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Avro 679 Manchester

For a description of the format and data included in Production Tables, see here.

Produced Variants

Type 679 Manchester Mk.I Twin engined medium bomber to Specification P.13/36 to meet the requirements of OR.41 for a Medium Bomber. Production  
  to Specification 19/37. Prototype featured a twin tail, production versions had an additional central fin added. 
  Two 1,760 h.p. Rolls-Royce Vulture powerplants.
Type 679 Manchester Mk.IA Main production version featuring an enlarged tailplane with twin, taller, fins and rudders.


Projected Variants

Type 679 Manchester Mk.II Variant with two 2,100 h.p Napier Sabre I or 2,520 h.p. Bristol Centaurus powerplants.
Type 679 Manchester Mk.III Variant with four 1,145 h.p. Rolls-Royce Merlin X powerplants, increased wingspan and triple fins. 
  Became the Type 683 Lancaster.

Production List Page Top
Serial Range
Type
Batch Qty
Conv.
Canc'd
Notes
 2 aircraft ordered from A.V. Roe & Co. Ltd., Newton Heath, Manchester, to contract 624973/37, Avro Works Order 5667. First flew July, 1939 and May, 1940.
 L7246 - L7247  Prototypes  2      
 200 aircraft ordered from A.V. Roe & Co. Ltd. Newton Heath, Manchester, to contract 648770/37, Avro Works Order 5723. Delivered as 130 Mk.Is and 27 Mk.IAs between August 1940 and November 1941.
 The remaining 43 were built as Lancasters.
 L7276 - L7325  Mk.I  50      
 L7373 - L7402    30      
 L7415 - L7434    20      
 L7453 - L7482    30      
 L7483 - L7497  Mk.IA  15      
 L7515 - L7526    12      
 L7527 - L7549        23  Built as Lancasters.
 L7565 - L7584        20  Built as Lancasters.
 1 aircraft ordered from A.V. Roe & Co. Ltd., Chadderton, Lancs, to contract 7625/39 for cannon trials. Cancelled.
 R2671  Mk.I      1  
 150 aircraft ordered from the Fairey Aviation Company Limited, Heaton Chapel Stockport, Lancs. Cancelled.
 R4525 - R4554  Mk.I      30  
 R4572 - R4611        40  
 R4630 - R4649        20  
 R4670 - R4694        25  
 R4710 - R4744        35  
 150 aircraft ordered from the Sir W. G. Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft Company, Bagington, Warwickshire to contract 982865/39. Cancelled.
 R5273 - R5320  Mk.I      48  
 R5339 - R5380        42  
 R5397 - R5426        30  
 R5448 - R5477        30  
 200 aircraft ordered from A.V. Roe & Co. Ltd., Chadderton, Lancs. Built as Lancasters.
 R5482 - R5517  Mk.I      36  
 R5537 - R5576        40  
 R5603 - R5640        38  
 R5658 - R5703        46  
 R5724 - R5763        40  
 100 aircraft ordered from  Metropolitan-Vickers Ltd., Mosley Road Works, Manchester, to contract 982866/39. 43 delivered between August, 1940 and  November, 1941. The remaining 57 were built as Lancasters.
 R5768 - R5797  Mk.I  30      
 R5829 - R5841    13      
 R5842 - R5868        27  
 R5888 -  R5917        30  
 150 aircraft ordered from the Sir W. G. Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft Company, Bagington, Warwickshire to contract B.982865/39. Cancelled.
 W1280 - W1299  Mk.I      20  
 W1319 - W1350        32  
 W1374 - W1410        37  
 W1426 - W1475        50  
 W1488 - W1498        11  
Total Production
202
 
751
 

Manchester Mk.1A Converted From Manchester Mk.I
Serials
 37 aircraft converted by A.V.Roe.
  L7276, L7277, L7279 - L7294, L7296 - L7299, L7301, L7305, L7308, L7385, L7386, L7389 - L7391, L7394 - L7398, L7417, L7418
 6 aircraft converted by Rollaston Aviation Ltd and Tollertons Ltd.
 L7399 - L7402, L7415, L7416
Total Conversions   (43)



Production Summary

Page Top 
All Aircraft By Mark
Type Delivered New Conv. Canc'd Total
 Manchester Mk.I 175   708 883
 Manchester Mk.IA 27 (43) 43 113
  202 (43) 751  


Production References
  1. Avro Aircraft Since 1908, A.J. Jackson (Putnam, 1965)
  2. Avro Manchester, Robert Kirby (Midland Publishing Ltd., 1995)
  3. Air Britain RAF Aircraft Register Series, Various Volumes (Air-Britain Publications)
  4. www.lancaster-archive.com/

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V1.4.4 Created by Roger Moss. Last updated August 2020