Hinaidi

The Handley Page Hinaidi was a British heavy bomber developed in the early 1920s as an evolution of the earlier Hyderabad series. First flown in 1923, the Hinaidi incorporated a more powerful 650 hp Liberty V-12 engine and a strengthened airframe, allowing a maximum bomb load of 2,500 pounds and a range of roughly 700 miles. Its biplane configuration featured a wooden fuselage covered with fabric, a fixed under‑carriage with twin wheels, and a defensive gunner’s cockpit situated behind the pilot. Production began at Handley Page’s Cricklewood works, delivering a total of 61 aircraft to the Royal Air Force, where they were assigned to Nos. 10 and 99 Squadrons for strategic night‑time bombing and maritime patrol duties.

Although quickly superseded by the more modern Vickers Vimy and later the Handley Page Hyderabad Mk. III, the Hinaidi played a pivotal role in the RAF’s transition from World War I‑type machines to purpose‑built interwar bombers. Its operational experience helped shape British bomber doctrine, informed structural improvements such as metal fuselage sections, and demonstrated the practicality of longer‑range, high‑payload aircraft in the post‑war era. The Hinaidi remains a notable milestone in early British aerospace engineering.