The Lockheed Hudson Patrol Bomber - A Brief history:

Development:

The Lockheed Hudson was a military development of the Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra airliner. Like many other U.S. aircraft manufacturers in the 1930's, Lockheed Aircraft had met with modest success, but the pall of the Depression still hung over the cfountry. When the British Purchasing Commission came to the U.S. in 1938, looking for modern aircraft to supplement her domestic industries in their "catch-up" game with Germany, Lockheed was amonhg the companies that queued up. the commission emphasized quick procurement times, LOOKING FOR While Lockheed aIRCRAFT HAD COME TO BE IDENTIFIED WITH quality Lockheed aircraft was known for quality and advanced design, but the market for commercial aircraft was tight during the Depression, and Lockheed, in common iwth many other manufacturers of the time, had met with only modest success. Great strides being made in aircraft development Lockheed was building highly advanced civilian airliners Great planes, but not much econoomic success. Britain, in common with the rest of Europe, embarked on a massive rearmaments program in the second half of the 1930's. The british aircraft indiustry was still suffering the effects of the worldwide depression and the disarmament movement rife in Europe in the 20's and early 30's, and it was acknowledged that they were unlikely to be able to meet the growing needs of the RAF as it embarked on a massive re-armament program in an effort to match the burgeoning output of the newly resurrected German war indisutry. ????? proposed to seek alternate sources of modern aircraft to meet some of the emerging needs of the RAF. Though this was not very popular in Britain, the efforts of the British Purchasing DCommision were to lay the groundwork for the acquisition of the vast quantity of material that would be needed to prosecute the war against the Axis two years later. One of the firms in America that the British Purchasing Commision approached was Lockheed Aircraft. Lockheed had built a series of technically advanced (but not economically successful) airliners, beginning with the Model 10 Electra and culminating in the Model 14 Super Electra. Lockheed put forth enormous effort to attract British interest in a military version of their Model 14. This effort was rewarded when The British Purchasing Commision ordered the plane, soon named Hudson. an adaption of the Model 14 as a navigation trainer for the RAF, with a secondary role as a reconnaissance bomber. While the originally ordered as a trainer, protracted development of the Botha, and the shortcoming of the Ansons then in Coastal Command service There is a ned, the Hhudson was chosen as the best aircraft then available in the numbers that were needed at the time. it was quickly realized that the Lockheed Model 214, or Hudson, as the aircraft now became known, In 1938, the British Purchasing Commission came to America, seeking sources of modern aircraft with which to rebuild the RAF Lockheed's management was young and aggressive, was exploring new markets for the Super Electra. As with the MOdel 10 and 12 before it, a reconaissance bomber of the Model 14 was proposed early in 1938. Work had already begun on the project when Lockheed was informed that the British Purchasing Commission was coming to Lockheed, and would arrive in seven days! Working round the clock, the project was completed just in time for the arrival of the BPC. The BPC was eyeing the Model 14 to fill an RAF requirement of a navigational trainer, Home industries were fully occupied producing every fighter and bomber that could possibly be built in existing manufacturing space, and the rapidly growing backlog of orders promised to utilize every inch of additional manufucturing space that was expected to come on line within the next two years. There was, however a real need for many different types of secondary aircraft, including trainers, and with british manufacturing capacity completely invested in the production of modern fighters and bombers, it was proposed to turn to the vast US manufacturing capacity to meet the growing needs of the secondary units. The British Purchasing Commission, armed with inticipated RAF requirements, travelled to America seeking model aircraft with which to filol these needs. Not poular in Britain. Coastal Command formed in 193? soon realized that the Ansons alloted to it were inadequate for their mission, the Sunderlands too few, and a new purpose-built aircraft, the ?? Botha, was having protracted development. While the Lockheed Model 14 lacked extraordinary speed, range or payload, it had enough of all three to While the Model 14 was not a sterling example of a maritime reconaissance bomber, it had enough good properties while it was not outstanding example of recon bomber, it was adequate, and certainly better than anything else then available in any numbers. The production of the Lockheed MOdel 14, now called Hudson I to reflect its new maritime mission, was now allocated to Coastal Command. First deliveries, and by September 3, 1939, ?? and ?? were equipped, with ?? working up on the type. The Hudsons were among the first aircraft in action against the Germans, and the first kill was scored. Production olf Mk 1, some diverted to RAAF, quick production history, and delivery

In British Service:

First delivery. maritime patrol bomber. Replaced in servfice new tasks including ASR, served until the end of the war, when it was used ti ferry soldiers back home.

In Australian Service:

Start replaced,saw axtion

In New Zealand Service:

Start replaced,saw axtion

In USAAF Service:

The USAAF sat on the brink of war woefully under-eauipped. Lend-Lease aircraft were taken as neede to fill the immediate needs of the service until newer and more capable aircraft were availalbe.

In Brasilian Service:

Joined the war, supplied, used in action protecting shipping in the South Atlantic.

Other Users:

Irish. portugese?. Anyone else??

For More Information:

Lockheed A-28 and A-29 Hudson
The Lockheed File: Lockheed Aircraft in Australia

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