List of aircraft of the United Kingdom in World War II

Here is a list of aircraft used by the British Royal Air Force, Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm, Army Air Corps and British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC)[1] during the Second World War.

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Fighters and fighter-bombers
Brewster Buffalo Mk I
Supermarine Spitfire Mk I
Hawker Hurricane Mk I
  • Bell Airacobra — briefly used by one squadron (Royal Air Force)
  • Blackburn Roc — naval turret fighter (Royal Navy)
  • Blackburn Skua — naval fighter/dive bomber (Royal Navy)
  • Boulton Paul Defiant — turret fighter/night fighter (Royal Air Force)
  • Brewster Buffalo (Royal Air Force)
  • Bristol Beaufighter — strike fighter (Royal Air Force)
  • Bristol Blenheim — night fighter (Royal Air Force
  • Curtiss Mohawk (Royal Air Force)
  • Curtiss Kittyhawk and Tomahawk (Royal Air Force)
  • de Havilland Mosquito — night fighter & fighter-bomber (Royal Air Force)
  • de Havilland Vampire — prototype jet fighter (Royal Air Force)
  • Douglas Havoc — night fighter (Royal Air Force)
  • Fairey Fulmar — fleet fighter (Royal Navy)
  • Fairey Firefly — fleet fighter (Royal Navy)
  • Gloster Gladiator (Royal Air Force, Royal Navy)
  • Gloster Meteor — jet fighter (Royal Air Force)
  • Gloster Sea Gladiator (Royal Navy)
  • Grumman Martlet/Wildcat (Royal Navy)
  • Grumman Hellcat (Royal Navy)
  • Hawker Hurricane — fighter/fighter-bomber (Royal Air Force, Royal Navy)
  • Hawker Sea Hurricane (Royal Navy)
  • Hawker Tempest (Royal Air Force)
  • Hawker Typhoon — fighter/fighter-bomber (Royal Air Force)
  • Lockheed Lightning — twin engine fighter (Royal Air Force) (Brief use)
  • North American Mustang (Royal Air Force)
  • Republic Thunderbolt (Royal Air Force)
  • Supermarine Spitfire (Royal Air Force & Royal Navy)
  • Supermarine Seafire (Royal Navy)
  • Vought Corsair (Royal Navy)
  • Westland Whirlwind — twin engine fighter (Royal Air Force)
  • Westland Welkin — high altitude fighter (Royal Air Force)

Torpedo bombers, dive bombers and army cooperation
de Havilland Mosquito
  • Avro Rota — Army cooperation autogyro (Royal Air Force)
  • Blackburn Skua — naval fighter/dive bomber (Royal Navy)
  • Brewster Buccaneer — dive bomber (Royal Navy)
  • Fairey Albacore — torpedo/dive bomber (Royal Air Force, Royal Navy)
  • Fairey Barracuda — dive bomber (Royal Navy)
  • Fairey Swordfish — torpedo bomber (Royal Navy)
  • Grumman Tarpon/Avenger — torpedo bomber (Royal Navy)
  • Hawker Audax — Army cooperation biplane (Royal Air Force)
  • Hawker Hardy — General purpose biplane (Royal Air Force)
  • Hawker Hector — Army cooperation biplane (Royal Air Force)
  • Hawker Hind — light bomber (Royal Air Force)
  • Vickers Vildebeest — torpedo bomber (Royal Air Force)
  • Vought Chesapeake — dive bomber (Royal Navy)
  • Vultee Vengeance — dive bomber (Royal Air Force)
  • Westland Wapiti — general purpose biplane (Royal Air Force)

Level bombers
Avro Manchester Mk IA
Avro Lancaster

Maritime patrol and coastal reconnaissance
Short Sunderland
Consolidated Catalina Mk II

