950m), range with maximum load: 1,100miles (1,770km)

Armament:
Boulton Paul turrets situated at the front and dorsal positions each with two 0.303in Browning machine guns. A Boulton Paul turret at rear with four 0.303in machine guns. Bomb load up to 11,000lb (4992kg) internally.

History:
First flown in October 1939 the Handley Page Halifax was one of the new generation of four engined heavy bombers designed for the RAF. The early versions of this aircraft suffered a high accident rate due to a design problem but further development and modifications led to a highly effective machine, which performed extremely well in a wide variety of roles. 103 Squadron was equipped with this aircraft from July 1942 to November 1942, when they re-equipped with the Avro Lancaster.

During that four month period, 103 Squadron flew 15 bombing operations detailing 137 sorties for the loss of 12 aircraft on operations and one during training. In addition the 103 Squadron Conversion Flight lost two in training accidents.

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