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Avro Lincoln

Avro · Heavy Bomber / Strategic Heavy Bombing · UK · Early Jet (1946–1969)

Avro Lincoln — Heavy Bomber / Strategic Heavy Bombing
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The Avro Lincoln is a British four-engine heavy bomber developed by A.V. Roe & Co Ltd (Avro) as the successor to the Avro Lancaster. It entered Royal Air Force service in 1945, too late for WWII operations, and served with RAF Bomber Command until retirement in 1963. Larger and longer-ranged than the Lancaster, the Lincoln was the bridge between Avro's wartime heavy bombers and the jet age that arrived with the Canberra and the V-bombers from the mid-1950s. Total production reached 626 aircraft. The Lincoln served with the RAF, RAAF, and Royal Argentine Air Force.

Dimensions: 78 ft (23.9 m) long with a 120-ft (36.6 m) wingspan. Empty weight 44,150 lb; maximum take-off weight 75,000 lb. Power came from four Rolls-Royce Merlin 85 engines rated at 1,750 hp each — an upgrade over the Lancaster's earlier Merlins. Maximum speed reached 295 mph, with a service ceiling of 30,500 ft and a typical combat radius of 1,800 nmi at maximum bomb load. The aircraft carried up to 14,000 lb of bombs, a 7-person crew, and a defensive armament mixing .303 and .50 cal Browning machine guns with 20mm cannons across multiple turret positions. Compared to the Lancaster, the Lincoln offered a longer wing, a stretched fuselage, and updated mission equipment.

For Kids — a shorter, friendlier version

The Avro Lincoln was a British heavy bomber developed from the famous Avro Lancaster of WWII. The Lincoln first flew in 1944 and entered Royal Air Force service in 1945. It was too late for World War II but served for 18 years. About 626 Lincolns were built.

The Lincoln is 78 feet long with a 120-foot wingspan, longer than a Boeing 737. Four Rolls-Royce Merlin engines each make 1,750 horsepower. Top speed is 295 mph, faster than most race cars. The plane carried 14,000 pounds of bombs and a 7-person crew.

The Lincoln has a longer wing and longer body than the Lancaster. The Merlin engines are also more powerful. The Lincoln can fly farther and higher than the Lancaster, useful for long colonial-policing flights.

RAF Lincolns flew in colonial conflicts after WWII: Malaya, Kenya, and Aden. Australia and Argentina also bought Lincolns. By the late 1950s the Lincoln was outdated, replaced by the English Electric Canberra jet bomber. The last RAF Lincoln retired in 1963.

Fun Facts

  • The Avro Lincoln was a British heavy bomber from the late 1940s and 1950s.
  • The Lincoln is 78 feet long with a 120-foot wingspan, longer than a Boeing 737.
  • Top speed is 295 mph, faster than most race cars.
  • About 626 Lincolns were built.
  • The Lincoln was a stretched, longer-winged Avro Lancaster.
  • The RAF retired its Lincolns in 1963.
  • Australia and Argentina also flew Lincolns.

Kids’ Questions

Why too late for WWII?

The Avro Lincoln first flew in 1944, and only a few entered RAF service before WWII ended in 1945. The Lancaster was still doing most bombing missions, and there was no time to switch. The Lincoln did most of its service in the late 1940s and 1950s, after WWII was over.

How was it different from the Lancaster?

The Lincoln has a longer wing (120 feet versus the Lancaster's 102 feet) and a longer body. It also has more-powerful Rolls-Royce Merlin engines. The Lincoln could fly farther, higher, and faster than the Lancaster. But by the time the Lincoln was ready, jet bombers like the Canberra were coming. The Lincoln became outdated quickly.

What did it do?

The Lincoln flew with RAF Bomber Command from 1945 to about 1955. It dropped bombs in colonial conflicts in Malaya, Kenya, and Aden after WWII. Australia and Argentina bought Lincolns too. The Lincoln was a transition plane: too late for WWII but too early to be a jet, so its career was short.

