Hampden

The Handley Page HP.52 Hampden was a British twin-engine medium bomber of the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was one of a trio of then-large twin-engine bombers procured for the RAF, the other two being the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley and Vickers Wellington. The newest of the three medium bombers, the Hampden was often referred to by aircrews as the “Flying Suitcase” because of its cramped crew conditions.

The Hampden served in the early stages of Second World War, bearing the brunt of the early bombing war over Europe, taking part in the first night raid on Berlin and the first 1,000-bomber raid on Cologne. As the war went on, it became clear that the Hampden was unsuited to combat missions in the modern air war and, after a period of mainly operating at night, it was retired from RAF Bomber Command service in late 1942. As it was, by 1943, the other two medium bombers were also being superseded by the larger four-engined “heavies” such as the Avro Lancaster.

• Tactic

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• Pros & Cons
  • Pros
    • Torso and bottom machine guns
    • Acceptable bomb load and torpedo
  • Cons
    • Slow speed
    • Low caliber machine guns
• Engine
  • Default:  Bristol Pegasus XVIII radial engine (1,000 hp)
• Armament
  • Default:
    • 5 x .30 machine gun
    • 12 x 100 lb Bombs
  • Upgrade 1:
    • 6 x 250 lb Bombs
  • Upgrade 2:
    • 3 x 500 lb Bombs
  • Upgrade 3:
    • 1 x Mk-13 Torpedo
• Stats
  • Max speed: 247 mph (215 knots, 397 km/h)
  • Max dive speed: N/A
  • Durability: 3000
  • Internal fuel capacity: 528 US gallons (2000 litres)
  • External fuel capacity: N/A
  • Empty weight: 12,764 lb (5,789 kg)
  • Wing area: 668 sq ft (62.1 m²)