Photo reconnaissance

Trainers and target tugs
Avro Anson trainer
North American Harvard Mk.I
De Havilland Dominie
  • Airspeed Oxford — bomber trainer (Royal Air Force)
  • Avro Anson — navigation and bomber trainer (Royal Air Force, Royal Navy)
  • Blackburn B-2 (Royal Air Force)
  • Boulton & Paul Overstrand — obsolete bomber used as gunnery trainer (Royal Air Force)
  • Curtiss Cleveland — ground instructional training (Royal Air Force)
  • de Havilland Tiger Moth — primary trainer (Royal Air Force, Royal Navy)
  • de Havilland Dominie — radio trainer (Royal Air Force)
  • de Havilland Don — radio trainer (Royal Air Force)
  • Fairey Gordon — obsolete bomber used as trainer and target tug (Royal Air Force)
  • General Aircraft Cygnet — tricycle undercarriage trainer (Royal Air Force)
  • General Aircraft Owlet — tricycle undercarriage trainer (Royal Air Force)
  • Handley Page Heyford — obsolete bomber used as trainer (Royal Air Force)
  • Hawker Demon — obsolete fighter used as trainer (Royal Air Force)
  • Hawker Hart — obsolete bomber used as trainer and target tug (Royal Air Force)
  • Hawker Henley — target tug (Royal Air Force)
  • Hawker Osprey — obsolete fighter used as trainer (Royal Navy)
  • Miles Magister — primary trainer (Royal Air Force)
  • Miles Martinet (Royal Air Force)
  • Miles Master — target tug (Royal Air Force)
  • North American Harvard — advanced trainer (Royal Air Force, Royal Navy)
  • Percival Proctor — radio trainer (Royal Air Force)
  • Sikorsky Hoverfly — helicopter (Royal Air Force)
  • Vickers Wellington — bomber trainer (Royal Air Force)
  • Westland Lysander — target tug (Royal Air Force)
  • Westland Wallace — target tug (Royal Air Force)


Transport and communications
Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle Mark I of 511 Squadron c. 1942
Avro York - LV633 Ascalon, Churchill's personal aircraft.
Hadley Page Harrow of No. 115 Squadron RAF
Model nameIntroductionRetiredBuildOperator
Airspeed Envoy1934195252Royal Air Force
Airspeed Courier1933194716Royal Air Force (impressed)
Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle19401945602Royal Air Force
Armstrong Whitworth Ensign1938194614BOAC
Armstrong Whitworth Whitley193719451814Royal Air Force
Avro Lancastrian1945196091BOAC
Avro York19441964259Royal Air Force
Beechcraft Expeditor1937unk.9000Royal Air Force, Royal Navy
Boeing Clipper193919463BOAC
Bristol Bombay1939194451Royal Air Force
Bristol Buckingham19431945119Royal Air Force
Consolidated PB2Y Coronado1937194610Royal Air Force
Consolidated B-24 Liberator19431945200Royal Air Force
de Havilland Albatross193819437Imperial Airways, BOAC, Royal Air Force (impressed)
de Havilland Express1934194162Royal Air Force, Royal Navy (impressed)
de Havilland Dragon Rapide19341958731Royal Air Force, Royal Navy (impressed)
de Havilland Dragonfly1936194567Royal Air Force (impressed)
de Havilland Flamingo1939195014Royal Air Force, Royal Navy, BOAC
de Havilland Hornet Moth1934unk.164Royal Air Force (impressed)
de Havilland Leopard Moth1933unk.133Royal Air Force (impressed)
de Havilland Mosquito194119637781BOAC
de Havilland Moth Minor1937unk.140Royal Air Force, Royal Navy
de Havilland Puss Moth1930unk.140Royal Air Force (impressed)
Douglas Dakota1942unk.1900+Royal Air Force, BOAC
Douglas C-54 Skymaster1942197522Royal Air Force
Fairchild Argus19321948831Royal Air Force
Foster Wikner Warferry1936unk.10Royal Air Force (impressed)
Grumman G-21 Goose1935unk.49Royal Air Force, Royal Navy
Grumman Gosling1940unk.15Royal Air Force, Royal Navy
Handley Page Halifax194019616176Royal Air Force
Handley Page H.P.42193119404Royal Air Force
Handley Page H.P.54 Harrow19371945100Royal Air Force
Hawker Hardy193419418Royal Air Force
Heston Phoenix193619526Royal Air Force
Percival Petrel1938194727Royal Air Force
Percival Proctor193919551147Royal Air Force
Percival Vega Gull1935194590Royal Air Force
Lockheed Lodestar1940unk.625Royal Air Force, BOAC
Miles Mentor1938195045Royal Air Force
Miles Mercury194119466Royal Air Force
Miles Messenger1942unk.21Royal Air Force
Short Hythe1942194629BOAC
Short S.26 G-Class Empire193919473Royal Air Force, BOAC
Short Stirling194119462371Royal Air Force
Short Scylla193419402BOAC
Sikorsky Hoverfly1945194652Royal Air Force
Stinson Reliant19371943500Royal Air Force, Royal Navy
Stinson L-5 Sentinel19421945100Royal Air Force
Stinson L-1 Vigilant1941unk.30-71Royal Air Force, Royal Navy
Taylorcraft Auster194219651630Royal Air Force
Vickers Type 264 Valentia1934194482Royal Air Force
Vickers Warwick19391945842Royal Air Force
Westland Lysander193819461786Royal Air Force

Experimental and other

Gliders

References
  • Owen Thetford: Aircraft of the Royal Air Force since 1918 6th edition. Putnam & Co., London 1976, ISBN 0-370-10056-5.
  1. Used for logistics support with RAF crews.

See also
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