Blackburn Cubaroo Torpedo Bomber

The Blackburn Cubaroo was designed in response to a British Air Ministry request for a coastal defence torpedo bomber. The aircraft was to have a long range, (800 miles – 1,300km) and be capable of carrying a full-sized 21-inch torpedo. It was thought at the time that this size weapon would be capable of sinking even the most heavily armoured ship. Other torpedo bombers at the time only carried smaller less effective torpedoes.

The Cubaroo was designed to be powered by a single 1,000 hp (750 kW) Napier Cub X-16 engine. The resulting aircraft was the largest single engined biplane to have flown at this time.

First flying in 1924, it was written off after its undercarriage collapsed on 2 February 1925. A second prototype flew in 1925, but the Air Ministry had by then lost interest in single-engine heavy bombers, so the second prototype was used as an engine testbed, flying with the experimental 1,100 hp (820 kW) Beardmore Simoon diesel engine.