Fairey Battle
Battle Fairey Battle trainer Role Light bomber National origin United Kingdom Manufacturer Fairey Aviation Company Designer Marcel Lobelle First flight 10 March 1936 Introduction June 1937 Retired 1949 Status 5 remain in museums Primary users Royal Air Force Belgian Air Force Royal Australian Air Force Royal Canadian Air Force Free Polish Air Force Produced 1937–1940 Number built 2,201 The Fairey Battle was a British single-engine light bomber designed and manufactured by the Fairey Aviation Company. It was developed during the mid-1930s for the Royal Air Force (RAF) as a monoplane successor to the earlier Hawker Hart and Hind biplanes. The Battle was powered by the same high-performance Rolls-Royce Merlin piston engine that powered various contemporary British fighters [N 1] . However the Battle was significantly heavier, with its three-man crew and bomb load. Though a great improvement over the