Blackburn Kangaroo

The Blackburn R.T.1 Kangaroo was a British twin-engine reconnaissance torpedo biplane built by Blackburn Aircraft of the First World War. In 1916, the Blackburn Aircraft Company designed and built two prototypes of an anti-submarine floatplane designated the Blackburn G.P. or Blackburn General Purpose. It was not ordered but Blackburn developed a landplane version as the Blackburn R.T.1 Kangaroo (Reconnaissance Torpedo Type 1). The first aircraft... more

The Blackburn R.T.1 Kangaroo was a British twin-engine reconnaissance torpedo biplane built by Blackburn Aircraft of the First World War. In 1916, the Blackburn Aircraft Company designed and built two prototypes of an anti-submarine floatplane designated the Blackburn G.P. or Blackburn General Purpose. It was not ordered but Blackburn developed a landplane version as the Blackburn R.T.1 Kangaroo (Reconnaissance Torpedo Type 1). The first aircraft was delivered to Martlesham Heath in January 1918. The performance was not impressive, but as 20 were already on order, they entered service later that year with No. 246 Squadron RAF. From the sixth aircraft onwards, they were powered by the more powerful Rolls-Royce Falcon III engine replacing the 250 hp (120 kW) Rolls-Royce Falcon II. The Kangaroo had six months of wartime operations and they sank one U-Boat and damaged four others. Aircraft were sold on the civil market at the end of the war. They saw considerable service as converted for... less