comradeloganov on DeviantArthttps://www.deviantart.com/comradeloganov/art/RAF-Handley-Page-Panther-B-2-Farnborough-1955-415550906comradeloganov

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RAF Handley Page Panther B.2 - Farnborough 1955

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Here's another profile that I've done in collaboration with ~talos56.  I've used a lighter than usual on this one because the blue blended in perfectly with my standard background.

These Handley Page production aircraft would differ substantially from the American B-51s.  First and foremost, they used Avon engines instead of the J47s used on the B-51A.  This provided the RAF Panthers with a substantial increase in available thrust.  Another major change was with the cockpit, as the RAF preferred to move both crew members under the canopy, as the USAF would also do in the B-51B.  Whereas the B-51B went with a tandem crew layout, however, the RAF displayed a clear preference for side-by-side seating from its experience with the Canberra, in particular.  This allowed for improved crew communication and allowed for a more efficient layout of the cockpit.  Finally, they added a substantial ECM suite to the top of the T-tail.

One of the first examples of this new British Panther variant was taken to the Farnborough airshow by Handley Page in 1955.  Just as they did at Farnborough two years earlier in 1953, Handley Page painted it to match its larger stablemate, the Handley Page Victor.  Both of the aircraft were finished in a gorgeous cerulean blue overall.  In fact, Handley Page managed to arrange for the two aircraft to have similar RAF serial numbers, WB775 for the Victor and XM775 for the Panther, respectively.
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CarrieMoore's avatar
Another superb work!