Variants

Lincoln B.1 (initial 1945)
Original 1945 production variant. 165 built. Limited late-WWII operations.
Lincoln B.2 (improved 1945+)
Improved variant with updated mission equipment and expanded weapons compatibility. 395 built. Backbone of post-WWII RAF Lincoln operations.
Lincoln Mk.30 (Australian)
Australian-built variant. 73 produced by Government Aircraft Factories for RAAF post-WWII service.
Lincoln Mk.31 (Australian Long Nose)
Modified Australian variant with extended nose for additional crew and sensor equipment. Limited operations.

Notable Operators

Royal Air Force (former)
Primary operator. 478 Lincolns served with the RAF between 1945 and 1963. Post-WWII operations included the Malayan Emergency (1948-1960 anti-insurgent bombing), the Kenya Mau Mau Uprising (1953-1960), and the Aden Emergency (from 1955). Final RAF retirement came in 1963.
Royal Australian Air Force (former)
Major operator. 73 Lincoln Mk.30 and Mk.31 aircraft served with the RAAF from 1946 to 1961, including Malayan Emergency combat operations alongside British forces against Malayan Communist forces.
Argentine Air Force (former)
30 Lincolns served with the Argentine Air Force from 1947 to 1967 in transport and training roles.
Preservation / museums
Two surviving Lincolns are preserved globally, at the RAF Museum Hendon (UK) and the Royal Australian Air Force Museum. Few airframes survived post-WWII scrappage.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was Lincoln's role in Malayan Emergency?

From 1948 to 1960, RAF and RAAF Lincoln squadrons bombed Malayan Communist Party forces during the Malayan Emergency, striking jungle targets and Communist guerrilla bases. Both RAF and RAAF Lincolns deployed throughout the Emergency. Tactical effectiveness against dispersed guerrilla forces in jungle terrain was limited — a problem later encountered in Vietnam and other counter-insurgency campaigns. The Lincoln, alongside other RAF and RAAF aircraft, contributed to the eventual defeat of the Malayan Communist Party, though combined ground and air operations were decisive. The Lincoln's Malayan service typifies late-piston-bomber colonial-policing operations.

How does Lincoln differ from Lancaster?

The Lincoln was a developed successor. The Avro Lancaster entered service in 1942 with a 102-ft wingspan, a 14,000 lb maximum bomb load, and 7,377 built. The Avro Lincoln entered service in 1945 with a 120-ft wingspan, the same 14,000 lb bomb load, and 626 built. Improvements over the Lancaster included a larger wing for longer range and higher-altitude operations, Merlin 85 engines in place of earlier Merlins, updated mission equipment, and improved defensive armament. The Lincoln entered service too late for WWII, by which time jet bombers were emerging and would supersede piston-engine designs within a decade. Its post-WWII RAF service marks the end of the piston-engine heavy bomber era.

Why was Lincoln retired in 1963?

Jet bombers and the V-bomber transition ended the type's career. RAF heavy-bomber capability shifted to the Canberra (light bomber, from 1951) and the V-bombers — Valiant from 1955, Vulcan from 1956, Victor from 1958 — providing nuclear deterrence. The Lincoln was being superseded from 1955 onward, with final RAF retirement in 1963 closing out British piston-engine heavy bomber service. The Lincoln's final operational years centred on training rather than combat, and the type marks the British transition to jet-bomber Cold War doctrine.

How did Lincoln compare to B-29?

Both were major post-WWII heavy bombers of the same era. The Boeing B-29 Superfortress was a U.S. design with 3,970 built, serving in the WWII Pacific theatre and continuing in post-WWII Cold War strategic-bomber roles. The Avro Lincoln was British, with 626 built, and served in the late-WWII and post-WWII RAF strategic-bomber role. The B-29 was larger, more heavily armed, and more widely deployed; the Lincoln saw smaller production and more limited combat experience. Both were superseded by jet bombers from the mid-1950s. The RAF leased 88 B-29s from the USAF between 1950 and 1955 as the RAF Washington B.1, an interim heavy-bomber stopgap while the V-bombers were developed.

Where can I see a Lincoln today?

Two Lincolns survive globally, at the RAF Museum Hendon (UK) and the Royal Australian Air Force Museum at Point Cook, Australia. Few airframes survived as the RAF and other operators transitioned to jet bombers and scrapped most of their Lincolns. The type remains one of the more under-recognised post-WWII British aircraft, overshadowed in popular memory by the Lancaster and the V-bombers.

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