Handley Page Type O
The Handley Page Type O was a biplane bomber used by Britain during the First World War. When built, the Type O was the largest aircraft that had been built in the UK and one of the largest in the world. There were two main variants, the Handley Page O/100 (H.P.11) and the Handley Page O/400 (H.P.12).
| Type O | |
|---|---|
| Role | Heavy bomber |
| Manufacturer | Handley Page Aircraft Company |
| First flight | 17 December 1915 |
| Introduction | 1916 |
| Retired | 1922 |
| Primary users | Royal Air Force Royal Naval Air Service |
| Produced | 1915-1919 |
| Number built | 600 |
| Developed into | Handley Page Type W |
The aircraft were used in France for tactical night attacks on targets in German-occupied France and Belgium and for strategic bombing of industrial and transport targets in the Rhineland. Some aircraft were temporarily diverted to anti-submarine reconnaissance and bombing in the Tees estuary in 1917 and two aircraft operated in the eastern Mediterranean. The Type O made such an impression that for many years after the war any large aircraft in Britain was referred to as a "Handley Page", even getting a dictionary entry.