Hawker Horsley Mk II

Hawker Horsley Mk II

  • Role: Bomber / Trainer
  • Dimentions: Wingspan 17.22m, Length 11.83m, Height 4.16m
  • Engine: 1 × Rolls-Royce Condor III V-12 (650 hp)
  • Armament: 1 × forward-firing .303 in machine gun, 1× rear-mounted .303 in machine gun, 1,500 lb of bomb payload or 1 x torpedo
  • Crew: 2
  • Number in service: 6
  • Country of production: Great Britain

This aircraft was impressive during the 20s, mainly due to its dimensions. Six Horsleys were ordered in 1929 by the Naval Flying Corps and received painted in aluminum color, coded BB1 to BB6. Later codes were B1 to B6. They sported greek insignia on the wings and rudder and a small anchor in the vertical stabilizer.

In July 1934, a few months after the signing of the Balkan Pact of Understanding, three Horsleys visited most of the Balkan capitals, as a demonstration of goodwill.

For the last years of their service, the Horsleys were used as trainers. They were all destroyed in April 1941, without being used against the Italian invasion in Greece.