Dart

The Blackburn Dart was a single‑engine torpedo bomber introduced in the early 1920s as the Royal Navy’s first carrier‑based aircraft specifically designed for anti‑ship operations. Developed by Blackburn Aircraft at Brough, the Dart first flew in 1921 and entered service with the Fleet Air Arm in 1923, replacing the older Sopwith Cuckoo. Powered by a 450‑horsepower Napier Lion II water‑cooled engine, the low‑wing biplane featured an all‑metal fuselage, wooden wings with fabric covering, and a large, detachable torpedo‑mounting rack beneath the centreline. Its robust undercarriage could be fitted with either wheels for deck‑landings or floats for seaplane duties, providing flexibility for both carrier and shore‑based operations. The Dart’s spacious cockpit accommodated a pilot and an observer, while its control surfaces were reinforced to withstand the stresses of torpedo releases at low altitude. Though only a few hundred were built, the aircraft proved decisive during the inter‑war period, refining carrier attack tactics and influencing later designs such as the Blackburn Ripon and the Fairey Swordfish. The Dart’s legacy lies in establishing the operational concept of carrier‑borne torpedo bombing that shaped naval aviation throughout World II.